WEBVTT 00:00:07.820 --> 00:00:10.500 I'm not exactly sure what that is, but I think 00:00:10.500 --> 00:00:15.279 I have the idea from the word. And he said that 00:00:15.279 --> 00:00:18.179 going through that experience made him realize 00:00:18.179 --> 00:00:23.440 that we all worship the same God. And though 00:00:23.440 --> 00:00:31.359 he is a priest, actually, in a Christian church, 00:00:32.240 --> 00:00:34.820 after that experience with the Native Americans 00:00:34.820 --> 00:00:37.960 here in Minnesota, he felt that It was reaffirmed 00:00:37.960 --> 00:00:40.899 to him that we all worship the same great spirit. 00:00:43.100 --> 00:00:47.380 And in the same meeting, another pastor from 00:00:47.380 --> 00:00:51.320 a liberal Protestant church commented to the 00:00:51.320 --> 00:00:58.039 effect that we are all the children of God. Statements 00:00:58.039 --> 00:01:03.619 like these men made are very fashionable. They 00:01:03.619 --> 00:01:07.159 are inclusive statements. They are if you'll 00:01:07.159 --> 00:01:10.980 pardon the expression, religiously correct, statements. 00:01:13.060 --> 00:01:16.900 There's only one problem with them. They're not 00:01:16.900 --> 00:01:23.560 the truth. Now to say that somehow seems abrasive, 00:01:23.700 --> 00:01:28.780 doesn't it? It puts one in the position of appearing 00:01:28.780 --> 00:01:32.680 divisive or provocative, at least in the minds 00:01:32.680 --> 00:01:37.540 of most people. To refute the popular notion 00:01:37.540 --> 00:01:40.620 that everyone is a child of God and that everyone 00:01:40.620 --> 00:01:44.239 worships the same God is almost like blasphemy 00:01:44.239 --> 00:01:50.780 in a pluralistic culture like ours and it seems 00:01:50.780 --> 00:01:55.200 to be terribly unsophisticated and even antiquated, 00:01:55.299 --> 00:02:00.879 out of date. But what does the scripture say? 00:02:01.739 --> 00:02:06.099 What does the Bible say? Open your Bible with 00:02:06.099 --> 00:02:10.840 me to 1 John chapter 3. This morning we're going 00:02:10.840 --> 00:02:14.300 to limit our search of the scriptures to some 00:02:14.300 --> 00:02:18.099 writings of this beloved apostle of our Lord 00:02:18.099 --> 00:02:20.979 Jesus Christ, John. We're going to begin in 1 00:02:20.979 --> 00:02:24.560 John chapter 3 and verse 10 where John in fact 00:02:24.560 --> 00:02:28.120 tells us by the inspiration of God's Spirit that 00:02:28.120 --> 00:02:30.759 we're not all just one happy family of God in 00:02:30.759 --> 00:02:35.090 the world. But in fact, there are two families 00:02:35.090 --> 00:02:39.990 in the world. Verse 10, by this the children 00:02:39.990 --> 00:02:46.289 of God and the children of the devil are obvious. 00:02:47.849 --> 00:02:50.750 Anyone who does not practice righteousness is 00:02:50.750 --> 00:02:55.129 not of God, nor the one who does not love his 00:02:55.129 --> 00:02:59.509 brother. John is concerned here about the ethical 00:02:59.509 --> 00:03:04.340 outcome. of one's faith in Jesus Christ, the 00:03:04.340 --> 00:03:06.780 kind of righteousness that is expressed in the 00:03:06.780 --> 00:03:09.759 life of one who is a genuine child of God, or 00:03:09.759 --> 00:03:14.000 the lack of it, when one is not a child of God, 00:03:14.080 --> 00:03:18.419 but rather a child of the devil. These two families 00:03:18.419 --> 00:03:22.659 in the world are distinguished by their family 00:03:22.659 --> 00:03:29.000 traits, which John outlines for us here. John... 00:03:31.329 --> 00:03:36.629 prefers to reserve the word son to refer to the 00:03:36.629 --> 00:03:40.669 Lord Jesus Christ. There is one exception to 00:03:40.669 --> 00:03:43.389 that in his gospel, but every other time that 00:03:43.389 --> 00:03:47.189 he uses the word son in the language in which 00:03:47.189 --> 00:03:51.330 he wrote, he was referring to the Lord Jesus 00:03:51.330 --> 00:03:55.969 Christ. He prefers the word child for those of 00:03:55.969 --> 00:03:59.110 us who are Christians, who are members of God's 00:03:59.110 --> 00:04:02.909 family. Now, when Paul writes, he uses the two 00:04:02.909 --> 00:04:06.509 words interchangeably, although each has a special 00:04:06.509 --> 00:04:10.069 emphasis. But John distinguishes between the 00:04:10.069 --> 00:04:14.669 two. The word child that John likes is a term 00:04:14.669 --> 00:04:19.089 that describes origin, and it carries with it 00:04:19.089 --> 00:04:26.410 the idea of endearment. A parent of a child understands 00:04:26.410 --> 00:04:29.689 what that means, what it connotes to the heart. 