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.
Embracing the Glory
How do you feel about being a child of God, let’s consider that? For many the relationship between themselves and their human parents is a pit of pain, hurt un-forgiveness and is a real barrier to acceptance of this “Child of God” status or accepting the parental aspects of Gods love and provision for us. Well I to have had these problems and issues from my parents and as a parent, I dread to think of what I’ve given my children in terms of scars and wounds, not intentional but still, Lord have mercy! The answer is ask God to heal you, let the Holy Spirit do his work in you, he will heal you, he will restore you, he will free you if you let him, let go of the pain, un-forgiveness and hurt, leave it with Jesus, at his cross, he came to purify us, set us the captives free from these things to remove them from us, if WE let him. Consider the parable of the good Samaritan, if you had to pick a character in that story I guess that 95%+ of Christians would put hands up and say “Samaritan – loving my neighbor”, I believe all would be wrong, were not the Samaritan, if we are truly honest were the one beaten, bleeding, lying naked in the road, Jesus is the Samaritan, were the ones who need him, need his Mercy, his grace, his love. We might be children of God but we are not God – we need him in dependency as a child needs its parents – this is not inadequacy it is the greatest expression of human maturity, the truest expression of our capability and what we truly are meant to be
As Nelson Mandela once said:
Our deepest fear is not that we are inadequate. Our deepest fear is that we are powerful beyond measure. It is our light, not our darkness, that most frightens us. We ask ourselves, “Who am I to be brilliant, gorgeous, talented and fabulous?” Actually, who are you not to be? You are a child of God. Your playing small doesn’t serve the world. There’s nothing enlightened about shrinking so that other people won’t feel insecure around you. We were born to manifest the glory of God that is within us . . . And as we let our own light shine, we unconsciously give other people permission to do the same. As we are liberated from our own fear, our presence automatically liberates others
The heart
Let’s dig deeper into the business of our hearts and being like Jesus, like a child of God. Believing in Jesus and the fact that he is the son of God that he died on the cross and was raised from the dead brings many things for one who believes, “I will give you a new heart and put a new spirit in you; I will remove from you your heart of stone and give you a heart of flesh” (Ezek. 36:26). When you turn to Jesus God removes your old heart, he gives you a new heart when he joins you to the life of Christ. That’s why Paul can say “count yourselves dead to sin” and “alive to God in Christ Jesus” (Rom. 6:11), remember joined to Christ. The Resurrection affirms the promise Christ made. For it was life he offered to give us: “I have come that they may have life, and have it to the full” (John 10:10). We are saved by his life when we find that we are able to live the way we’ve always known we should live. We are free to be what God meant for us to be, free to live life fully as children of God. You have a new life—the life of Christ. And you have a new heart. Do you know what this means? Your heart is good, as it is of God
Your heart
That’s right—your heart. Paul teaches us in Ephesians that “Christ may dwell in your hearts through faith” (3:17). God comes down to dwell in us, in our hearts. Now, we know this: God cannot dwell where there is evil. “You are not a God who takes pleasure in evil; with you the wicked cannot dwell” (Ps. 5:4). Something pretty dramatic must have happened in our hearts, then, to make them fit to be the dwelling place of a holy God. Of course, none of this can happen for us until we give our lives back to God. We cannot know the joy or the life or the freedom of heart I’ve described here until we surrender our lives to Jesus and surrender them totally. Renouncing all the ways we have turned from God in our hearts, we forsake the idols we have worshiped and given our hearts over to. We turn, and give ourselves body, soul, and spirit back to God, asking him to cleanse our hearts and make them new. And he does. He gives us a new heart. And he comes to dwell there, in our hearts. Each tree is recognized by its own fruit. People do not pick figs from thorn bushes, or grapes from briers. The good man brings good things out of the good stored up in his heart, and the evil man brings evil things out of the evil stored up in his heart. (Luke 6:44–45). The Glory Hidden in Your Heart, Gods glory is revealed in men and women fully alive in Christ, then we become like Jesus. Now lets us consider the matter of sin.
