Become Children of God

Minister:
Date: AM
Text: John 1:12
Psalters: 238, 233, 179, 72
Sacrament of the Lord's Supper
  1. What God has done and what He declares about us is that He gives us the right to be nothing less than His children!
    1. This word emphasizes the spiritual, ethical side of our sonship, implying our being born of God.
    2. We definitely have the wonder of being children of God – a most excellent position and a glorious calling.
      1. We are uniquely adopted (Rom. 8:15), are made partakers of the divine nature (II Peter 1:4), and are being conformed to the image of the Son (Rom. 8:29).
      2. This great honor is ours over against whatever man (including ourselves) think of us.
  2. For this blessing we have the power, the right.
    1. This right is possible only on the basis of the perfect righteousness.
    2. That this is our right (“power”) is found in God’s gracious works.
      1. Sovereign, unchangeable election is the fountain and cause (Eph. 1:4,5; Rom 8:29)
      2. Our adoption is realized in time, legally, through Christ’s cross.
      3. The Spirit of the Son bears witness with our spirits that we are the children of God (Rom.8:14-17).
      4. Our Father even begets us (I Peter 1:3).
    3. The gift of this right to become the children of God is only in Christ, God’s Son in our flesh.
    4. To receive Christ, therefore, is to receive the right to sonship. To receive Him is to believe in Him.
  3. The experience.
    1. We constantly need to receive this right because we sin. We need to be assured of forgiveness.
    2. Our text speaks of the right of becoming children of God.
      1. From the Old Dispensation perspective, their right to be children of God had not yet been established.
      2. We too are becoming children of God.