00:04:29.930 --> 00:04:34.310 the emotion that rises up within when this word 00:04:34.310 --> 00:04:39.170 is used, my child. John says that we are the 00:04:39.170 --> 00:04:44.149 children of God. It is a term that emphasizes 00:04:44.149 --> 00:04:49.149 relationship over position. It says that we who 00:04:49.149 --> 00:04:53.269 are in God's family have a special relationship 00:04:53.269 --> 00:04:57.649 with Him. Relationship, of course, is one of 00:04:57.649 --> 00:05:02.629 the key desires in our world. Even while people 00:05:02.629 --> 00:05:05.050 are tending to withdraw into their own private 00:05:05.050 --> 00:05:08.629 domain, there is nonetheless a deep -seated cry 00:05:08.629 --> 00:05:14.089 for meaningful associations with others. We all 00:05:14.089 --> 00:05:17.149 desire meaningful relationships, and this morning 00:05:17.149 --> 00:05:19.189 we're going to talk about the most meaningful 00:05:19.189 --> 00:05:22.610 relationship that one can have. A relationship 00:05:22.610 --> 00:05:31.209 with God as Father. You see, the new you, who 00:05:31.209 --> 00:05:34.430 you are if you have placed your faith in Jesus 00:05:34.430 --> 00:05:38.689 Christ, is described in the Bible by this phrase, 00:05:39.290 --> 00:05:45.790 you are the children of God. You belong to God's 00:05:45.790 --> 00:05:50.490 family. Back up with me now to the Gospel of 00:05:50.490 --> 00:05:54.009 John in the first chapter, where we understand 00:05:54.009 --> 00:06:00.040 that we become children of God. by birth. In 00:06:00.040 --> 00:06:02.920 John chapter 1, beginning in verse 11, this very 00:06:02.920 --> 00:06:09.279 familiar paragraph, he, the word Jesus Christ, 00:06:09.399 --> 00:06:15.540 came to his own things. And those people who 00:06:15.540 --> 00:06:18.779 were his own, talking about the Jewish nation, 00:06:19.259 --> 00:06:23.360 did not receive him. But as many as received 00:06:23.360 --> 00:06:28.139 him, To them He gave the right to become children 00:06:28.139 --> 00:06:31.519 of God, even to those who believe in His name, 00:06:31.560 --> 00:06:35.459 who were born not of blood, nor of the will of 00:06:35.459 --> 00:06:38.819 the flesh, nor of the will of man, but of God. 00:06:40.339 --> 00:06:43.300 I want you to notice that we become children 00:06:43.300 --> 00:06:48.160 of God by birth. We are not automatically children 00:06:48.160 --> 00:06:53.199 of God. John says we become the children of God. 00:06:53.909 --> 00:07:00.069 by a birth, by a definite historical act at some 00:07:00.069 --> 00:07:03.850 point in our lives, we become the children of 00:07:03.850 --> 00:07:08.990 God. He says it is not a natural birth. He describes 00:07:08.990 --> 00:07:12.550 it this way. He says it's not of blood. The NIV 00:07:12.550 --> 00:07:17.470 says it's not of natural descent. It is not of 00:07:17.470 --> 00:07:21.750 the will of the flesh or of human decision or 00:07:21.750 --> 00:07:26.560 origin. He says it is not of the will of man, 00:07:26.620 --> 00:07:29.259 or the NIV says it's not a husband's will that 00:07:29.259 --> 00:07:32.300 was involved in this kind of birth. It is not 00:07:32.300 --> 00:07:37.100 a natural birth. It is unrelated to human family 00:07:37.100 --> 00:07:41.139 relations. It is unrelated to human choices. 00:07:42.060 --> 00:07:46.500 It is unrelated to human effort. This birth, 00:07:48.220 --> 00:07:52.300 by which we become children of God, is a spiritual 00:07:52.300 --> 00:07:58.860 birth. supernatural birth. He says who were born 00:07:58.860 --> 00:08:07.540 of God given birth to by God himself. Now that 00:08:07.540 --> 00:08:10.199 idea that John introduces here he elaborates 00:08:10.199 --> 00:08:14.040 upon as he tells us about Jesus visit with Nicodemus 00:08:14.040 --> 00:08:18.360 in chapter 3. This Pharisee of the Jews, a very 00:08:18.360 --> 00:08:22.779 devout religious man came to see Jesus. He had 00:08:22.779 --> 00:08:25.660 heard of him, knew of the signs, knew that Jesus 00:08:25.660 --> 00:08:29.720 was special and wanted to find out more. In the 00:08:29.720 --> 00:08:33.679 interview in John 3 .3, Jesus said to him very 00:08:33.679 --> 00:08:36.639 abruptly, truly, truly, I say to you, unless 00:08:36.639 --> 00:08:41.360 one is born again, or literally born from above. 00:08:42.480 --> 00:08:45.200 What does it mean to be born of God, John? It 00:08:45.200 --> 00:08:48.460 means to be born again, to be born from above, 00:08:48.980 --> 00:08:53.049 not of this realm. but of the supernatural realm, 00:08:53.129 --> 00:08:57.389 to be born again. Unless one is born again, he 00:08:57.389 --> 00:09:02.450 cannot see the kingdom of God. Nicodemus said, 00:09:02.470 --> 00:09:05.889 how can a man be born when he's old? He can't 00:09:05.889 --> 00:09:07.730 enter a second time into his mother's womb and 00:09:07.730 --> 00:09:10.710 be born, can he? Nicodemus may have been saying 00:09:10.710 --> 00:09:13.789 there, how can somebody as old as I am have such 00:09:13.789 --> 00:09:15.889 a radical change is what you're talking about. 