I suppose that there are a few words that are
so packed with emotion as the word family. That
word family reaches down to the very core of
our being and brings up a wealth of feelings,
memories, and expectations. After all, family
is where you belong. Family is where you are
accepted and loved. Family has to do with our
basic identity as people. It has to do with our
essential self -understanding, that is, who we
are. Family is really important. I believe that
God intends for every person to have the security,
the love, and identity of a family. Unfortunately,
some are denied that to varying degrees because
of the sinfulness of mankind. But I think you
would agree with me that this family kind of
identity is really important to us. The greatest
family that there is, is the family of God. What
a privilege it is to be called the children of
God. Philip Bliss in his hymn, Once for All,
says it this way, children of God, O glorious
calling. And he's right. What a glorious calling
we have to be called the children of God. Together
as his children, then we constitute God's family.
I'm going to ask you to turn with me to a couple
of passages of scripture as we set the stage
for the theme today, which is the church, the
family of God, a royal family. First turn to
Ephesians chapter 2 verse 19. This is another
of the metaphors of the church that can be found
in the New Testament. Ephesians 2, verse 19,
So then you are no longer strangers and aliens,
but you are fellow citizens with the saints,
and are of God's household. No longer strangers,
you are of God's household, God's family. We
are God's household, His family. John comments
on it this way by the inspiration of the Holy
Spirit, See how great a love the Father has bestowed
upon us. that we should 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 shall be. We know
that when he appears we shall be like him, because
we shall see him just as he is. And everyone
who has this hope fixed on him purifies himself
just as he is pure. Everyone who practices sin
also practices lawlessness, and sin is lawlessness.
And you know that he appeared in order to take
away sins, and in him there is no sin. No one
who abides in him sins. No one who sins has seen
him or knows him. Little children, let no one
deceive you. The one who practices righteousness
is righteous, just as he is righteous. The one
who practices sin is of the devil, for the devil
has sinned from the beginning. The Son of God
appeared for this purpose that he might destroy
the works of the devil, that is, render them
powerless or inoperative. No one who is born
of God practices sin because his seed abides
in him, and he cannot sin because he is born
of God. By this the children of God and the children
of the devil are obvious. Anyone who does not
practice righteousness is not of God, nor the
one who does not love his brother. The church
is the family of God. In 1 Timothy 3, 15 it says,
I write so that you may know how one ought to
conduct himself in the household or the family
of God, which is the church of the living God.
I'd like for us to examine this morning several
aspects of the family of God. First, entrance
into the family, then evidence of being in the
family. Then, maturation in the family and finally
the inheritance for the family. Let's talk first
about this aspect, the entrance into the family.
I would draw your attention in 1 John chapter
3 to those words in verse 2 that say, now we
are children of God. The emphasis here in this
word children is on relationship. It means those
who are born of God, the born ones of God. He
says, we are the born ones of God. But notice
that he uses a three -letter word before that
statement. He says, now we are the born ones
of God. That is significant. It means that we
are something now. that we were not before. Now
we are the children of God, but we weren't before
is the implication. Furthermore, it means that
this is something we don't have to wait on in
the future. I don't have to wait to become a
child of God. He says now we are the born ones
of God. Verse 10 tells us that there are two
families in this world. I remember someone saying
that there are two families in the world, the
haves and the have -nots. Well, spiritually speaking,
there are two families in the world, but they
are delineated in verse 10 as the children of
God and the children of the devil. These two
families live side by side and outwardly speaking
one may not be able to tell which is in the family
of God and which is in the family of the devil.
But of this I can be assured that every person
listening to me at this moment is a member of
one family or the other. All of us are members
of either the family of God or the family of
the devil. You say, well, how do you get into
these families? We are born by our natural birth
into the family of the devil. We are his children.
We are what are called in Ephesians chapter 2,
the sons of disobedience, who are by nature the
children of wrath or of judgment. That is the
natural birth. We are born into the world of
sinners. We have the devil's spiritual seed in
us, the seed of rebellion and independence from
God. But we can by a supernatural birth be born
into the family of God and become His children.
