WHAT AM I? (part one)
INTRODUCTION: A couple of weeks ago I preached on how we are the bride of Christ. I got to thinking about how else the bible describes what we are in Christ. Our identity in Christ is very important. We need to see ourselves in the truth of what God has declared us. We can call ourselves many things. We can see ourselves in various ways and view ourselves through various lenses. We can attribute our self worth to various things like our job or education. Or we can attribute our self worth to people; whether through how they see us or in the sense of our connection to them. As a Christian our self worth and sense of value need to come from how God sees us and what he has said we are. One of the things God has called us is his child. But what does it mean to be a child of God?
1) I am born again. Not everyone is a child of God. Everyone is a creation of God but not a child of God. We become his child through faith in Christ. Gal. 3:26-27, “You are all sons of God through faith in Christ Jesus, for all of you who were baptized into Christ have clothed yourselves with Christ.”
We don’t become part of God’s family until we put our faith in his Son Jesus and trust in him for our salvation. We are not natural children of God-only Jesus is. Jesus was the only begotten son of God. We are God’s spiritual children.
John 1:12-13, “Yet to all who received him [Jesus], to those who believed in his name, he gave the right to become children of God-children born not of natural descent, nor of human decision or a husband’s will, but born of God.”
A couple of chapters later in John 3:3 Jesus told Nicodemus that we must be born again. He said in vs. 6, “flesh gives birth to flesh, but the Spirit gives birth to Spirit”.
As a newborn baby is pure and innocent we too are reborn-pure and innocent through Christ. We are given a new spirit, a new hope, a new future. We are entering into a new world; previously unknown to us. We are entering into a new life-the spiritual life-full of new opportunities and new experiences. Being a child of God means that I am born again.
2) Growing up. Just as a literal baby is born into the world with the need to learn so it is with us. We are reborn with the need to learn all the ways to live the spiritual life. We need to learn the ways of God and we need to learn to put into practice the commands of God.
As a literal baby grows and matures, reaching milestones on their way to adulthood so it is with us as spiritual children. We start making wise decisions and we develop a new value system. We start discerning between good and evil; between what is false and what is true.
This all contributes toward our spiritual growth and maturity. But, we have to start out as babies. And, like a baby, we need to start out by drinking milk. 1st Pet. 2:2-3, “Like newborn babies, crave pure spiritual milk, so that by it you may grow up in your salvation, now that you have tasted that the Lord is good.”
A baby doesn’t have any problem letting you know when it’s hungry. We are to be like that (no matter what age you are). We are to crave God’s pure word, drinking in all the wonderful nourishment it contains. God’s word is awesome in that it appeals to every Christian at every level of maturity.
As a baby, we need to focus on learning the fundamentals of the Christian faith. We need to understand what the bible is and how it came to be. Learning about the importance of going to church. Learning about prayer and about giving and about serving. We are to grow in our understanding of faith and grace and we are to grow in our understanding of God and Jesus. 2nd Pet. 3:18 says that we are to grow in the grace and knowledge of our Lord and Savior Jesus Christ.
Sometimes, like a child, we are too eager to grow up. When we’re younger we always want to be older. We’re always focused on what the older kids got to do. The same can be true for the spiritual child. We see those who are more mature and we want to understand like they do. We want to know the bible like they do. We come across passages in scripture that we don’t understand and we get frustrated. Just like a baby progresses from milk to baby food and on to solid food so it is with us. Giving a baby steak and potatoes isn’t a good idea-he’s not ready for it; his digestive system can’t handle it. It’s no different for us. Trying to digest the meatier things in scripture too early on will mess up our systems. When we’re older and more mature we can move on to solid food. As God’s child we need to grow.
3) What stunts our growth? Paul said in 1st Cor. 13:11, “When I was a child, I talked like a child, I thought like a child, I reasoned like a child. When I became a man, I put childish ways behind me.” Just like in life there comes a time when we need to grow up and act mature, there is a need for that spiritually as well. We should be striving for maturity but sometimes we allow certain things to get in the way of that. So what can inhibit our growth? What can get in the way of our spiritual maturity?
• Worldliness. Continuing to act in accordance with our old nature will keep us from growing. 1st Cor. 3:1-3, “Brothers, I could not address you as spiritual but as worldly—mere infants in Christ. I gave you milk, not solid food, for you were not yet ready for it. Indeed, you are still not ready. You are still worldly. For since there is jealousy and quarreling among you, are you not worldly? Are you not acting like mere men? When our actions still line up with the way the world acts we are not growing. Infants in Christ are expected to act worldly because they’re just starting out. But there’s also an expectation that growth will occur. And the growth should be obvious. As the changes are obvious when a baby grows and matures so it is with those who are born again. Worldliness impedes our spiritual growth.
• Laziness. Heb. 5:11-6:3. Not everyone matures at the same speed. We can’t say someone isn’t maturing in the faith just because they’re not maturing as quickly as the next person. This isn’t what’s going on here. It’s not that they couldn’t progress; it’s that they wouldn’t. He says, “By this time you ought to be teachers”. So what did the writer see that told him their growth was being stunted? He was seeing the signs of laziness.