00:09:18.670 --> 00:09:20.950 Jesus said, truly, truly, I say to you, unless 00:09:20.950 --> 00:09:23.389 one is born of water and the Spirit, he cannot 00:09:23.389 --> 00:09:26.990 enter the kingdom of God. My, that is a debated 00:09:26.990 --> 00:09:32.409 verse. And there are those who say that we have 00:09:32.409 --> 00:09:34.929 to be baptized in order to be saved. That's what 00:09:34.929 --> 00:09:38.090 water is. Then the Spirit of God does His thing 00:09:38.090 --> 00:09:41.970 and by that we're born again. What does water 00:09:41.970 --> 00:09:46.409 mean here? Well, there are four or five plausible 00:09:46.409 --> 00:09:51.580 suggestions. The one that I lean toward, at least 00:09:51.580 --> 00:09:58.440 this morning, is rooted earlier back in the Gospel 00:09:58.440 --> 00:10:01.100 of John, where we have water introduced to us, 00:10:01.139 --> 00:10:06.519 and it is a water in baptism. It is John's baptism. 00:10:06.740 --> 00:10:08.899 Nicodemus undoubtedly was familiar with it. The 00:10:08.899 --> 00:10:11.580 Pharisees had sent representatives out to find 00:10:11.580 --> 00:10:13.559 out what in the world John was doing out there 00:10:13.559 --> 00:10:17.200 in the wilderness. And they brought the message 00:10:17.200 --> 00:10:19.860 back. It is a baptism for repentance of sins. 00:10:22.700 --> 00:10:25.679 The water here, I think, refers to John's baptism 00:10:25.679 --> 00:10:30.960 of repentance. And what Jesus is probably saying 00:10:30.960 --> 00:10:34.860 here is that a water baptism for repentance is 00:10:34.860 --> 00:10:37.440 not sufficient in itself. Repentance is the beginning. 00:10:38.100 --> 00:10:40.539 But it takes more than that, Nicodemus. It takes 00:10:40.539 --> 00:10:44.960 the work of the Spirit. Remember, even John said, 00:10:45.879 --> 00:10:48.179 I baptize with water, but the one who's coming 00:10:48.179 --> 00:10:52.039 will give the Spirit. I think Jesus is tying 00:10:52.039 --> 00:10:53.980 all of that together, and he's saying, I'm the 00:10:53.980 --> 00:10:55.960 one who's come to give the Spirit, Nicodemus. 00:10:58.620 --> 00:11:00.879 He tells us in these verses, and he goes on to 00:11:00.879 --> 00:11:02.639 say actually in verse six, that which is born 00:11:02.639 --> 00:11:05.360 of the flesh is flesh, that which is born of 00:11:05.360 --> 00:11:07.639 the Spirit is spirit. Do not marvel that I said 00:11:07.639 --> 00:11:10.659 to you, you must be born again. The wind blows 00:11:10.659 --> 00:11:13.610 where it wishes. And you hear the sound of it, 00:11:13.649 --> 00:11:16.450 but do not know where it comes from or where 00:11:16.450 --> 00:11:19.570 it's going. So is everyone who is born of the 00:11:19.570 --> 00:11:23.309 Spirit. We see here that this new birth gives 00:11:23.309 --> 00:11:25.990 entrance to the kingdom of God, to the family 00:11:25.990 --> 00:11:30.009 of God. One must be born into it. One does not 00:11:30.009 --> 00:11:35.409 inherit it by anything natural. One must be born 00:11:35.409 --> 00:11:38.889 from above in order to participate in the kingdom 00:11:38.889 --> 00:11:43.220 of God or the family of God. We notice also that 00:11:43.220 --> 00:11:45.679 this new birth originates with the Spirit of 00:11:45.679 --> 00:11:52.299 God. He is the one who brings it. It is an impartation 00:11:52.299 --> 00:11:58.639 of life that theologians call regeneration. It 00:11:58.639 --> 00:12:01.340 means to give new life in a new and different 00:12:01.340 --> 00:12:05.480 dimension, a new realm, a new reality of existence 00:12:05.480 --> 00:12:10.509 starts at the moment of the new birth. It originates 00:12:10.509 --> 00:12:13.649 with the Spirit of God. And He tells us here 00:12:13.649 --> 00:12:16.049 that the results of this new birth in the life 00:12:16.049 --> 00:12:21.190 of an individual, the results of this new birth, 00:12:23.549 --> 00:12:29.289 are mysterious to the world. Just as wind is 00:12:29.289 --> 00:12:33.870 unexplainable to human reasoning, so the child 00:12:33.870 --> 00:12:37.850 of God is mysterious. to the natural realm. It 00:12:37.850 --> 00:12:41.350 does not understand, it does not perceive what 00:12:41.350 --> 00:12:43.509 is happening, what the source of all of this 00:12:43.509 --> 00:12:46.110 is, what the power of all of this is which the 00:12:46.110 --> 00:12:49.470 child of God experiences because it comes by 00:12:49.470 --> 00:12:53.289 the new birth. John says we become children of 00:12:53.289 --> 00:12:59.269 God by birth, the