Turn back with me to John chapter 1, where he
tells us himself, how we become a part of the
family of God. John 1 -12, as many as received
him, Jesus Christ, to them he gave the right
to become children of God, even 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. Notice, we do not gain entrance
into the family of God by our own effort, or
by our own will, or by natural birth and descent,
by blood. But rather, in order to gain entrance
into God's family, we have to be born, verse
13, of God. Born of God. That is defined for
us in the previous verse, where it says those
who receive Jesus Christ In other words, those
who believe in His name. It is through that act
of receiving Jesus Christ and believing on Him
that we are then born of God. Someone asked the
question, perhaps you've asked this question
of others, are you a Christian? And the person
responded, I've always been a Christian. Have
you ever heard that? Is it not the natural thought
of a man? Of course I'm a Christian. I'm an American,
aren't I? I go to church, don't I? I have been
baptized, haven't I? My name is on the church
roll, isn't it? Of course I'm a Christian. And
yet the fact is that we do not gain entrance
into the family of God and become genuine Christians.
until that point in our life where we cease our
rebellion against God and we receive Jesus Christ.
When we stop rejecting Him and we invite Him
to come into our lives and we believe on Him
in that personal saving way, it is possible for
a person to be very moral and religious, as well
as irreligious or immoral, and yet either way
to be in only in the family of the devil. What
is needed is a supernatural new birth to be born
into the family of God. And I'm talking to some
people here today who perhaps have never experienced
that supernatural birth. Paul wrote to the Galatians
and he talked to them about the family of the
faith, Galatians 6 .10. The family of the faith.
Those who by faith have trusted in the Lord Jesus
Christ. You say, well, I've always believed in
Jesus. My friend, it's not enough to have a mere
intellectual knowledge about Jesus Christ. You
see, the devil has that too, but he's not saved.
We must come to the place where we recognize
our inner sinfulness. our natural rebellion against
God, and we repent of that, we change our mind
about it, we turn from it, and rather we turn
to the Lord and say, Lord, I receive you. I give
you my life. I believe on you. And when we do
that, we are born of God. Not by our effort,
by our determination, by our works, by our natural
descent, we are born of God. When that takes
place, we change families. You say, yes, but
haven't I read somewhere in religious literature
about the fatherhood of God and the brotherhood
of man? As a matter of fact, you may well have
read about those phrases. The teaching is that
God is the father of all men, and therefore all
men, irrespective of their religious beliefs
are brothers. God is the father of all, and we're
all a part of the same brotherhood. God accepts
us, you see, without any respect of persons.
My friend, that is the devil's lie. That is a
counterfeit doctrine. And it leads people by
the scores to hell. For they think that just
by their natural birth they are a part of God's
family. My friend, we are only a part of God's
family. We can only call God Father when we are
born of Him. Jesus spoke to the very religious
Pharisees of His day who rejected Him. And he
said to them, you are of your father the devil,
and your father's works you do. They said, we
are born of Abraham. He said, you are of your
father the devil. You may feel as though that
by your baptism or your confirmation, or the
rituals that you have done in your church that
surely God accepts you. My friend, God cannot
accept you unless you are a part of His family.
By your natural birth, you were born into this
world as a child of the devil. His spiritual
seed is in you. Your need is to be born anew
into God's family, to become His child, and He
will receive you. If you've never made that commitment,
I hope that before you leave here today, you
will. That's how we gain entrance into the family.
What is evidence of the family? When you go to
the store to buy your groceries, you may write
a check. When you write a check, the store clerk
will often require a driver's license or some
form of identity. Why does he or she do that?
In order to confirm that you are who you say
you are. It is not enough to say that I am Galen
Call to that clerk. The clerk says, can you prove
it? What is the evidence that you are who you
claim to be? And so I get out of my wallet my
driver's license with my thumb over the picture,
if possible. and I prove that I am who I claim
to be. What are the proofs that one is a member
of God's family? What evidence should we look
for? You say, well, we should be able to look
back and to know that we went forward in some
crusade or we made a definite decision on a certain
night at a certain hour. And I don't knock those
who are able to do that. I'm grateful they can
look back to that point in their lives when they
made that definite commitment. I talked to someone
here just recently, in fact, and he named the
day and the very hour and where he was when he
received Jesus Christ as his Savior. That's marvelous.
But not all of us can do that. I can't do that.
We have to be able to look back to something
more than a time of decision. After all, there
are some people who can look back to a point
of decision in their lives, and there's been
nothing at all since then to prove that that
decision was genuine. They can just look back
and say, well, I prayed this prayer. So what?
A lot of people pray prayers. What should be
the evidence that one is a member of the family?
