WE ARE THE ADOPTED SONS OF GOD

PROCLAMATION

“But when the set time had fully come, God sent His Son, born of a woman, born under the law, to redeem those under the law, that we might receive adoption to sonship.  Because you are His sons, God sent The Spirit of His Son into our hearts, The Spirit who calls out, ‘Abba, Father.’”  Galatians 4:4-6 (NIV)

 

EXPLANATION

These words were written by the apostle Paul, under the influence of The Holy Spirit of God, to the believers in the church at Galatia.  Paul begins this chapter by continuing his discussion regarding believers being heirs to the promise of God.  He states that Christ came into the world and lived under the law in order to save us from the law and the world.  To all who believed in Him, He gave the power to become the sons of God. (John 1:12) 

 

APPLICATION

All believers can rightly be called “a child of God”.  We may be adopted, but we are still children of God.  That entitles us to all of the benefits of “sonship” including being able to call Him our “Father.”  That is why Jesus, The Christ, said that we can pray to Him and say, “Our Father, which art in heaven, Hallowed be Thy name …” (Matthew 6:9 and Luke 11:2)  We have The Spirit of God within our hearts from the moment that we believed.  That also makes us heirs to the promise of Abraham. (Galatians 4:7) 

 

GOD'S PROMISE OF PROTECTION

PROCLAMATION

“While Jeremiah had been confined in the courtyard of the guard, the word of The Lord came to him: ‘Go and tell Ebed-Melek the Cushite, This is what The Lord Almighty, The God of Israel, says: I am about to fulfill My words against this city, words concerning disaster, not prosperity.  At that time they will be fulfilled before your eyes.  But I will rescue you on that day, declares The Lord; you will not be given into the hands of those you fear.  I will save you; you will not fall by the sword but will escape with your life, because you trust in Me, declares The Lord.’ ”  Jeremiah 39:15-18 (NIV)

EXPLANATION

After Jeremiah was pulled from the cistern he was again confined to the courtyard of the guard. (Jeremiah 38:13)  He was back in prison.  While he was there The Lord God spoke to him and told him to give a message to the Ethiopian Ebed-Melek.  The city would be attacked and destroyed but The Lord God was going to save him because he trusted in Him. (Jeremiah 39:15-18)  Ebed-Melek had helped the prophet of God when he was in trouble. (Jeremiah 38:7-13)  The Lord God also made a way for Jeremiah to escape all harm during the attack on the city.  Nebuchadnezzar gave orders to the commander of his imperial guard not to harm Jeremiah.  In fact, they were told to look after him and to do whatever he asks. (Jeremiah 39:11-14)

APPLICATION

Even when things are going bad all around us, The Lord God can save us and protect us from all harm.  He can use whomever He wants in order to accomplish His purpose.  The Lord God also blesses those who are a blessing to others. (Proverbs 11:25)  Helping a child of God in their hour of need will result in a blessing for you later on down the line.

WE KNOW WE ARE SAVED WHEN WE LOVE ALL OF GOD'S CHILDREN

Proclamation:

“Do not be surprised, my brothers and sisters, if the world hates you.  We know that we have passed from death to life, because we love each other.  Anyone who does not love remains in death.”  1 John 3:13-14 (NIV)

Explanation:

These words were written by the apostle John, under the influence of The Holy Spirit of God, to all who believed in Jesus, The Christ.  He begins this third chapter by telling them that are the children of God. (1 John 3:1-3)  Then he tells them that one who does that which is right is righteous, just as He is righteous. (1 John 3:7)  “No one who is born of God will continue to sin, because God’s seed remains in them; they cannot go on sinning, because they have been born of God.” (1 John 3:9)  He says that the children of God will do what is right but the children of the devil will not. (1 John 3:10)  Then he tells them that they will know that they are saved because they will love all of the believers.

Application:

Once we become saved believers in Christ our behavior will change.  We will no longer continue to do all of the sinful things that we used to do because The Holy Spirit of God is within us.  Although we are not perfect, we will do that which is right more often that that which is wrong.  Our attitude will change and we will know that we are saved because we will love all of God’s children. (1 John 3:14)  We will know that we belong to Him when we strive to keep God’s commands and to do the things which please Him. (1 John 3:19-24)  The world may hate us because of our beliefs, but then the world also hated Christ. (John 15:18-19)

WE ARE THE ADOPTED SONS OF GOD

Proclamation:

“But when the set time had fully come, God sent His Son, born of a woman, born under the law, to redeem those under the law, that we might receive adoption to sonship.  Because you are His sons, God sent The Spirit of His Son into our hearts, The Spirit who calls out, ‘Abba, Father.’”  Galatians 4:4-6 (NIV)

Explanation:

These words were written by the apostle Paul, under the influence of The Holy Spirit of God, to the believers in the church at Galatia.  Paul begins this chapter by continuing his discussion regarding believers being heirs to the promise of God.  He states that Christ came into the world and lived under the law in order to save us from the law and the world.  To all who believed in Him, He gave the power to become the sons of God. (John 1:12) 

Application:

All believers can rightly be called “a child of God”.  We may be adopted, but we are still children of God.  That entitles us to all of the benefits of “sonship” including being able to call Him our “Father.”  That is why Jesus, The Christ, said that we can pray to Him and say, “Our Father, which art in heaven, Hallowed be Thy name …” (Matthew 6:9 and Luke 11:2)  We have The Spirit of God within our hearts from the moment that we believed.  That also makes us heirs to the promise of Abraham. (Galatians 4:7) 