He said in 6:12, “We do not want you to become lazy, but to imitate those who through faith and patience inherit what has been promised.” In the Greek the word lazy can mean slow to learn which is how he described them in 5:11. He saw this characteristic in the Hebrew believers and it was a great concern because right after this passage he goes into talking about falling away. That’s what happens if we become lazy and complacent. Not only will we not grow we will digress. If we’re not moving forward we’re moving backward. Laziness prohibits our spiritual growth.
• Resistance. We also stunt our growth by not responding properly to God’s discipline. Heb. 12:4-11. When we take God’s discipline too lightly we are not going to learn from our mistakes we are bound to repeat them. Or, if we become discouraged and lose heart we will feel like giving up. And if we respond to his discipline with anger we will rebel even more. All of these reactions result in stunted growth. We need to respond favorably, seeing God’s discipline as an opportunity to learn, grow and mature.
1st Cor. 11:32 says that we are disciplined so we will not be condemned. Just like in Hebrews where he was concerned about them falling away so it is in regards to God’s discipline. If we don’t respond correctly to the Lord’s discipline we run the risk of hardening our hearts which will lead to us falling away. God disciplines us so we will change and do the right thing. If God took no corrective measures to try to get us back on the right track when we strayed then he wouldn’t be loving us. If when we sinned God just let it go without consequence we would continue and eventually fall away.
• Despondency. We stunt our growth by not responding positively during our trials. James 1:2-4, “Consider it pure joy, my brothers, whenever you face trials of many kinds, because you know that the testing of your faith develops perseverance. Perseverance must finish its work so that you may be mature and complete, not lacking anything.” This is different than God’s discipline. God’s discipline comes when we do something wrong. Trials come as a means of testing our faith. The level of our maturity can be measured by what we learn and gain when we persevere through trials. When we pass our tests of faith we grow stronger and wiser-more mature.
If we respond to our trials with sadness, misery and hopelessness there will be no advancement taking place. However, having joy when we face trials is a sign of maturity. It means we understand the significance of going through a trial. It means we understand the value and benefit of having our faith tested. It’s easy to get discouraged when facing a trial. It’s easy to get angry when trials come. It’s something else altogether when we accept them as a tool God uses to develop our character and maturity. Being despondent slows down our spiritual growth.
4) What an honor! Being a child of God is pretty special. 1st Pet. 2:9-10, “But you are a chosen people, a royal priesthood, a holy nation, a people belonging to God, that you may declare the praises of him who called you out of darkness and into his wonderful light. Once you were not a people, but now you are the people of God; once you had not received mercy, but now you have received mercy.”
Once we were not a part of the family; at one time we didn’t belong. But now we are a part of something great; we are a member of the most wonderful family of all! Once we were unholy; now we are counted among the holy! Once we belonged to the darkness; now we are children of the light! Once we were nobody; now we are royalty! It’s quite a privilege being royalty. We see how people of royalty live and we see how they are treated. We as spiritual royalty live with many benefits and blessings. We live with preferential treatment. Not materially like literal royalty but spiritually-which is far better and longer lasting.
Now, as children of God, as recipients of God’s mercy, we have an obligation-to live according to the Spirit. Rom. 8:12-17. We are to put the old way of living behind us and adopt a new way.
We are to change our speech-no more cursing, no more gossiping, no more inappropriate talk. Instead we speak only what is wholesome and what builds one another up.
We change our thoughts-no more lusting, no more hating, no more self-deprecating. Instead we take every thought captive and make it obedient to Christ.
We are to change our actions-no more sexual immorality, no more illegal activity, no more outbursts of anger. Instead we shine our light into the darkness. We have a new nature now and we are called to live according to it. Being a child of God means I am to live in accordance to the examples of my Father (God) and my Brother (Jesus).
And, as verse 17 points out, because I am a child of God I am also an heir. Gal. 4:6-7, “Because you are sons, God sent the Spirit of his Son into our hearts, the Spirit who calls out, “Abba, Father.” So you are no longer a slave, but a son; and since you are a son, God has made you also an heir.” Most importantly, our inheritance is eternal life. When we are welcomed into the kingdom of God we will inherit pure love, joy and peace. We will inherit the crown of life and righteousness. We will inherit an existence with no more tears of pain and sorrow. We will inherit blessings that none of us can know about until that day comes.
Being a child of God has many responsibilities but it also has many benefits. We are the recipients of God’s promises-something those who are not his children are not beneficiaries of. God has promised his children that he will never leave or forsake them. He promised to grant us peace and rest for our souls. He has promised us the fullness of life. As children of God we are part of an elite group-not that it makes us better that everyone else-because anyone can become a child of God if they choose to-what it does do is it makes us blessed. What an honor and privilege!
CONCLUSION: 1st John 3:1a, “How great is the love the Father has lavished on us, that we should be called children of God!” It’s quite a privilege to be a child of God. I’m not a child of God because I deserve to be. I’m not a child of God because I did anything special. I’m a child of God because of his great love. And because of this special love, because of this great privilege, I need to be grateful. I need to show appreciation for this new honor. I do this by changing the way I live. I am a child of God.
