Live As God's Children Series

LIVE AS GOD’S CHILDREN

Romans 8:12-17

* “We are all God’s children!” Have you ever heard this statement? It sounds good, it seems right, it feels good, but there is absolutely no Biblical truth to it. Today across this nation there is a widely held view that everyone is in the family of God and people will get irate to suggest otherwise. Were we to follow this line of thinking to its logical conclusion, we would be required to conclude that Hitler, Stalin, Bin Laden, Saddam Hussein, Bundy, Dahmer, and Tim McVeigh are all God’s children. (Now don’t misunderstand; each one of these and others could have been redeemed by the blood of Jesus and become a child of God “IF” they would come to God on His terms).

* We are all God’s creation but not necessarily God’s Children. Speaking of Jesus the Apostle John writes, “To all who received Him (Jesus), He gave them the “RIGHT” to become Children of God. There exists only two ways to become a part of anyone’s family, you can be born or adopted. Some argue that we are born into God’s world so we are automatically HIS. But Jesus said, “You must be born again.” By the way, when I am born again, into the family of God, I am immediately adopted by God the Father. This is important because a “birth child” is in the blood line and has particular rights; however, an adopted child has an entirely different set of rights. When you are born and adopted into a family, you have the best of all worlds and this is exactly what God wants for HIS children. Don’t you want to make sure you are His?

* Let’s do a couple of things this morning, first; let’s nail down being in the family. I just mentioned that Jesus said, “You have to be born again.” Every person must be born of the spirit. In Acts 2 Peter was asked and In Acts 16 Paul was asked “what must I do?” The answer is “repent and believe.” Have you done this? Will you do this? This is your invitation to be in the Family.

* Abraham Lincoln signed the “Emancipation Proclamation”, do you remember who it was that became “emancipated?” It was the slaves. Now, those who had been brought to this country and sold as a piece of property were free.

* Remarkably, some of these did not leave their masters and plantations but stay on and signed on as slaves. In fact, many made fun of these who stayed on. Why? They were freed by and from the law of slavery, yet they CHOSE to continue to live as a slave.

* As we said last week, when we are a part of God’s family, we are set free! We are set free from the law of sin and death. We are set from the power and penalty of sin and we look forward to the day we are free from the presence of sin. If we are indeed free and are God’s child, then why not live like it.

* From our scripture allow me to suggest 5 ways in which will help us LIVE AS GOD’S CHILD.

1. Be Logical – It never ceases to amaze me how we attempt to think logically about everything but our faith. Truth is, when taken in its totality, the Bible is always logical. I would argue that you can take any Biblical experience or story and if viewed from the proper perspective, it will be completely logical. Whether making blind see, raising the dead, or healing the sick, it is all very logical “IF” Jesus is God’s son.

* So, what is so logical in our text? Look at verse 12. It says, “We are not obligated to the flesh, we owe nothing to this world.” Think about this. What has this world given to you and me? It offers us hurt, pain, heartache, loss, it gives us bodies which deteriorate, and at some point down the road it even promises death. And seemingly, it is this world to which we seemingly give so much of our allegiance. Why?

* May I offer a couple of reasons? First, it is our flawed way of thinking. I hate to say it and you’re tired of hearing it, but we can trace this “way of thinking” all the way back to the Garden of Eden. God said no, the world said yes, we came down on the side of the world and it’s been that way ever since. Eve saw the fruit and simply had to it, couldn’t say no, it was like “if it’s in sight, I have to take a bit.”

* This is the ploy of the enemy and to live the way HE wants is totally makes no sense and defies logic. Let me illustrate.