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Hillview Bible Chapel is a vibrant Bible-based church centered on the Lord Jesus Christ, in the heart of Silicon Valley. Join us each week as we learn from God's Word together. To learn more about Hillview Bible Chapel, please visit https://hillviewbiblechapel.org
This is our third message in this series, Living the Cross-Shaped Life.
And our theme for this morning is the position and practice, children of God.
Our text this morning will be from 1 John chapter three.
So if you could please turn in your Bibles to 1 John chapter three.
You know, if someone asked you this question, just who do you think you are? You know, we sang that this morning.
That answer is, I am a child of God.
And if that inward reality is evident to them, that is the perfect answer we could give someone.
I am a child of God and my conduct and my behavior reflects my, the family that I belong to. And that's our theme this morning. Before we dive in too deep into the message, I want to tell you about a little story and an incident that happened with me about a couple of weeks ago. So I was on my way home from work and I was sitting on the bench at the Caltrain station in Redwood City waiting for my train and this man approached me and wanted to sit next to me so I scooted over and made some room for him and he and he sat down and he had barely been on that bench room for 10 seconds when he turned to me and said, you are racist.
And he was , and his voice was so loud that the people on the other platform turned around to look at what was going on .
Who is this racist fellow? His face was right up against my face.
Just having that moment , I was totally flustered.
I was like, how do I respond to this? Just like, no, it was wreck.
And I took a moment to kind of compose myself.
Took a deep breath, composed myself, and I stuck out my hand and I introduced myself and I said, what is your name? And where are you from? I think just my demeanor and the way I spoke to him, the fight kind of left him.
It was like, okay, fine.
He stuck out his hand and we shook hands and we started to talk.
And just then the train was coming and I was like so interested in carrying on this conversation with this man.
You know, the train came, I said, come on, let's get on.
You know, we can talk.
And he's like, no.
He was, he just cracked open another drink and just, you know, tilted his head back and chugged it.
And I was like, okay, I wanted to talk to you.
So I get on this train and I'm going home on the way home and I'm reflecting on this, this incident.
And in a way, I was really glad this happened.
You know, when, when sometimes when someone kind of puts you on the spot, you really find out who you are.
You know, your identity becomes very clear.
You're like, you know what? That's exactly how I should respond.
You know, now my story may be very unusual.
I'm sure nothing like that's ever happened to you, but you know, I'm sure, you know sure at the end of a hard day of work, when you kind of blown it with your presentation and you're lying on your bed, you're thinking about all the incidents that happened during the day, now there's a voice speaking to you that says, you failed again.
You're a failure.
Perhaps you have a lot of debt. You bought a home in the Bay a lot of debt you bought a home in the Bay Area the minute you buy a home you're like you're up to your eyeballs in debt and you're thinking I am so broke how am I ever gonna pay this off or perhaps you're new to the area and you don't have any friends and you're thinking well nobody loves me.
I'm unloved. And there are all these voices that are speaking to your head, in your head as you're trying to fall asleep, and you just can't fall asleep.
You know, how would that change if we are confident about our identity in Christ? That I am a child of God.
I have riches beyond measure that I can tap into from God himself, that I have a beautiful future. Would you be able to rest and go to sleep and let those voices go quiet? I think that's a perfect answer. That you are a child of God. You know there are three main points I want to cover this morning. Adoption into the family of God. That God has adopted us and we'll talk about that word adoption. What is the nature of a child of God and what is the privilege of being a child of God? Let's read our portion for this morning.
First John chapter three and verse one. See how great a love the Father has bestowed upon us that we would be called children of God, and such we are.
For this reason, the world does not know us because it did not know Him.
You know the word see has a broader meaning than just to look it means to perceive, to understand, to experience. So when you read that verse again just use one of those, the broader meanings, it would sound like this.
It would say perceive or experience what manner of love the Father has loved us.
And John equates this manner of love for God to call us his children, to be in the family of God.
The extent and the manner of love is to be called a child of God.
Now that word children is a Greek word teknon, it means offspring, a true offspring.
Now if you're a child here and you're sitting with your parents, I want you to look at your parents.
And if your parents are sitting next to your children, look at your mom and dad.
That is a true offspring.
You are the true offspring.
It doesn't get any closer than this.
It cannot get any closer than this. It cannot get any closer than this.
The relationship between a child and their parents.
That is the relationship God has brought us into.
You are the true offspring of God the Father.