new birth from above. Now let's 00:12:59.269 --> 00:13:01.850 go back again to John 1 and verse 12 where we 00:13:01.850 --> 00:13:04.129 understand that we become children of God also 00:13:04.129 --> 00:13:11.070 through faith. The new birth is God's work. God 00:13:11.070 --> 00:13:15.250 alone can give us this life, but it requires 00:13:15.250 --> 00:13:20.190 something from us too, faith. In order to become 00:13:20.190 --> 00:13:24.629 a child of God, one must believe. As many as 00:13:24.629 --> 00:13:29.490 received Him, who believe in His name, to them 00:13:29.490 --> 00:13:33.529 He gave the right to become children of God. 00:13:34.159 --> 00:13:38.159 Faith is the human response to God's invitation, 00:13:38.720 --> 00:13:44.639 indeed God's command to believe on Christ. To 00:13:44.639 --> 00:13:48.299 believe means to entrust oneself over to another. 00:13:50.080 --> 00:13:53.000 And John here says it's synonymous with receiving 00:13:53.000 --> 00:13:58.940 it, or receiving Him, Jesus Christ. He says that 00:13:58.940 --> 00:14:02.000 the Jewish nation rejected, that's the opposite. 00:14:03.340 --> 00:14:06.740 They did not receive him. They did not embrace 00:14:06.740 --> 00:14:11.500 him. They did not welcome him as a group, as 00:14:11.500 --> 00:14:14.179 a nation. There were individuals who did, but 00:14:14.179 --> 00:14:17.120 as a group the Jewish nation turned from him 00:14:17.120 --> 00:14:21.559 and rejected him. But John says those who embrace 00:14:21.559 --> 00:14:25.659 him, those who accept him, those who receive 00:14:25.659 --> 00:14:30.620 him or believe in his name, they become the children 00:14:30.620 --> 00:14:35.000 of God. This trust is in a person, you'll notice, 00:14:35.059 --> 00:14:39.320 not in some religion, not in ritual, but in a 00:14:39.320 --> 00:14:44.059 person. As many as received Him, the Lord Jesus 00:14:44.059 --> 00:14:48.980 Christ. Like many others, there was once a woman 00:14:48.980 --> 00:14:51.320 who was having trouble understanding what this 00:14:51.320 --> 00:14:55.500 meant, that she would believe, that she would 00:14:55.500 --> 00:14:59.720 receive Christ. And so in talking with an evangelist, 00:14:59.799 --> 00:15:04.620 she... approached him with this question. He 00:15:04.620 --> 00:15:06.460 responded by saying, well, your last name is 00:15:06.460 --> 00:15:10.120 Franklin, isn't it? She said, yes. How long has 00:15:10.120 --> 00:15:12.980 it been that? Well, since my husband and I were 00:15:12.980 --> 00:15:16.720 married 30 years ago. Well, tell me, the evangelist 00:15:16.720 --> 00:15:19.259 continued, how did you become Mrs. Franklin? 00:15:20.740 --> 00:15:24.059 Well, she said it happened at the wedding. The 00:15:24.059 --> 00:15:27.399 minister said, will you have this man to be your 00:15:27.399 --> 00:15:32.730 lawful wedded husband? And I said, I will. And 00:15:32.730 --> 00:15:34.590 with those words, I became his wife and took 00:15:34.590 --> 00:15:39.029 his name. And the evangelist said, well, you 00:15:39.029 --> 00:15:42.970 didn't say, I hope so, when the preacher asked 00:15:42.970 --> 00:15:47.950 that. You didn't say, I'd like to. You didn't 00:15:47.950 --> 00:15:50.950 say, I'll try to take him as my husband. She 00:15:50.950 --> 00:15:53.070 said, no, of course not. I said, I will. And 00:15:53.070 --> 00:15:56.970 that's all there was to it. And suddenly it dawned 00:15:56.970 --> 00:16:01.590 upon her. that in receiving Jesus Christ, it's 00:16:01.590 --> 00:16:04.429 an act of the will, in which one doesn't say, 00:16:04.549 --> 00:16:08.710 well, I hope I will. I'll try to. I want to. 00:16:09.129 --> 00:16:13.049 But the person says, I will. I will receive Jesus 00:16:13.049 --> 00:16:20.750 Christ. And she did that day. We become children 00:16:20.750 --> 00:16:25.049 of God through faith. One is not born into a 00:16:25.049 --> 00:16:28.610 Christian family, and therefore, become automatically 00:16:28.610 --> 00:16:33.490 a Christian. One is not made a Christian by joining 00:16:33.490 --> 00:16:37.570 a church, but by placing faith in Jesus Christ 00:16:37.570 --> 00:16:42.809 and saying to Him, I will receive you as my Savior 00:16:42.809 --> 00:16:48.450 and my Lord. As John develops this theme of the 00:16:48.450 --> 00:16:50.830 children of God, he also tells us in chapter 00:16:50.830 --> 00:16:54.090 11 and verse 52 that we are the children of God 00:16:54.090 --> 00:17:00.600 because of Christ's death. for us. John 11 52. 