Live as Children of Light
Remember chapter 3 verses 7-8:”Dear children, do not let anyone lead you astray. He who does what is right is righteous, just as he is righteous. He who does what is sinful is of the devil, because the devil has been sinning from the beginning”. The message is clear you can’t be a child of God and chose to go on sinning, you just can’t, and I’m not saying if you sin you are not saved and not a child of God, NO it’s if you chose to continue to do evil. Dietrich Bonhoeffer said “Only he who believes is obedient; only he who is obedient believes”
How can you claim to belong to Jesus and then deliberately sin, non Christians will be watching your ways to look for a hint of Gods glory, many are hungry to know that the divine does exist, that there is a better way, that salt and light thing, we are called if you like to be mirrors here on earth to reflect his light, his glory to those around us, you are not going to be much reflecting if your mirror is dirty, filthy or cracked are you! Galatians 5 verses 16 – 26 spell out the difference between walking in the sinful nature and being like Jesus, showing the fruits of the Holy Spirit as we are transformed. Our sinful nature is also referred to as the “flesh”, in church bible speak. This is the part of us that is not surrendered to Jesus or God, it’s our self centered self, not a Christ centered self, and it’s our pride. The acts of the sinful nature are obviously things Jesus just did not and will not do, in Galatians 5, as it says “The acts of the sinful nature are obvious: sexual immorality, impurity and debauchery; idolatry and witchcraft; hatred, discord, jealousy, fits of rage, selfish ambition, dissensions, factions and envy; drunkenness, orgies, and the like. I warn you, as I did before, that those who live like this will not inherit the kingdom of God”. Then the fruits of the Spirit which is also the character profile for Jesus are: “love, joy, peace, patience, kindness, goodness, faithfulness, gentleness and self-control”. And again once we give our lives to Jesus the Holy Spirit will start transforming us as we live by the Spirit
Sin
Lets be clear Jesus paid the price on the cross, once and for all, it was paid to set us free, free to come into the spacious place of salvation, so we can live lives that reflect the glory of God, we have his permission to shine and achieve, to be glorious, fabulous and what ever God wants us to be. The issue is if you chose to keep on sinning and turning from God and the ways of the Holy Spirit. Yes, we still battle with sin. We have to choose to live from the new heart, and our old nature doesn’t go down without a fight. When we give our lives to Jesus we are transformed but not made perfect. We start a process of transformation, step by step led by the Holy Spirit. Bad news is we don’t necessarily stop sinning, so don’t worry if you’re not perfect yet, worry more if you feel you are! It’s a daily step by step thing, we have to choose to turn to God and ask in prayer for our sins and trespasses to be forgiven the key thing is to keep turning to Jesus. In Ephesians chapter 4, the children of God are told to do the following: Put off falsehood; Speak truthfully about our neighbor; Stop stealing; Help others; Not to let any unwholesome talk come out of their mouths; Build others up and encourage; Not to grieve the Holy Spirit; Get rid of all bitterness, rage, anger, brawling, slander, every form of malice; Be kind and compassionate to each other; Forgive each other just as in Christ God forgave you.
We are called to love our God and our neighbor the two greatest commandments, remember don’t lose heart if you do sin, don’t let the devil get a foothold, turn to our Father in heaven and ask for forgiveness and forgive others as you yourself are forgiven. This is what we do as children of God as children of light, Be imitators of God, therefore, as dearly loved children and live a life of love, just as Christ loved us and gave himself up for us as a fragrant offering and sacrifice to God, And For you were once darkness, but now you are light in the Lord. Live as children of light (for the fruit of the light consists in all goodness, righteousness and truth) and find out what pleases the Lord. (Ephesians 5: 1 -2 and 8 - 12). When was the last time you asked God what pleased him, brings a smile to his face and joy to his heart? Ask next time you pray ask your Father and remember to give him time to answer. Does the Bible teach that Christians are nothing but sinners—that there is nothing good in us? The answer is no! You have a new heart. Your heart is good. That sinful nature you battle is not who you are. Paul says in Romans 7: 21 – 22 “So I find this law at work: When I want to do good, evil is right there with me. For in my inner being I delight in God’s law”. Paul is showing how he and we all struggle we know in our hearts what is right and what is wrong, but that does not stop us doing wrong does it, its true for me any way. But even so as Paul says “in my inner being I delight in Gods Law” in our inner souls we delight in Jesus, in his ways and being, we give thanks for the mercy and grace so freely given, this is our true heart. “Let your light shine before men” (Matt. 5:16). Remember the following if you have given your life to Jesus then you bear a glory for sure, but it is a reflected glory. A grace given to you. Our story does not begin with sin. It begins with a glory bestowed upon us by God. It does not start in Genesis 3; it starts in Genesis 1. First things first, as they say. Certainly, you will admit that God is glorious. Is there anyone more kind? Is there anyone more creative? Is there anyone more caring? Is there anyone more true? Is there anyone more daring? Is there anyone more beautiful? Is there anyone more wise? Is there anyone more generous? We are his offspring. His children. His reflection. His likeness. We bear his image. Do remember that though he made the heavens and the earth in all their glory, the desert and the open sea, the forests and all the galaxies and said, “It is good,” it was only after he made us that he said, “It is very good” (Gen. 1:31). Think of it: our original glory was greater than anything that’s ever taken your breath away in nature.