And that is the manner or the extent of God's love.
And I know that's still very hard to comprehend because it's not easy.
We have our human thinking, our human logic, our human experiences, and all of that kind of confuses our really understanding of what it means to be a true child.
Now the second part of that verse it says, for this reason the world does not know us because it did not know him.
The word know is the Greek word ginosko meaning experientially know.
So it says the world does not know us because it does not know, did not know God. Now what is the implication? The implication is that as true children of God, we are just like our father. And because the world does not, did not know the father, they don't know us.
And that is kind of a mind blowing thought.
You are just like God the Father.
Again, very difficult to understand.
It's like wow, I am just like the Father.
No, I don't feel it.
I don't feel that way.
I don't feel it.
I don't feel that way.
You know? Now what would it be like to have God as your father? Again, it's very difficult for us to understand because we have human fathers and sometimes those experiences kind of cloud our view of what it would be like to have God as your father.
On another day, on Friday I was on Caltrain again, surprise, but I was you know I was sitting with three other people I thought this is a perfect opportunity to do a little survey. So I said guys I'm working on a sermon can I ask you a question? They're like sure. I said what would it what do you think about the concept of God being your father? What would that be like for you? And one of them said, you know, my dad was an alcoholic.
He was abusive.
So I have a hard time thinking about God as my father.
You know, very honest answer.
Another one said, you know, I love my dad, but he was always too busy.
Growing up, I never had a chance to get to know him.
Another lady said, you know, I really respect my dad.
He's a good guy, but like her, I was also, he was also far too busy in his job.
So we never got to know him either.
So when you think about this, what is it like to have God as your father? Our human experience kind of clouds our understanding, because that's the lens that we view God with.
You know, very difficult.
So the question is, who do we ask? Who do we ask for this answer? What is it like to have God as your father? And I was thinking about this, and I was like, maybe I have to go back to the book of Genesis and ask Adam.
Adam, who is your father? And what would Adam say? Adam would say, do you not know? Have you not heard? The everlasting God, the Lord God, the creator of the heavens and the earth, who does not go weary. He is my dad. Wow. That is a dad. That's our dad. Adam, what was your relationship with your father? What would Adam say? Adam would say, He formed me out of the dust of the ground.
He breathed into my nostrils and gave me the breath of life.
When he saw I was alone, he took a rib out of me and fashioned woman and brought her to me to be a helper He set me as a ruler over all his creation And when I'm with him we were never ashamed I had an intimate relationship with my father In human terms, it's hard to understand, but Adam had that experience, that privilege of walking with God and seeing how God, the Father, interacted with him.
Then you ask Adam, Adam, what happened to that relationship? He would say, the serpent deceived Eve and I. We disobeyed God and that relationship was broken.
We felt shame in the presence of our Father.
And a holy God could not bear us in His presence and He had to drive us out.
That relationship was forever marred.
That intimacy was out. That relationship was forever marred. That intimacy was lost. And that's why it's very hard for us to comprehend what it is like to have God as our Father. You know, the name Adam means mankind. He's our representative. He's us. And so when you look at Ephesians chapter 2, verse 1 and 2, the title I have on there is from imago Dei, the image of God, to imago fracta, meaning a broken or a marred image.
Do you see how far mankind has fallen from that relationship that God, the Father, intended for his children.
It says, you were dead and you were dead in your trespasses and sins.
From being alive with God, you are dead in your trespasses and sins, in which you formerly walked, according to the course of this world, according to the prince of the power of the air, of the spirit that is now working in the sons of disobedience.
From walking with God, who are we walking with? The word prince means ruler, the ruler of the power of the air, the devil himself.
You know, mankind having sinned and fallen short and being marred with sin went from walking with God to walking according to the prince or the ruler of the power of the air. The spirit that you see in that verse is not the Holy Spirit, it's another spirit that is working now in the sons of disobedience. So from being a child of God, mankind has become sons of disobedience. This is our state. This was our state. From Imago Dei to Imago Fracta, a broken image.
Now where do you see God's character shining through? I think you'll have to look at Ephesians chapter one verse five.
This is where the real father who cares for his creation comes shining through.
Even though man disobeyed God, God never let go.
In fact, having known that man would one day disobey God, he prepared a plan.
He, referring to God the Father, predestined us to adoption as sons.
A plan formed even before God knew that man would disobey him.