00:17:03.320 --> 00:17:06.059 Actually we have here some words of Caiaphas, 00:17:06.980 --> 00:17:16.420 the high priest of Israel. Caiaphas was giving 00:17:16.420 --> 00:17:19.180 a response to a suggestion as to what to do about 00:17:19.180 --> 00:17:24.390 Jesus. And he says in verse 49, you know nothing 00:17:24.390 --> 00:17:26.549 at all, nor do you take into account that it 00:17:26.549 --> 00:17:29.630 is expedient for you that one man should die 00:17:29.630 --> 00:17:32.849 for the people and that the whole nation should 00:17:32.849 --> 00:17:36.450 not perish. And John says by way of interpolation, 00:17:36.869 --> 00:17:39.210 now this he did not say on his own initiative. 00:17:40.789 --> 00:17:43.069 Being high priest that year, he prophesied that 00:17:43.069 --> 00:17:46.410 Jesus was going to die for the nation and not 00:17:46.410 --> 00:17:49.069 for the nation only, that is the Jewish nation. 00:17:49.579 --> 00:17:54.180 but that he might also gather together into one 00:17:54.180 --> 00:17:58.680 the children of God who are scattered abroad. 00:18:00.779 --> 00:18:04.440 And so because of Caiaphas' advice, from that 00:18:04.440 --> 00:18:09.200 day on they planned together to kill him. Caiaphas 00:18:09.200 --> 00:18:11.480 did not know the significance of his own statement, 00:18:11.500 --> 00:18:15.079 of course. He was giving a prophecy that Jesus 00:18:15.079 --> 00:18:18.750 would die on behalf of the nation. And John says, 00:18:18.930 --> 00:18:21.450 not just that nation, but the children of God 00:18:21.450 --> 00:18:26.349 who are scattered abroad. Where did John come 00:18:26.349 --> 00:18:29.829 up with such an idea? Well, just back up one 00:18:29.829 --> 00:18:32.009 or two pages in your Bible to chapter 10. Look 00:18:32.009 --> 00:18:35.349 at the words of Jesus himself in verse 14. He 00:18:35.349 --> 00:18:37.730 says, I am the good shepherd, and I know my own, 00:18:37.750 --> 00:18:40.329 and my own know me, even as the Father knows 00:18:40.329 --> 00:18:42.910 me, and I know the Father, and I lay down my 00:18:42.910 --> 00:18:47.970 life for the sheep, and... I have other sheep 00:18:47.970 --> 00:18:52.470 which are not of this fold, the Jewish fold. 00:18:53.569 --> 00:18:56.750 I must bring them also, and they shall hear my 00:18:56.750 --> 00:18:59.130 voice, and they shall become one flock with one 00:18:59.130 --> 00:19:04.490 shepherd." Jesus here is telling us what the 00:19:04.490 --> 00:19:07.009 Apostle Paul fully developed in the revelation 00:19:07.009 --> 00:19:10.390 of God, and that was that Jew and Gentile would 00:19:10.390 --> 00:19:13.470 eventually become one body of people in the church 00:19:13.470 --> 00:19:17.559 as it has now. since the day of Pentecost. The 00:19:17.559 --> 00:19:19.700 point is that the children of God are not merely 00:19:19.700 --> 00:19:23.799 those who are Jewish, but they are Gentile as 00:19:23.799 --> 00:19:29.619 well, all for whom Christ died. You see, it is 00:19:29.619 --> 00:19:34.000 His substitutionary death or sacrifice on our 00:19:34.000 --> 00:19:38.599 behalf that makes possible a relationship with 00:19:38.599 --> 00:19:43.079 a holy God so that we can actually call this 00:19:43.079 --> 00:19:50.000 God our Father. We can approach Him and know 00:19:50.000 --> 00:19:53.559 that we are dear to Him as dear as your children 00:19:53.559 --> 00:20:00.019 are to you. It is because of what Jesus did on 00:20:00.019 --> 00:20:05.559 the cross on our behalf when He died for us, 00:20:05.720 --> 00:20:10.119 the children of God. John says we become the 00:20:10.119 --> 00:20:13.420 children of God because of Christ's death for 00:20:13.420 --> 00:20:19.259 us. But now let's go back to 1 John chapter 3 00:20:19.259 --> 00:20:24.579 once more. Where we see a fourth thing about 00:20:24.579 --> 00:20:28.740 the children of God, John tells us that we are 00:20:28.740 --> 00:20:33.400 the children of God in an alien world. We are 00:20:33.400 --> 00:20:37.279 the children of God in an alien world. Look in 00:20:37.279 --> 00:20:40.519 verse 29 of chapter 2 where he says, if you know 00:20:40.519 --> 00:20:43.920 that He is righteous, You know that everyone 00:20:43.920 --> 00:20:48.920 also who practices righteousness is born of Him, 00:20:50.299 --> 00:20:54.299 one of God's born ones, His children. And John 00:20:54.299 --> 00:20:58.420 immediately goes on to say, See how great a love 00:20:58.420 --> 00:21:02.279 the Father has bestowed upon us that we should 00:21:02.279 --> 00:21:08.200 be called children, the born ones of God. And 00:21:08.200 --> 00:21:13.420 such we are. For this reason the world does not 00:21:13.420 --> 00:21:18.720 know us because it did not know him The world 00:21:18.720 --> 00:21:22.119 in which you and I live is not made to make us 00:21:22.119 --> 00:21:26.619 feel at home to make us feel comfortable It is 00:21:26.619 --> 00:21:29.619 a place that is