Well, John suggests at least three of them right
here in this epistle that we're looking at. One
is our practice toward sin. In chapter 3 we read
some very difficult verses. In verse 6 it says,
Little children, let no one deceive you. The
one who practices righteousness is righteous,
just as he, Jesus, is righteous. The one who
practices sin is of the devil. For the devil
has sinned from the beginning. Turn back a page
or two to chapter two and look at these verses,
beginning in verse three. By this we know that
we have come to know him if we keep his commandments.
The one who says, I have come to know him and
does not keep his commandments is a liar. That's
strong language. And the truth is not in him,
but whoever keeps his word in him, the love of
God has truly been perfected. By this we know
that we are in him. he abides in him, ought himself
to walk in the same manner as he walked." One
of the evidences that one is in the family of
God is his practice toward sin. The first thing
I want to say about this is that John is not
declaring here that one who is a member of the
family of God cannot sin. What he is saying is,
because of the tense of the verbs, that one who
practices as a lifestyle sin is showing that
he is not a member of the family of God, he is
a member of the family of the devil still. And
one who has the bent of his life and his lifestyle
practices righteousness proves that he is a child
of God. But earlier in chapter 1, he makes it
clear and he tells us that if we say that we
have no sin, or if we say that we have not sinned,
then we're deceiving ourselves. The truth is
not in us. We make him a liar and his word is
not in us. John is not saying that it's impossible
for a Christian to sin. But he is saying that
the general description of his life, the bent
of his life, the direction of his life will be
toward righteousness. That is his point. When
you've run up against a person who claims to
be a Christian, but his lifestyle is totally
sinful, and there is no desire to repent of that,
there is no confession of sin, then you can write
it down that that person is still in the family
of the devil. because the practice of righteousness
moving in that direction is evidence that one
is a member of the family of God. Nor is John
saying here that a Christian may not struggle
with a sinful habit. It may be anger, or the
habit of lust, or one may have a habit of greed
and covetousness, or drunkenness. and still be
a Christian. John is not saying it's impossible
for a Christian to have a habit that he struggles
with, but the point is he will struggle with
it. It will not be something that he enjoys.
It will not be something that he does and then
forgets about. When he commits sin, he is aware
of it, he is grieved by it, and he does what
chapter 1 verse 9 tells us to do. He confesses
his sin. He confesses it. You see, part of the
evidence that one is a child of God is this,
that when he does sin, he confesses his sin.
John tells us in this book that he writes these
things so that we stop sinning. We should not
take a casual attitude about sin. I'll tell you
if we have a casual attitude about it. We better
examine whether we are genuinely in the family
of God He says I write these things that you
stop sinning, but I'm glad he went on He says
if any man does sin We have an advocate with
the Father Jesus Christ the righteous one You
see the fact is that we are still in our humanness,
and we still have flesh, and we do sin. And God
has made marvelous provision for us when we as
His children sin. And one of those provisions
is conviction and guilt. And we confess our sins,
not because we are afraid of the consequences.
Even one who's in the family of the devil. does
not like the consequences of his sin, but we
confess our sins because we do not enjoy the
knowledge that we have displeased our Father.
So one evidence as to whether one is in the family
or not is what is his practice toward sin. A
second one is one's practice toward other believers.
Where in chapter 2 look at verse 9 the one who
says he is in the light that is who is saved
and Yet hates his brother is in darkness until
now in other words. He has never been saved He
is still in darkness The one who loves his brother
abides in the light and there is no cause for
stumbling in him, but the one who hates his brother
is in the darkness and walks in the darkness
and does not know where he is going because the
darkness has blinded his eyes. Chapter 3, verse
15. Everyone who hates his brother is a murderer,
and you know that no murderer has eternal life
abiding in him. Chapter 4, verse 7. Beloved,
let us love one another, for love is from God,
and everyone who loves is born of God and knows
God. The one who does not love does not know
God, for God is love. Then verse 20 of this same
chapter, if someone says, I love God and hates
his brother, he is a liar. For the one who does
not love his brother whom he has seen cannot
love God whom he has not seen. Now listen, those
are strong words, folks. One of the evidences
that I'm in the family is my practice toward
other believers. If a person has a hateful attitude,
a disposition of dislike and disdain for Christians,
he's in the family of the devil. He's not in
the family of God. If a person says, I would
rather be with unregenerate, unsaved people,
I have more fun with them than with those stuffed
-shirted Christians, then he's giving evidence
that he's of the family of the devil and not
of the family of God. Because you see, one who
is born of God loves God's family. He cannot
say, I love God and hate Christians. He cannot.
By his attitude of hatred. He is evidencing that
he's still in darkness and does not know God.
