A Child Of God

Names

Names are of critical importance, we might not realize the full importance and power in names, but I believe they are if you like the chemistry or building blocks of the kingdom of God and map out the things of God. Names indicate birth right, speak of who you truly are, God has your name, knows your name, I believe Jesus has the names of those who believe in him, graven on his heart never to be erased, always close to his love. This is the stuff of Gods covenants with people like Abraham, consider Jacob and Esau (Genesis:25), were Esau gave his birthright for a bowl of stew, Jacob wrestled with God for his new name, that of Israel and this whole issue of birth right and names, is the root of many of today’s conflicts between Arab and Jew, East and West, the earth still resonates to the legacy of birthrights and names. When we speak of Children, we speak of the high things of God, the heart of God. How great and wonderful is the love of God that those who believe in Jesus are called Children of God. The names and proposition put forward in this text refer to the highest names from God, the highest honor and greatest of privilege, to be call Sons and Daughters of God, is the highest of names, Children of God. Don’t expect praise from non Christians if you go around announcing I am a child of God, you are more likely to be mocked or locked up than accepted, if they don’t believe or accept God, what will the world care if you are one of his children? When babies are viewed for the first time, a comment is always made as to the family resemblance, “he looks just like his mother, has his father’s eyes, mother’s nose and on it goes”. So when we are called “children of God” guess who we are meant to look like, what family resemblance do we have? This is not physical resemblance we don’t have his nose or what ever, no we have his heart that God sees, knows and loves.

Who is this Jesus?

I would ask you to close your eyes for a moment and think of Jesus, does not matter if you believe in him or not. What do you see, who do you sense, what’s he like? Short, fat, slim, tall, radiant, long hair flowing, short hair cropped, beard clean shaven, white, black, Jewish or perhaps oriental? Can you imagine what the police photo fit of Jesus would look like; it would be constantly changing as all of the different perceptions are drawn? What do we mean to become like Jesus, what does that mean, perhaps to waft about in flowing white robes with a vibrant red crimson sash over the shoulder type number, long hair and blue eyes that seem to look straight into you, NO wait that can’t be it I’ll never be like that nor would you. It’s not the outward appearance that bothers God. It’s the appearance and condition of the heart that God looks at, looks to see if it is a heart that beats as his son’s does, looks for that Christ like rhythm and beat. That’s what we will be considering today the appearance of our hearts, that’s were the family resemblance must be.

Me a Child of God?

She had a passion, she knew the passion that burned within her, she knew Jesus, knew with her whole heart that he is the way, the truth and the life, yet. She had parents who denied the truth in its completeness she knew with every fiber of her being, worse she had a husband who hated every thing this truth stood for, would gladly extinguish the flame and drag his whole family into the darkness to prove his pride right. She stood firm against the family and husband and gave herself to the light, became a child of the living God, publicly confessed Jesus was and is her Lord and died to the old to be reborn to the new, was baptized in the name of the Father, Son and Holy Spirit in full view. To her family and particularly to her husband this was a declaration of war at clear signal of intent. He embraced the darkness as he took the notes from the accusers hand and assaulted his wife with lies and words of hate, tried to drag the truth from her heart, tried to get her to renounce what she had committed her heart to, after all she had given herself to another, Jesus what of their marriage, what of him? Then in the heart of darkness as he was poised to take the final attack, the tide turned, he could not deny the existence of God he could not speak out against this Jesus, he fell to his knees in a midst of tears in a wave of euphoria never experienced before through any means, he knew with every fiber of his being that God was real and that Jesus was his son, he stuttered the words “Jesus my Lord”. As I feel on my knees, reborn, like Neo coming out of the matrix for the first time, my face down on our patio sniveling and crying in sorrow in delight I was in heaven, delivered sealed – SAVED for ever, me a child of the living God. Thank you Mena (my Wife, the lady with faith), Thank you Jesus, I can never pay you back but will keep trying, I love you both beyond myself, Thank you. Me a child of God, after what I have done, knowing what my thoughts are, what’s in my heart, me a child of God, that takes some getting used to, that’s why I give thanks for grace and mercy, because I need them so much.