God
Is an Approachable Friend (5)
Jim
Davis
Most religions of the world represent
man's effort to reach up to God and become acceptable to Him. In
China, for example, devout pilgrims ascend a sacred mountain called Taishan.
They climb 7,000 steps to its summit, first passing through the "middle
gate," then through "heaven's southern gate." Finally they reach one of
the most beautiful buildings in all of China--the Temple of the Azure Cloud.
Here they offer sacrifices, which the worshipers believe will gain God's
favor. Such effort represents great religious fervor--and futility, for
it brings the devotee no closer to God than when he mounted the first step.
The ancient world sought the Lord through
making sacrifices to him. Micah cries out, "Will the LORD be pleased
with thousands of rams, with ten thousand rivers of oil? Shall I offer
my firstborn for my transgression, the fruit of my body for the sin of
my soul?" (Micah 6:7 NIV)
Sometimes we may be like the Athenians who
were seeking to worship God who was very near to each of them, but seemed
so far away that he was really unknown to them.
Acts 17:22-28
22 Paul then stood up in the
meeting of the Areopagus and said: "Men of Athens! I see that in every
way you are very religious. 23 For as I walked around and looked carefully
at your objects of worship, I even found an altar with this inscription:
TO AN UNKNOWN GOD. Now what you worship as something unknown I am going
to proclaim to you.
24 "The God who made the world
and everything in it is the Lord of heaven and earth and does not live
in temples built by hands. 25 And he is not served by human hands, as if
he needed anything, because he himself gives all men life and breath and
everything else. 26 From one man he made every nation of men, that they
should inhabit the whole earth; and he determined the times set for them
and the exact places where they should live. 27 God did this so that men
would seek him and perhaps reach out for him and find him, though he is
not far from each one of us. 28'For in him we live and move and have our
being.' As some of your own poets have said, 'We are his offspring.' NIV
If we want to find God, all we have
to do is reach out and find him because he is very near. Religions
have a way of creating a distance between humanity and God. In times of
difficulty we need to understand that God is very near.
We
Are God’s Children
During the Grecian times when Jesus
walked the earth, Greek mythology discussed the possibilities of being
the son of Zeus and the sons of other mythical gods. Grecian rulers
sought kinship with the gods of Greek mythology. They sought to deify themselves
by becoming the sons of God. Alexander the Great traveled to Egypt during
his conquest to be proclaimed son of Amon-Ra the god who was proclaimed
to be the father of the gods. Amon-Ra was recognized as a universal God.
The power of his high priest rivaled that of the Pharaoh. The most massive
temple ever built was constructed for Amon-Ra at al-Karnak. Amon was worshiped
in ancient Greek colonies of Cyrene, where he was identified with Zeus,
and in Rome, where he was associated with Jupiter. Alexander sought to
identify with Amon-Ra to make himself supreme ruler over the world as he
went forth conquering the world. It was shortly thereafter when he died
of a fever.
Becoming a child of God is a real possibility
for us today. It is little wonder that Christianity became such
a challenging threat to the Greek mythological world as Christ promised
every person the possibility of becoming sons and daughters of God. This
is not myth or some fantasy world that we are speaking of, but it is real.
1 John 3:1-3
3:1 How great is the
love the Father has lavished on us, that we should be called children of
God! And that is what we are! The reason the world does not know
us is that it did not know him. 2 Dear friends, now we are children of
God, and what we will be has not yet been made known. But we know that
when he appears, we shall be like him, for we shall see him as he is. 3
Everyone who has this hope in him purifies himself, just as he is pure.
NIV
Certain tribesmen in the Congo regard
one particular idol as their spiritual father. Greatly revered,
the image is kept hidden in a deep pit. Missionaries found that these primitive
people were afraid to draw it to the surface, for they cried, "If we look
on the face of our' father,' we will die." How different is our position
as believers! Looking into the face of 'our Father' in the person of Jesus
Christ, we do not die but live! In fact, the wonder-working Man of Galilee
has clearly revealed to us the very mind of God. He has revealed to us
that we are the children of God.
The psalmist recognized his glorious
position as he stood before God.
Psalms 8
O LORD, our Lord,
how majestic is your name in
all the earth!
You have set your glory
above the heavens.
2 From the lips of children
and infants
you have ordained praise
because of your enemies,
to silence the foe and the
avenger.
3 When I consider your heavens,
the work of your fingers,
the moon and the stars,
which you have set in place,
4 what is man that you
are mindful of him,
the son of man that you
care for him?