One of the evidences that one is in the family
of God is that he loves his brothers and sisters
in Christ. He wants to be with them. Had a man
say to me one time, well, I'm a Christian, but
I don't like to go to church. I worship God out
in my backyard every Sunday morning. You know
what he was saying to me? He was saying, I say
I love God, but really I don't. I'm not saved
because I don't like to be with other Christians.
One's practice toward other believers gives evidence
as to which family he's in. And then there is
a third evidence of the family, and that is one's
practice toward the world. Look in chapter five,
verses four and five. Whatever is born of God
overcomes the world. And this is the victory
that has overcome the world, our faith. And who
is the one who overcomes the world but he who
believes that Jesus is the Son of God? Now the
overcomer in John's terminology is one who is
genuinely saved. He's a real Christian as opposed
to one who's not a real Christian. He's the overcomer.
And John says the one who is born of God, his
child. in his family overcomes the world. Turn
back to chapter 2 and verse 15. That is why he
says to God's children, do not love the world
nor the things in the world. What do we mean
by the world? We talked about this briefly last
week, so let's review. It simply means the system.
the organized worldwide system headed by Satan,
which controls unregenerate unsaved people. When
we talk about the world in this context, we're
not talking about the world of unsaved people
per se, but we are talking about that system
of thought, of motivation, of activity, of entertainment,
of education, et cetera, that enslaves unsaved
people. people, and which is anti -God. That
is the world. And one who is genuinely born of
God is one who overcomes the world. It doesn't
mean that he can't become worldly at some given
point. We can. But we confess that. And our Father
chastises us and brings us back to obedience.
We can become worldly. But the general direction,
the bent of the life, is one of overcoming the
world system. One who wants to be with the world
and be like the world is one who is really still
of the world and is not of God. For one who is
born of God overcomes the world. So what is the
evidence that I am in the family of God? Is it
that I'm a member of a church or that I've always
believed in Jesus? or that I do good things or
that I've been confirmed or baptized or whatever.
No, no, no. It's not even that I can look back
to a date and say, I prayed a prayer in that
Baptist church at the end of that evangelistic
meeting. The evidence that I am a child of God,
that I'm in his family, is my practice in my
life. My practice towards sin, my practice toward
my brothers. and sisters in Christ, my practice
toward the world. And it is that which then gives
me assurance that I'm in the family of God or
convicts me that I'm not in the family of God.
Are you in the family of God? What evidence?
What evidence do you have? What evidence can
you look to and say, here's proof, here's my
ID? Here is the evidence that I am who I claim
to be. Don't be deceived. One of the great fears
I have is that so many of us, especially in this
western world in which we live, where we grow
up with Christian concepts and words and ideas,
that there are so many who think they're on their
way to heaven because of something they've done
or some experience they've had or some words
they've prayed, but who have never truly been
born of God. I'm not trying to shatter anybody's
security blanket here today, but I can tell you
this, if your security blanket is not of God,
I mean, if you're trusting in yourself or in
your religion or your church background or whatever
to get to heaven, I hope I do shatter it so that
you will no longer be deceived into thinking
those things will somehow bring you to heaven.
They won't. Those things do not make us a part
of God's family. We are born into God's family
by the new birth of supernatural act of God.
And yet when these things are in our life, what
joyous assurance they give. One of the greatest
assurances that you and I can have is that when
we sin, we're convicted about it and we desire
to confess it to our Father. One of the greatest
joys we can have is that there is this inner
desire in us to obey God, not to disobey God.
And as much as we come short at times of that,
there is nonetheless that drive within us and
that desire within us, that seed within us of
obedience. One of the greatest joys we have is
to be together and to sense that warmth and that
love with God's people and the desire to be in
church and to be in that intimate fellowship
with other believers. That gives assurance that
I'm a child of God. The fact I don't want to
be a part of the world system. I want to be in
it, but not of it. I don't want to do the things
the world does. I don't want to be motivated
by what motivates the unregenerates. I don't
want to live for what they live for. That's great
assurance to me that I'm part of God's family.
I know most of you can feel that same assurance
in your own life. aspect of this family of God,
and that is the maturation in the family, the
growing, the maturing. It has nothing whatever
to do with age chronologically, physically. In
chapter 2, we see these words beginning in verse
12, I am writing to you little children because
your sins are forgiven you for his namesake.