The word adoption, you know, it's a loaded word. You know, people are very, you know, have connotations, they're very afraid to use it. It really means to make son, to make someone a son or an offspring. That's what God's plan was, to make us, who were once sons of disobedience, back into a child of God. Adoption as sons through Jesus Christ. Now Jesus would be the means, the agency through which that restoration would ultimately have to happen so that we can be adopted as son to himself according to the kind intention of his will.
There is no end to the way God was going to pursue his own creation and restore him back to that relationship.
This is the true creator, you know, that God himself would restore the relationship. He is the restorer. He is the redeemer. And you see how that happened through Jesus Christ in the book of Hebrews, Hebrews chapter 2 verse 14 it says, Therefore, since the children share in the flesh and blood, he himself likewise also partook of the same, that through death he might render powerless him who had the power of death, that is the Devil. You know, the ultimate rescue mission, that God would come in the form of a man, would take on flesh and blood.
There is no other rescue mission that is grander, wider in scope, more beautiful than the rescue mission that God put into place.
That he would send himself in the form of a man and partake of the flesh and blood just like the children of God. That through death he might render powerless him who had the power of death, that is the devil.
How did Satan have the power of death? You know, it's a pattern of sin and death.
The wages of sin is death.
And as mankind sinned, death followed. And there was no way to get out of that death and sin and death cycle until Jesus himself came and rescued us so that he might render powerless him who had the power of death that is the devil. What an amazing God we have. What an amazing father we have, that he would pursue us, even to the point of death, so that he might redeem us and adopt us as sons.
You know, there is something so beautiful about the gospel.
How do you become a child of God? But as many as received Him, you know, the word as many means all, all who received Him. What does it mean to receive Him? It means to take hold. Take hold of what? You know, when I, when as a sinner, I came, took off the offer of grace, he did proffer. He saved me. Oh praise his dear name. You know, we, we, we can take hold, take hold of the offer of grace. You know, if you're born into a Hindu family, there's a concept of destiny.
You know, it's one and done.
You're born doomed for eternity.
That's the caste system that you're born into, and there is no escape.
You cannot get out.
And so mankind is doomed in those systems to just go through an endless cycle of life and death. But through the gospel, because Jesus paid it all, we have that adoption as sons whereby we can come and receive the offer of grace because he died for me I can be adopted into God's family. That is the wideness of God's grace. Anyone can come and receive that offer of grace. You know we started with this thought behold what manner of love the Father has loved us and that is the manner of love the Father has loved us. And that is the manner of love the Father has loved us with. The wideness of his mercy and his pursuit of us. You know, so what about the child of God? You know, do they blend in with the rest of the world? How do you tell blend in with the rest of the world.
How do you tell if someone is a child of God? Do they behave differently? Is there a trait? So I have a question for the moms in the audience.
Now you bear this beautiful child and as they grow up, you start seeing different traits in them.
And you're wondering, where did that come from? Have you wondered that? One day you see your kid, you see them twirling their underwear over their head, and they fling it in the direction of a laundry basket.
And it lands close, but not quite.
And you watch as this precious kid of yours, he's quite contend turns around walks away and you look at that kid you're like you know what he's just like his father have you thought that way you know what do you want people to see when they see you when they see your character what do you want people to see when they see you? When they see your character, what do you want them to see? Do you want them to see your heavenly father in your character? So when they see you, they're like, he is just like his heavenly father.
The trait that you display, that you demonstrate, reminds them of your Heavenly Father. It's not just the words that I say, but my character reflects the family that I belong to. You know, you might know someone in your life who's going through a great trial, and you look at them and they look at at peace that they are calm and you're wondering that that's not possible you have so much going on in life how come you're so calm it's because you see a godly trait in them a heavenly trait they are comfortable because they know that God is in charge. Whose nature do you demonstrate? First John chapter three again, verse nine and he cannot sin because he's 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. You know, what John says is that the children of God and the children of the devil are obvious.
You can tell them apart.
Why? Because the seed of God abides in the one who is a child of God.
God's seed abides.
Just like your natural son has your DNA in the same manner, spiritually God is residing in you and that residence makes a change in your behavior. Now have you ever been to an orchestra performance and you look at the violinist who's playing, what are they doing? They're playing, but their eyes are locked on to who? Locked on to the conductor.
They're just following along, always in sync with the conductor as the conductor conducts the orchestra.
That is what it means to be a child of God.
Your nature and your desire is to be locked on to the Father.