So dear children…
So how do we live like Jesus and like children of God, well we chose to show love, joy, peace, patience, kindness, goodness, faithfulness, gentleness and self-control in all aspects of our lives. We will not be able to do this under by our own strength, that’s for sure, we have to surrender be child like and ask the Holy Spirit to change us, ask Jesus to walk with us let us lean on him as we take up our cross to follow him. We will stumble, we will “stuff up” big time on occasion, that’s when we need his grace, his mercy, that’s when his love washes away the shame and guilt. But Jesus will be their like a parent rushing to a small child who has fallen and cut a knee, Jesus rushes to us washes the cut, puts on a plaster and kisses our heads saying “never mind, it will heal, I am with you always, trust me”. Don’t listen to the lies of the devil who will tell you that there is nothing good in you, that your heart is bad and the you are a worthless wretch, lies all lies, you are made in Gods image, once saved always saved in Jesus and you can do nothing to make God love you less – so turn from the deceiver. Hold firm, hold firm, the devil wants you to fail to give in to turn from the Lord, that’s his goal, never let go of Jesus and be sure he will never ever let go of you. We need to fully trust let go of our old selves and ways and let Jesus take the centre stage in our lives, in all parts of our lives. We should let the Holy Spirit fully into our hearts to release the good in us, the good from God in us and Gods glory in us so that we can become fully alive in Christ. Fully alive in God and so that we can truly be his children here on this earth as he intended us to be in our workplaces, our homes, our schools, the community we live in, that is what we are made to do, this is the meaning of life and living it to the full in Christ
We are called to be Children of God, so live in the faith of that, live in a faith that can move mountains and send them crashing into the sea, a faith that can walk on water, a faith that can cast out demons, a faith that can heal the sick, a faith that can raise the dead, that’s the faith children of God can have, ask and you will receive. We shine to encourage others to do the same and we move our Fathers kingdom ever forwards, our being children of God gives permission for other to do the same and seek him while he can be found, so shine in the name of Jesus, be like Jesus, consider his ministry
Jesus used Isaiah 61: verse 1 to proclaim and define his ministry on earth:
The Spirit of the Sovereign LORD is on me,
because the LORD has anointed me
to preach good news to the poor.
He has sent me to bind up the brokenhearted,
to proclaim freedom for the captives
and release from darkness for the prisoners
Then verses 2 – 3 are also for the children of God
To proclaim the year of the Lord’s favor
and the day of vengeance of our God,
to comfort all who mourn,
And provide for those who grieve in Zion—
to bestow on them a crown of beauty
instead of ashes,
the oil of gladness
instead of mourning,
and a garment of praise
instead of a spirit of despair.
They will be called oaks of righteousness,
a planting of the LORD
for the display of his splendor
The children of God will be his oaks of righteousness, his for the display of his splendor, his glory, that’s what were are here for
Give thanks and praise to God, think of what you were like before you came to Jesus, rejoice you are now a child of God, sealed for eternity, loved never to be forsaken
If you have yet to meet with Jesus don’t delay, seal your fate right now, turn to him and ask him into your heart, ask him to wash away your sin, give your old heart to him to receive the new, ask for to pray the prayer below, don’t leave without Jesus, don’t leave an orphan, come join the family of God!
I ask you to pray the following prayer, maybe for the first time as you open your heart to Jesus, maybe you’ve drifted from him, and turn back and he will greet you with open arms, smiling at you his child!
Lord Jesus, I ask you to forgive me of all my sin, I confess my sin before you, this day I denounce satan and all his works, I confess Jesus as Lord of my life, thank you for saving me, for bringing me back to where I once was, for making me a child of God, from this day forward Lord Jesus I will be sensitive to how you feel, I will not hurt you, I will obey you.
Lord Jesus I ask you to present me before God as one of his children in your name Lord Jesus I believe in my heart and confess with my mouth that you rose from the dead, that I am saved, I receive you today whole heartedly, 100%.
Make me a light in a dark place from this day forward I will leave this place and share you with everyone I meet and everyone I know, it’s a commitment Lord Jesus I freely give, I will get the world for you Lord!
I pray this prayer to the Father in the name of Jesus
Amen!
If you have prayed this prayer for the first time may I ask you for two things firstly get a Bible and start reading and find a church and meet the family! Bless you brother or sister see you in heaven when battle is done!