ALL BELIEVERS ARE HEIRS TO THE PROMISE OF ABRAHAM

Proclamation:

“So in Christ Jesus you are all children of God through faith, for all of you who were baptized into Christ have clothed yourselves with Christ … If you belong to Christ, then you are Abraham’s seed, and heirs according to the promise.”  Galatians 3:26-28 (NIV)

Explanation:

These words were written by the apostle Paul, under the influence of The Holy Spirit of God, to the believers in the church at Galatia.  Paul begins this chapter by expressing his disappointment with the Galatians for departing from the doctrine of justification alone through faith in Christ.  Because of this, he asked them several rhetorical questions. (Galatians 3:1-5)  Then he tells them that those who have faith in Christ are the children of Abraham, the father of the faithful. (Galatians 3:7-9)  He ends the chapter by reminding them that as the seed of Abraham they are heirs to the promise that God made to him. (Galatians 3:14 and 29)

Application:

There are many benefits to being a child of God.  Only believers can be clothed, or wrapped up in, Christ.  Only believers can be cared for, provided for, protected, and helped by a loving heavenly Father.  As children of God, we are all one, with no differences regarding nationality or gender, wealth or status. (Galatians 3:28)  Since all believers belong to Christ, we are all seeds of Abraham and thereby we are all heirs to the promise. (Galatians 3:29)

THE HIGHER STANDARD OF CHRISTIAN LOVE

Proclamation:

“... Love your enemies, bless those that curse you, do good to those who hate you, and pray for those who spitefully use you, and persecute you, that you may be sons of your Father which is in heaven ..." Matthew 5:44-45 (NKJ)

Explanation:

These are the words of The Lord Jesus, The Christ, as recorded under the influence of The Holy Spirit of God by the Apostle Matthew.  Jesus spoke these words to His disciples, and to the surrounding crowd, during His Sermon on The Mount.  He was contrasting how the world acts with how a believer should behave.  The world says love your neighbor and hate your enemy. (Matthew 5:43)  Jesus said that believers should love their enemies.  If they only love those who love them then they are no different from the non-believers in the world. (Matthew 5:46)

Application:

Sometimes being a Christian is not easy to do.  It is easy to love those that love us.  However, as believers, Jesus has challenged to love those people who do not love us.  We are told to love, bless, do good to and pray for the people that we would normally hate, curse, want to get even with, and want bad things to happen to.  God's way for us to treat people is not the way that we would normally behave.  We are to treat them with kindness.  Maybe this is what is meant by "killing them with kindness".  Our being nice to them will be like pouring burning coals on their heads.  Vengeance belongs to The Lord and He will take care of them. (Romans 12:19-21)  We are to apply the "golden rule" to all people.  We are to do unto others as we would have them to do unto us. (Matthew 7:12)  We are to treat people like we would like to be treated, not as they treat us.  As a believer we should live and love by a higher standard.  Sometimes being a Christian is not easy, but it is well worth it. 

We Are Children Of God

"And now, dear children, continue in Him, so that when He appears we may be confident and unashamed before Him at His coming. If you know that He is righteous, you know that everyone who does what is right has been born of Him." 1 John 2:28-29 (NIV)

The Apostle John is encouraging the believers to keep the faith and conduct themselves in a Christ-like manner, so that when Christ returns they will have nothing to be ashamed of.

We need to understand that we are children of God and, as children of God, we need to behave like we belong to Him. We are in this world but not of this world. We are just travelling through here on our way to our heavenly home. Let us not get so caught up in things along the journey that we lose sight our destination.

How Do You Walk Talk Act And Think?

"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." 1 Corinthians 13:11 (NIV)

In his discourse on Christian behavior, the Apostle Paul is encouraging the Christians in Corinth to grow up spiritually, and act like mature Christian adults, and not like selfish uninformed children.

Children have only a very limited understanding of God and the scriptures, and their speech and behavior reflects this. The same is true for babies in Christ. By reading and studying the Bible, mature Christians gain a greater understanding of The Word of God, and our speech and our behavior should reflect this. When we know better, we ought to do better. There will come a time when our partial knowledge of God will be replaced with complete and perfect insight into all things eternal. But until that glorious day comes, let us make sure that our speech and our behavior shows the world a Christ-like individual.

In This World But Not Of This World

"You are all sons of The Light and sons of The Day. We do not belong to the night or to the darkness. So then, let us not be like others ... But since we belong to The Day, let us be self-controlled, putting on faith and love as a breastplate, and the hope of salvation as a helmet. For God did not appoint us to suffer wrath but to receive salvation through our Lord Jesus Christ. He died for us so that, whether we are awake or asleep, we may live together with Him. Therefore encourage one another and build each other up ..." 1 Thessalonians 5:5-11 (NIV)

Addressing the Church at Thessalonica, Paul began this chapter talking about "the day of The Lord", judgement day, and reminded them that as children of God they would be raptured beforehand. And that as children of God they should act differently from the worldly people. He reminded them that they need protection against worldly temptations. As believers, they would be spared the wrath of God.

Jesus said, "I am The Light of the world." (John 8:12 & 9:5) We are sons of The Light. We are in this world, but not of this world, so we should not act like worldly people. We need to exercise self-control. We should put on the whole armour of God as we do battle with the world and its temptations. It is not God's plan for us to suffer His wrath, but to be saved. Therefore let us encourage each other, better days are coming. Let us build each other up and not tear each other down. Let us help, and not hurt; let us give, and not take; let us love, and not hate.