intended to make the children 00:21:29.619 --> 00:21:34.799 of the devil Comfortable because it is a world 00:21:34.799 --> 00:21:37.559 that at present at least is ruled over by the 00:21:37.559 --> 00:21:41.619 devil John later in this book in fact pictures 00:21:41.619 --> 00:21:44.539 the world as being sort of a baby being rocked 00:21:44.539 --> 00:21:48.960 in the arms of the devil He says the whole world 00:21:48.960 --> 00:21:53.660 lies in the wicked one Cradled in his arms and 00:21:53.660 --> 00:21:57.940 he rocks it as his baby That's the world system 00:21:57.940 --> 00:22:02.099 And he has put it together. He has wired it so 00:22:02.099 --> 00:22:08.599 that his children feel good in this place But 00:22:08.599 --> 00:22:10.900 the result of that is that we who are the children 00:22:10.900 --> 00:22:13.500 of God who have been born from above are aliens 00:22:13.500 --> 00:22:18.140 here. We don't belong. We don't plug in to the 00:22:18.140 --> 00:22:23.660 world. We don't fit. The world did not recognize 00:22:23.660 --> 00:22:29.059 God when He came and therefore the world does 00:22:29.059 --> 00:22:33.119 not recognize us either. And Jesus in John 15 00:22:33.119 --> 00:22:36.900 and again the beginning of chapter 16 said the 00:22:36.900 --> 00:22:41.670 same thing. to us before he was crucified. In 00:22:41.670 --> 00:22:43.470 fact, he said there's going to come a day when 00:22:43.470 --> 00:22:45.589 the world will put you to death thinking they 00:22:45.589 --> 00:22:49.849 are doing God a favor. But the reason they're 00:22:49.849 --> 00:22:53.250 doing that is they don't truly know God, and 00:22:53.250 --> 00:22:58.289 therefore they don't know or recognize you. The 00:22:58.289 --> 00:23:00.990 world has no crowns for the children of God. 00:23:02.130 --> 00:23:09.380 It only has crosses. Was blessed this morning 00:23:09.380 --> 00:23:11.279 and listening to the radio and the song came 00:23:11.279 --> 00:23:19.339 on Jesus I my cross have taken All to leave and 00:23:19.339 --> 00:23:26.940 follow thee Destitute despised forsaken we don't 00:23:26.940 --> 00:23:31.680 want to live that way do we Our flesh doesn't 00:23:31.680 --> 00:23:34.460 we want to be a part of what's happening in the 00:23:34.460 --> 00:23:38.970 world Jesus said, if you're my children and you 00:23:38.970 --> 00:23:41.289 have the traits of the family of God and you 00:23:41.289 --> 00:23:43.250 practice righteousness, the result of that is 00:23:43.250 --> 00:23:46.829 the world will not appreciate you. In fact, the 00:23:46.829 --> 00:23:50.289 world has only crosses for you. Will you take 00:23:50.289 --> 00:23:57.569 up your cross and follow me? Indeed, in the Bible 00:23:57.569 --> 00:24:03.730 we are told that the world is to be shunned, 00:24:03.950 --> 00:24:08.299 if not feared. John says in this very epistle, 00:24:08.640 --> 00:24:12.859 love not the world, neither the things that are 00:24:12.859 --> 00:24:16.660 in the world. He says all of that stuff that's 00:24:16.660 --> 00:24:20.039 a part of the world, which the devil has manufactured 00:24:20.039 --> 00:24:23.240 and put together for his children to enjoy, all 00:24:23.240 --> 00:24:28.220 of that is passing away. But he who does the 00:24:28.220 --> 00:24:34.019 will of God abides forever. And we're to live 00:24:34.019 --> 00:24:35.900 for the will of God in the midst of this world. 00:24:37.960 --> 00:24:40.380 You and I are the family of God. We have the 00:24:40.380 --> 00:24:44.019 privilege to be called the children of God. But 00:24:44.019 --> 00:24:48.380 it means that we live currently, for this time, 00:24:50.299 --> 00:24:55.880 in an alien atmosphere. But that brings us to 00:24:55.880 --> 00:24:57.819 the final point I want to talk about this morning, 00:24:57.839 --> 00:25:00.599 and that is that we are children of God with 00:25:00.599 --> 00:25:04.059 a glorious destiny. Because our current situation 00:25:04.059 --> 00:25:07.819 is not going to last forever. John goes on to 00:25:07.819 --> 00:25:12.680 say in verse 2, Beloved, now we are the children 00:25:12.680 --> 00:25:19.160 of God. And it has not appeared as yet what we 00:25:19.160 --> 00:25:23.960 shall be. You and I live in this tension of the 00:25:23.960 --> 00:25:29.700 now and the not yet. The now and the not yet. 00:25:30.759 --> 00:25:34.220 We are now the children of God, but it does not 00:25:34.220 --> 00:26:05.500 yet. He goes on to explain that. He says, The 00:26:05.500 --> 00:26:11.460 Lord is pure You and I are destined to bear the 00:26:11.460 --> 00:26:16.900 exact likeness of our elder brother Jesus Christ 00:26:16.900 --> 00:26:21.019 There is going to come a day when he will stand 00:26:21.019 --> 