I am writing to you, fathers, because you know
Him who has been from the beginning. I am writing
to you, young men, because you have overcome
the evil one. I have written to you, children,
because you know the Father. I have written to
you, fathers, because you know Him who has been
from the beginning. I have written to you, young
men, because you are strong and the word of God
abides in you and you have overcome the evil
one. Now you will notice a certain parallelism
in these verses. John is not writing to those
who are little children physically and young
adults physically and then those who are older,
more mature. What he is describing here is the
level of maturity in various people in that church.
In verse 12 he speaks to the born ones, the little
children. That's different than the word little
children to be found in the last part of verse
13. Little children in verse 12 means those who
are born of God. The same word that we saw in
chapter 3, verse 2. Here he seems to be referring
to all of those who are saved. He says that we
have this knowledge that our sins are forgiven
for his name's sake. One who was newly born into
God's family and all of us who are born into
God's family should have that assurance that
our sins are forgiven. We know that. One of the
things that brings us to Jesus Christ is the
awareness of our guilt before God and our deserving
of condemnation. And so when we are born into
the family of God, for His name's sake, we know
our sins have been forgiven. But then he mentions
children there in verse 13, and that seems to
be a level up. Not just those who are newborn,
but a level up. These children are those who
are children in training. It's a word for a little
child, perhaps two or three or a little older
than that. Those who are being disciplined and
trained by the parent. who can begin to learn
right and wrong. That's the word here in verse
13, and he's saying that these children know
the Father. So you see, when we are the born
ones, we have this self -centered kind of outlook,
my sins are forgiven. But as we begin to grow
up a little bit, then we come to know the Father.
Instead of being Focused inward, we begin to
focus outward, and we learn to say, Abba. The
spirit in us teaches us to say, Father. We are
aware of God's fatherhood in our lives. One of
the first things that a child learns as he grows,
as you parents know, is parent identity. And
almost always they begin by saying, Dada. Don't
they? Sometimes mama. But the point is parent
identity. But children don't stop there, hopefully.
Neither God's children. He talks then to the
young men. Twice He refers to them. He says regarding
young men, they've overcome the evil one, they're
strong, and the word of God abides in them. And
so you see here is another level up in maturity.
We started out just being born again. Sins are
forgiven. Then another level, children who are
beginning to know who their father is. And now
we come up another level. Here are young men
who are maturing. They're becoming energetic
and vigorous. They get involved in the fight
and the Word of God is abiding in them. You see
they're growing by the Word of God. And they
are entering into conflict with the enemy. And
not only that, they are overcoming him. But then
he speaks to the final level, and that is to
the fathers. These are those believers who are
maturing in a very final kind of sense. That
is what he says here. They know him who has been
from the beginning. So you see, we start out
with just sins being forgiven. That's the lowest
level. And then children become aware of who
daddy is. And then as they get a little older,
they become more outgoing and vigorous and strong,
and they enter into the battle and overcome the
wicked one. But then you pass through that phase,
too, if you're growing. It's not that you stop
doing that, but you go beyond that to this point
of having a settled, intimate knowledge of the
eternal God. Every Christian here today is on
one level or another, and I say again, it has
nothing to do with your age physically. It is
very sad when a Christian tends to stay down
on the born one level, and all he can talk about
are his sins being forgiven. It is a great mark
of encouragement when he begins to talk about
the Father, and he begins to pray. and to appreciate
what he is receiving from his father. But then
it's another great victory when that person is
growing so that he goes beyond that even, doesn't
stop doing that, but he goes beyond that, and
he begins to get involved in the work of God.
And he's struggling with the enemy and overcoming
the enemy, and the Word of God is abiding in
him. But then, and there are many who are here
on that level. But folks, we need to get on to
that last level, for we've not really matured
until we can say we've come to the point that
we have that settled, personal, intimate knowledge
of God, Him who has been from the beginning.
And it's when we get to that point that we really
enter into what the spiritual life is all about.
That's maturation in the family. Spiritual maturity
requires time and experience. Don't you get that?
It doesn't happen in one bound. There are those
today who are telling us that in just one experience
we should jump from this level to that level
and then we have prosperity and health forever.
If we just have this experience, we just grow
up overnight and we're mature. Wrong. Be nice
if it happened that way. Be nice for just one
thing you had to do or one test you had to pass
through. But listen, maturity comes over the
process of time. It comes through experience.
It comes through trial. It comes through heartache.
It comes through disappointment. It comes through
defeat. Maturity takes time and experience walking
with God. So don't get impatient with yourself.