You want to follow your Father and you want to sense what direction He is leading you.
Just locked on.
Now imagine the same, you know, an orchestra scene, but you have another violinist.
He's got his back turned towards the conductor, still playing music, but not in sync.
He's playing his own music.
Which one do you think is going to be following along? Well, the one that has his back turned to the conductor is also playing music, but he's doing his own thing.
John says the children of God and the children of the devil are going to be obvious.
They have two opposing natures.
One, the child of God, because he is born of God, meaning God is his or her father, has that natural desire to follow the leading of the father. The other one has his back turned towards him. Completely different opposing natures. And it's not just the nature that is different. The purpose of a child of God is different.
Philippians chapter 2 verse 15 it says, so that you will prove yourselves to be blameless and innocent children of God above reproach in this in the midst of a crooked and perverse generation among whom you appear as lights in the world.
The word prove is the Greek word genomai, genomai, meaning to have a characteristic that is acquired, that was not there but has come into existence.
It's like a child developing a trait.
So it says, Paul says, prove yourselves, meaning demonstrate that trait so that you are blameless and innocent. Children of God above reproach. The word above reproach means unblemished. It's the same word that refers to Jesus Christ in 1 Peter 1:19, an unblemished lamb of God.
That is your calling, beloved children of God.
Such a high standard you've been called to, just like your father.
You know, the darker the world gets, the more that you get to shine as lights in this dark world, O children of God.
You know, Matthew 15, Matthew 5, 16 says, Let your light shine before men in such a way that they may see your good works and glorify your Father who is in heaven.
As you shine as lights in this world as children of God, let that glory go to God the Father.
It's because of Him and His movement in your life that you are here.
You appear as lights in this dark place.
So it's not just the nature of the child of God that is different, their purpose is different. There's one more topic on this, our nature that we have as children of God and John, 1 John 3 2, it says, Beloved, now we are children of God, that's our present reality, but there is a future promise. In fact, in this verse there are actually three promises and it says it has not yet appeared as as yet what we will be we know that when he appears we will be like him that so that is one promise we We will be like him.
You know, the first time I read that verse, I had to call someone and say, is that really what it means? We will be like him? It was inconceivable.
But it is a promise of God that one day we will be like him in the same way God is holy, morally pure, spiritually perfect, the Word of God says you will be like him. So don't be content with where you are. There is a beautiful future that we have ahead of us. This is the nature that we are being transformed to. The second promise is that we will see him just as he is. One day our faith will be made sight and we will see him just as he is.
And it says the last thing the promise is when we see him we will be made like him.
We talked about adoption and the nature of the children of God.
What about the privilege? Romans chapter eight and verse 15.
For you have not received a spirit of slavery leading to fear again, but you have received a spirit of adoption as sons by which we cry out Abba Father. You know the intimacy that we talked about, about which Adam had with his father, you know, God restores that through the Holy Spirit.
The Holy Spirit resides with us, within us, and he communes with us, and he speaks with us, and he testifies with our spirit.
That intimacy, God restores through the Holy Spirit.
And this verse tells us the nature of the Holy Spirit. And this verse tells us the nature of the Holy Spirit. It is not a spirit of slavery. You know, what does a slave do? A slave does things out of obligation, out of fear, because he's scared of punishment. But what is the spirit that God has given us? It's a spirit of adoption, bringing us. It's a spirit of adoption, bringing someone into the family of God, whereby we cry out Abba Father. You know, when you sit down at the dinner table with your dad, how do you speak to him? You're like, hey dad, pass the food. You know, there is a love, there's a familiarity, there is Past the food.
You know, there is a love, there's a familiarity, there is that bond between a child and a father, and that's what the Spirit of, that Spirit, the Holy Spirit gives us.
Even though God is holy, even though he's a creator God, who's excellent before time, the Holy Spirit gives us that familial connection whereby we can talk to our dads and say, talk to God and say, hey dad, I'm hurting. in your presence. I want to spend time with you.
That is the privilege of being a child of God. We have that Holy Spirit that gives us that familial connection and assurance that we are children of God.
And we are able to cry out in our most trying circumstances to Him and draw near in the same way that you speak to your own Father on the earth.
Now imagine someone gave you a blank check and it's signed, it's got your name on it, all you gotta do is fill out the amount.
What would you fill it out with? It's a blank check.
A Ferrari, a Mac Mansion, what would you fill it out with? It's a blank check. You know, you're tempted, right? You're like, I wanna fill it out with? It's a blank check.