00:26:25.099 before the father will say behold I and the children 00:26:25.099 --> 00:26:30.579 you have given to me There is a day coming when 00:26:30.579 --> 00:26:34.740 we will be presented faultless before the throne 00:26:34.740 --> 00:26:39.640 of God with exceeding joy, our joy and Jesus' 00:26:39.940 --> 00:26:45.779 joy. As the family of God comes home to the place 00:26:45.779 --> 00:26:51.119 that's prepared for us to enjoy, the children 00:26:51.119 --> 00:26:55.980 of God have a glorious destiny. It is a hope. 00:26:57.359 --> 00:27:02.049 It's what is not yet, but which shall be. And 00:27:02.049 --> 00:27:06.369 we shall be like Him. John says when we have 00:27:06.369 --> 00:27:08.690 that kind of a hope, it causes us to get our 00:27:08.690 --> 00:27:12.450 lives in order, to purify ourselves, to clean 00:27:12.450 --> 00:27:16.349 up our act, if you please. Jesus said, it's the 00:27:16.349 --> 00:27:22.009 pure in heart who will see God. Commenting on 00:27:22.009 --> 00:27:25.029 this text, Warren Wiersby writes, an unbeliever 00:27:25.029 --> 00:27:27.869 who sins is a creature sinning against his creator, 00:27:28.609 --> 00:27:32.680 a Christian who sins. is a child sinning against 00:27:32.680 --> 00:27:36.740 his father. The unbeliever sins against the law. 00:27:37.059 --> 00:27:42.019 The believer sins against love. This reminds 00:27:42.019 --> 00:27:44.900 us of the beginning of the phrase so often repeated 00:27:44.900 --> 00:27:48.240 in the Bible, the fear of the Lord. This phrase 00:27:48.240 --> 00:27:50.480 does not suggest that God's children live in 00:27:50.480 --> 00:27:53.160 an atmosphere of terror, for God has not given 00:27:53.160 --> 00:27:56.400 us the spirit of fear. Rather, it indicates that 00:27:56.400 --> 00:27:59.140 God's children hold their father in reverence. 00:27:59.339 --> 00:28:02.519 and will not deliberately disobey him or try 00:28:02.519 --> 00:28:06.779 his patience. He tells a group of teenagers who 00:28:06.779 --> 00:28:08.980 were enjoying a party and someone suggested they 00:28:08.980 --> 00:28:12.640 go to a certain restaurant for a good time. I'd 00:28:12.640 --> 00:28:14.980 rather you took me home, Jan said to her date. 00:28:15.740 --> 00:28:19.460 My parents don't approve of that place. The girls 00:28:19.460 --> 00:28:22.539 asked sarcastically, afraid your father will 00:28:22.539 --> 00:28:27.230 hurt you? No, Jan replied, I'm afraid. I'm not 00:28:27.230 --> 00:28:30.509 afraid my father will hurt me, but I'm afraid 00:28:30.509 --> 00:28:36.049 I might hurt him. He says she understood the 00:28:36.049 --> 00:28:38.829 principle that a true child of God who has experienced 00:28:38.829 --> 00:28:43.509 the love of God has no desire to sin against 00:28:43.509 --> 00:28:49.910 that love. Dear child of God, we have a wonderful 00:28:49.910 --> 00:28:54.079 destiny. It is that one day we are going to be 00:28:54.079 --> 00:28:56.519 conformed to the very likeness of Jesus Christ 00:28:56.519 --> 00:28:59.700 and no longer will you and I struggle with the 00:28:59.700 --> 00:29:02.680 sin that is so very real and a part of us now. 00:29:04.859 --> 00:29:07.579 The story is told about William Dyke who since 00:29:07.579 --> 00:29:13.019 his early childhood had been blind. After that 00:29:13.019 --> 00:29:16.599 he acquired a great deal of wealth and subsequently 00:29:16.599 --> 00:29:19.140 then fell in love with one of England's most 00:29:19.140 --> 00:29:23.079 beautiful young ladies. They were engaged to 00:29:23.079 --> 00:29:26.259 be married, and a date was set for their wedding. 00:29:28.079 --> 00:29:32.680 Sometime before that event, William Dyke submitted 00:29:32.680 --> 00:29:36.819 to a new surgical procedure, which specialists 00:29:36.819 --> 00:29:41.619 said would restore his eyesight. The problem 00:29:41.619 --> 00:29:45.099 was that the bandages from the date of surgery 00:29:45.099 --> 00:29:47.720 would have to stay on until the day of the wedding. 00:29:49.380 --> 00:29:54.339 And so he and his fiance decided that they would 00:29:54.339 --> 00:29:57.200 incorporate that as a part of the wedding ceremony. 