You may feel like that you ought to be on that
mature level right now, and you've been saved
a day and a half. Listen, you're going to have
to work your way there. It just happens over
the process of time. Don't get discouraged, but
don't quit growing either. And don't excuse stagnation
in your life. Press on to know Him, to be mature,
to be a father. to be one who's reproducing.
That's a father. The final aspect that we'll
look at this morning is the inheritance for the
family. John says, it does not yet appear what
we shall be. Listen, for those of us who are
in the family of God, the best is yet to come.
It does not yet appear. It has not yet been made
apparent or visible what we shall be. We have
an inheritance that is coming. An inheritance
in the first place is that we shall be like Him,
for we shall see Him as He is. There is nothing
now that particularly distinguishes us outwardly
as being a part of God's family, so it was with
Christ. Outwardly speaking, there was nothing
to say that He was God come in the flesh. He
looked to be a mere man, and yet He was the King
of the universe. He was God Himself come in flesh.
Let me tell you something. You are God's royalty
in disguise. Outwardly, there's nothing to say
you're very royal. Part of most of us, anyway.
We don't look too distinguished. And yet there
is a day coming when we will be distinguished
because we will be like Jesus Christ. And then
we shall have the inheritance of sharing all
things with Jesus Christ. Not just being like
Him, but sharing all things with Him. A mutual
possession of all things. I'm not going to have
time today to read these texts. Let me just give
you the list. Romans 8, 32. How shall he not
also freely give us all things with Christ? 1
Corinthians 3, 21 through 23. All things are
yours in Jesus Christ. Ephesians 1, 3. Every
spiritual blessing is ours. in Christ in the
heavenly places. 2 Peter 1 .3, everything pertaining
to life and godliness has been given to us. And
finally John again writes in Revelation 21 .7,
he that overcometh shall inherit all things.
And in the context there is the new heavens and
the new earth. Do you realize what you have coming
as a member of God's family? It is the glory
of God being revealed in you though you're now
in disguise, and it is the inheriting of all
things. All things will belong to you and Jesus
Christ. It is a mutual ownership and possession.
We are joint heirs with Christ. I'm going to
ask us to sing a cappella, these words that most
of you probably know. Just the chorus, unfortunately,
in our hymnal written by the Gaithers. I'm so
glad I'm a part of the family of God. Just remain
seated as we sing. Let's reflect the truth of
what we've talked about this morning and the
joy. that we ought to have bubbling in our hearts
because we are a part of this royal family, the
family of God. We'll do it a cappella. We'll
do it a cappella without the instrument. Cleanse
by His blood. Joint airs with Jesus as we travel
this sod. For I'm part of the family, the family
of God. Now, if that's true. I want you to turn
back to Ephesians chapter 5 and let's look at
the first few verses of this chapter. Ephesians
chapter 5, open your Bible please and look there.
If you're glad you're a part of the family of
God and I trust you are as I am, let's look at
what it says. Be imitators of God as beloved
children. In other words, I am to imitate my
Father. And walk in love just as Christ also
loved you and gave Himself up for us, an offering
and a sacrifice to God as a fragrant aroma. But
do not let immorality or any impurity or greed,
even be named among you, as is proper among saints.
And there must be no filthiness, or silly talk,
or coarse jesting, which are not fitting, but
rather giving of thanks. For this you know with
certainty that no immoral or impure person or
covetous man, who is an idolater, has an inheritance.
in the kingdom of Christ and God. That no one
deceive you with empty words, for because of
these things the wrath of God comes upon the
sons of disobedience." That's the family of the
devil. Therefore, do not be partakers, fellow
sharers with them. For you were formerly darkness,
but now we are the children of God. He says,
now you are light in the world. Walk as children
of light. trying to learn what is pleasing to
the Lord. He says the fruit of the light consists
in all goodness, righteousness, and truth. And
do not participate in the unfruitful deeds of
darkness, but instead expose them for as disgraceful
even to speak of the things which are done by
the children of the devil in secret. Whose family
are you in? Are you living like it? Heavenly
Father, I pray today that those of us who are
your children can look at our lives and can see
there the evidence that we're in the family.
And to the extent that we can't, and to the extent
that we're not imitating you, to the extent that
we're not walking as children of light, then
bring us to repentance and confession right now.
And I pray, Father, that if there are those who
are here today who are still children of the
devil because they've not been born into your
family, may they today make that decision, to
trust the Lord Jesus Christ, to receive him,
and thus to be born of God. And this I pray in
Jesus' name. Amen.