You Are a Child in God's Family – March 24, 2019 – Steve Miller
When I was a teenager, every time my brothers or I would leave the house to go out somewhere, my mom would send us off with this directive: “Remember whose you are!” This truth, if I believed it and kept it in mind, would have a big impact on my confidence and the choices that I made.
Galatians 3:23 – 4:7
26So in Christ Jesus you are all children of God through faith, 27for all of you who were baptized into Christ have clothed yourselves with Christ. 28There is neither Jew nor Gentile, neither slave nor free, nor is there male and female, for you are all one in Christ Jesus. 29If you belong to Christ, then you are Abraham’s seed, and heirs according to the promise.
4But when the set time had fully come, God sent his Son, born of a woman, born under the law, 5to redeem those under the law, that we might receive adoption to sonship. 6Because you are his sons, God sent the Spirit of his Son into our hearts, the Spirit who calls out, “Abba, Father.” 7So you are no longer a slave, but God’s child; and since you are his child, God has made you also an heir.
We should not be afraid, for God is with us. For we are His children, and He is our good Father. We should not take lightly what that means for us. We are sons and daughters in the same family in which Jesus is a Son. We are beloved by the Father and co-heirs with Christ. We have been made new and given entrance into the family of God.
Romans 8:14-17, 28-30
14For those who are led by the Spirit of God are the children of God. 15The Spirit you received does not make you slaves, so that you live in fear again; rather, the Spirit you received brought about your adoption to sonship. And by him we cry, “Abba, Father.” 16The Spirit himself testifies with our spirit that we are God’s children. 17Now if we are children, then we are heirs—heirs of God and co-heirs with Christ, if indeed we share in his sufferings in order that we may also share in his glory.
Again it says that we are heirs of God, and co-heirs with Christ. The concept reminds me of the cartoon character Little Orphan Annie, who was adopted by the wealthy and powerful industrialist Daddy Warbucks. Imagine the ways that this new relationship impacted her life, and what protection, care, influence, and resources she became heir to, not just what she would own after he died, but even more with him looking after her as a father.
Now think about the grace that Jesus walked in as He lived His life as a man on earth. Although He is God, He laid aside His heavenly glory and lived as a true man filled with the Holy Spirit. So we now, as God's children filled with the same Holy Spirit, have access to the same grace, power, and resources to live God-pleasing lives and bring the influence of the Kingdom to the world around us! Are we mindful of this?
Romans 8:28-30
28And we know that in all things God works for the good of those who love him, who have been called according to his purpose. 29For those God foreknew he also predestined to be conformed to the image of his Son, that he might be the firstborn among many brothers and sisters. 30And those he predestined, he also called; those he called, he also justified; those he justified, he also glorified.
We are members of a household, God's household. We are being built together into a house, God's dwelling. We're like the Brady Bunch, only better and not dressed in plaid bell-bottoms.
Ephesians 2:19-22
19Consequently, you are no longer foreigners and strangers, but fellow citizens with God’s people and also members of his household, 20built on the foundation of the apostles and prophets, with Christ Jesus himself as the chief cornerstone. 21In him the whole building is joined together and rises to become a holy temple in the Lord. 22And in him you too are being built together to become a dwelling in which God lives by his Spirit.
I think about how our family has grown from our marriage until now. With hope, prayer, and training of our children, I look forward to what we will be in the future. In the same way, we are growing and maturing and adding to God's family. In Christ the whole building is joined together and rises to become a holy temple in the Lord.
1 John 3:1-3
1See what great love the Father has lavished on us, that we should be called children of God! And that is what we are! The reason the world does not know us is that it did not know him. 2Dear friends, now we are children of God, and what we will be has not yet been made known. But we know that when Christ appears, we shall be like him, for we shall see him as he is. 3All who have this hope in him purify themselves, just as he is pure.
Now we must remain in His love, remembering who we are and Whose we are. He will never leave us, neglect us, or abandon us. He will not abuse us, for He is a good Father, and we are His true children by faith. Our Father has loved us, and we must love our brothers and sisters in His family. Because we are His, that is who we are.
John 15:9-12
9“As the Father has loved me, so have I loved you. Now remain in my love. 10If you keep my commands, you will remain in my love, just as I have kept my Father’s commands and remain in his love. 11I have told you this so that my joy may be in you and that your joy may be complete. 12My command is this: Love each other as I have loved you.
We live under grace, and not through our performance. Yes, God wants us to please Him, but He provides the grace and love that empowers us to do that. God loves His children! He provides for us and trains us so that we will mature, growing to be like Jesus. He wants us to put our trust and hope in Him, for He has promised to be good to us. All this He has accomplished at the cross.