You know, you're tempted, right? You're like, I want to fill it out with something, but when you think about, as a child of God, when you think about, you know, when Jesus was upon this earth, the Son of Man had no place to lay his head.
How can I write Ferrari? How can I write Ferrari? What would you put on the blank check? What would you write? I think you would say, make me more like Jesus. We would ask the Father.
And this is what Jesus gives us, that privilege.
He says, truly, truly, I say to you, if you ask the Father for anything in my name, He will give it to you.
Until now, you have asked for nothing in my name.
Ask and you will receive so that your joy may be made full.
We have a blank check.
This is what Jesus gave us.
Right.
Ask the Father, give me more grace.
Give me more peace.
Do you think the Father would withhold that from you? No, we already have that blank check from Jesus.
Access to infinite riches you do not have because you have not asked for anything.
This is a privilege that we have.
In a moment when you're confronted with something, you can say, Lord, give me more peace. Give me more courage. He will fill your tank. Do not lose sight of the riches that we have.
Now in England, they have these beautiful castles. Sure, you know, people who've been abroad have seen this.
Now imagine you show up there with your backpack and your pillow and you say, Governor, like to stay in one of those empty rooms.
What are they gonna say? They're like, the first thing they're gonna ask you is, are you related to the royal family? And you're like, no No. They are like, all right, love.
Off with you! It is the first step you are going to do is to check which family you belong to.
If you are not part of the Royal family, you got no business.
You are done.
This is our inheritance... because you're a child of God, you have an inheritance. Not only are you legally part of, when you become legally part of God's family, you have the right to an inheritance. You're an heir. In fact, because you're the child of a king, you, my dear, are royalty.
And you see this, it says in Romans 8, 16 and 17, the Spirit Himself testifies with our spirit that we are children of God and if children heirs also, heirs of God and fellow heirs with Christ, if indeed we suffer with him so that we may be glorified with him. Being a core heir with Christ.
Now we are part of God's eternal kingdom and we have an inheritance in God's eternal kingdom.
That is an amazing inheritance to consider.
You know, even thinking about that inheritance, I showed you a picture of a really nice castle. Now there's plenty of other castles which are in ruins.
If you said, would you like one of those? What's your answer? You're like, well, no thank you.
Thanks, but no thanks.
You wanna spend the night? No.
So this is the kind of inheritance that God has for you.
First Peter 1.4, it says, to obtain an inheritance which is imperishable, undefiled, will not fade away, reserved in heaven for you.
Consider each of these words imperishable.
It means our inheritance does not have an expiry date.
Those castles that look really, really good, one day they're gonna fall apart and be burnt up.
Undefiled, it's pure, unfading, that doesn't lose its value, reserved in heaven for you.
It is for each one, it's reserved in heaven for you. It is for each one. It's reserved in heaven for you.
You know, how many people have saved up money to buy a home, they're almost there, they've been paying it down for years, and then they lose their job, and what happens? It goes into foreclosure and they lose it.
Your inheritance is not like that.
Your inheritance is reserved in heaven for you.
No one can steal.
We started with this verse.
Behold what manner of love the Father has bestowed upon us, that we would be called children of God.
We have that intimacy with God the Father has bestowed upon us, that we would be called children of God. We have that intimacy with God the Father, the spirit of adoption in Romans 8.5.
Adam was made in the image of God.
First John 3 to says, we will be like him.
That image will be restored.
We will experience what it is to be morally and spiritually perfect just like our God. To be made in the likeness of God. We will be co-heirs with Christ. This is our inheritance. It is a glorious inheritance. We have the riches in Christ. Ask anything from the Father, He will give it to you.
You do not have because you have not asked.
So ask away, ask the Father.
Nothing good will He withhold from you.
And we get to live without shame, holy and blameless, because that's who we are in Christ, because He's taken our shame on that cross to be a light in the darkness. Philippians 2 15 behold what manner of love the Father has loved us that we would be called the children of God. What a privilege. Let's pray. Our gracious God and loving Father, we praise you, Lord, for you, because you pursued us even though we were disobedient, and you restored that beautiful relationship.
You are the true Father.
You care for each one of us, Lord, and you want to see us in fellowship with you. We are unworthy Lord but you through your love to the extent of your grand design you brought us back to yourself. We thank you for Lord Jesus Lord for dying in our place. In his name we pray. Amen.