00:29:59.960 --> 00:30:03.440 So the day arrived. The surgery had been done 00:30:03.440 --> 00:30:07.380 now for some time and the bandages had been on 00:30:07.380 --> 00:30:10.880 William's eyes. He took his place in the church 00:30:10.880 --> 00:30:15.980 where he was led. Soon the bride approached and 00:30:15.980 --> 00:30:20.769 took his arm before the altar. And then came 00:30:20.769 --> 00:30:25.589 that dramatic moment when the bandages were at 00:30:25.589 --> 00:30:31.210 last going to be taken off. In fact, they were 00:30:31.210 --> 00:30:34.329 removed and as his eyes grew accustomed to the 00:30:34.329 --> 00:30:39.369 light, the very first sight that he saw was his 00:30:39.369 --> 00:30:44.609 beautiful beloved bride. And the first words 00:30:44.609 --> 00:30:48.849 out of his mouth as their eyes met was, at last. 00:30:52.299 --> 00:30:55.279 There is coming a day for you and me when our 00:30:55.279 --> 00:31:01.200 eyes will cross with the eyes of Jesus in His 00:31:01.200 --> 00:31:07.220 presence and at last we will see Him whom now 00:31:07.220 --> 00:31:13.480 having not seen, we still love and whose wonderful, 00:31:13.660 --> 00:31:19.779 glorious character will then be fully revealed. 00:31:20.400 --> 00:31:30.140 in our nature at last. What manner of love God 00:31:30.140 --> 00:31:33.440 has bestowed upon us that we should be called 00:31:33.440 --> 00:31:44.259 the children of God. Let's pray together. My 00:31:44.259 --> 00:31:46.740 friend, as you have worshipped with us today, 00:31:47.470 --> 00:31:50.569 Can you say with all of the assurance of your 00:31:50.569 --> 00:31:53.869 soul that you know that you're a child of God? 00:31:55.490 --> 00:31:58.109 That you have the destiny that we were just speaking 00:31:58.109 --> 00:32:04.990 about of seeing Jesus and being like him It is 00:32:04.990 --> 00:32:07.890 much easier in our current world to believe that 00:32:07.890 --> 00:32:10.450 we all worship the same God and that everybody 00:32:10.450 --> 00:32:14.609 is a child of God But the Bible says that simply 00:32:14.609 --> 00:32:20.410 is not true There are two families the children 00:32:20.410 --> 00:32:25.390 of God and the children of the devil By our natural 00:32:25.390 --> 00:32:28.769 birth we are born into the family of the devil 00:32:28.769 --> 00:32:32.930 By being born again we are born into the family 00:32:32.930 --> 00:32:37.470 of God Have you been born again? Have you said 00:32:37.470 --> 00:32:42.390 to Jesus I will? Receive you as my Lord and Savior 00:32:46.000 --> 00:32:49.940 If not, would you do that right now there in 00:32:49.940 --> 00:32:54.559 the quietness of your heart? He'll understand 00:32:54.559 --> 00:32:58.319 whatever words you choose to use is let the attitude 00:32:58.319 --> 00:33:02.640 of your heart be one of repentance and trust. 00:33:05.859 --> 00:33:12.599 And you who bear the name child of God, are you 00:33:12.599 --> 00:33:17.660 purifying yourself? Is your lifestyle now being 00:33:17.660 --> 00:33:23.900 gradually, progressively cleansed so that outwardly 00:33:23.900 --> 00:33:28.519 and inwardly in your heart and your mind, you're 00:33:28.519 --> 00:33:34.940 becoming more like Him? If there's been some 00:33:34.940 --> 00:33:38.460 backsliding in your life away from that, would 00:33:38.460 --> 00:33:42.339 you come back to the Lord your Father today and 00:33:42.339 --> 00:33:46.599 cry out? sincere repentance and say, Father, 00:33:47.500 --> 00:33:53.940 I have sinned. I'm coming back to you today. 00:33:54.700 --> 00:34:00.440 Take control of my life. If the Spirit of God, 00:34:00.480 --> 00:34:02.720 my friend, has spoken to you on one account or 00:34:02.720 --> 00:34:06.220 the other, either receive Jesus Christ or today 00:34:06.220 --> 00:34:10.320 to say, I'm a child of God who's coming back 00:34:10.320 --> 00:34:14.159 to walk faithfully with my father. I wonder if 00:34:14.159 --> 00:34:17.199 by the uplifted hand you would indicate that. 00:34:18.300 --> 00:34:25.079 Yes, today I am. God bless you. The Father knows 00:34:25.079 --> 00:34:30.260 that my love for Him hasn't been as what it ought 00:34:30.260 --> 00:34:41.079 to be. Anyone else? Father? Thank you for speaking 00:34:41.079 --> 00:34:43.739 to our hearts today as we think about this wonderful 00:34:43.739 --> 00:34:49.300 theme in your word. May our hearts be freshly 00:34:49.300 --> 00:34:53.199 overwhelmed with what overwhelms John, that we 00:34:53.199 --> 00:34:57.460 are called the children of God. And as we go 00:34:57.460 --> 00:34:59.780 out from here today, may we go out determined 00:34:59.780 --> 00:35:02.460 in our hearts by the power of the Holy Spirit 00:35:02.460 --> 00:35:08.059 to reflect the family likeness. In Jesus' name, 00:35:08.920 --> 00:35:12.780 amen. I'd like for us to sing this one verse 00:35:12.780 --> 00:35:17.579 before we go of 274. Philip Bliss here reflects 00:35:17.579 --> 00:35:21.619 upon this title, Children of God, and he says, 00:35:21.940 --> 00:35:24.659 oh, glorious calling, and indeed it is. Let's 00:35:24.659 --> 00:35:39.750 stand as we sing the third verse of 274. Sing 00:35:39.750 --> 00:35:45.210 it, children of God. Children of God, O glorious 00:35:45.210 --> 00:35:49.489 calling, surely His grace...