5 You made him a little
lower than the heavenly beings
and crowned him with
glory and honor.
6 You made him ruler over the
works of your hands;
you put everything under his
feet:
7 all flocks and herds,
and the beasts of the field,
8 the birds of the air,
and the fish of the sea,
all that swim the paths of
the seas.
9 O LORD, our Lord,
how majestic is your name in
all the earth! NIV
The reality of God’s presence in our
lives is much different than the ancient world’s view of God. We
may study the creation, DNA, and other scientific data to ascertain the
mind of the creator. These things certainly reveal the power and wisdom
of God, but it was Christ that revealed God’s desire for us to be his children.
I don’t think we understand the full
impact of being God’s children. It has lost its meaning through
the ages, but it means living under the caring power of the ruler of the
universe. Jesus did not come to make us orphans, he came to dwell in us
through the Spirit of God so that we could become the children of God.
We Are
Begotten of the Holy Spirit
It is through the powerful presence
of the Holy Spirit that we become children of God today. Too many
Christians have relegated the work of the Holy Spirit to the miraculous
age of the first century. But the Holy Spirit must be present in each conversion.
He is there to regenerate a new life in Christ.
John 3:3-8
3 In reply Jesus declared,
"I tell you the truth, no one can see the kingdom of God unless he is born
again."
4 "How can a man be born when
he is old?" Nicodemus asked. "Surely he cannot enter a second time into
his mother's womb to be born!"
5 Jesus answered, "I tell you
the truth, no one can enter the kingdom of God unless he is born of water
and the Spirit. 6 Flesh gives birth to flesh, but the Spirit gives birth
to spirit. 7 You should not be surprised at my saying, 'You must be born
again.' 8 The wind blows wherever it pleases. You hear its sound, but you
cannot tell where it comes from or where it is going. So it is with everyone
born of the Spirit." NIV
Jesus was begotten by God’s Holy Spirit;
and each child of God is begotten by the same Spirit. Our conception
as a child of God begins in a different way, but it is just as real as
Jesus’ conception. We experience it as we allow the word of God to be planted
in our hearts. There the Holy Spirit brings the seed of the kingdom to
life as he regenerates God’s life in us.
Titus 3:3-7
3 At one time we too were foolish,
disobedient, deceived and enslaved by all kinds of passions and pleasures.
We lived in malice and envy, being hated and hating one another. 4 But
when the kindness and love of God our Savior appeared, 5 he saved us, not
because of righteous things we had done, but because of his mercy. He
saved us through the washing of rebirth and renewal by the Holy Spirit,
6 whom he poured out on us generously through Jesus Christ our Savior,
7 so that, having been justified by his grace, we might become heirs having
the hope of eternal life. NIV
1 Corinthians 6:16-17
6 Do you not know that he who
unites himself with a prostitute is one with her in body? For it is said,
"The two will become one flesh." 17 But he who unites himself with
the Lord is one with him in spirit. NIV
1 Corinthians 6:19-20
19 Do you not know that your
body is a temple of the Holy Spirit, who is in you, whom you have
received from God? You are not your own; 20 you were bought at a price.
NIV
Ephesians 2:21-22
21 In him the whole building
is joined together and rises to become a holy temple in the Lord. 22 And
in him you too are being built together to become a dwelling in which
God lives by his Spirit. NIV
We are conceived of the Holy Spirit
in baptism.
Acts 2:38-39
38 Peter replied, "Repent and
be baptized, every one of you, in the name of Jesus Christ for the forgiveness
of your sins. And you will receive the gift of the Holy Spirit. 39 The
promise is for you and your children and for all who are far off-for all
whom the Lord our God will call." NIV
1 Corinthians 12:13
13 For we were all baptized
by one Spirit into one body-whether Jews or Greeks, slave or free-and
we were all given the one Spirit to drink. NIV
The Holy Spirit is God’s seal upon our
lives that proves that we are his children.
Ephesians 1:11-14
11 In him we were also chosen,
having been predestined according to the plan of him who works out everything
in conformity with the purpose of his will, 12 in order that we, who were
the first to hope in Christ, might be for the praise of his glory. 13 And
you also were included in Christ when you heard the word of truth,
the gospel of your salvation. Having believed, you were marked in him with
a seal, the promised Holy Spirit, 14 who is a deposit guaranteeing our
inheritance until the redemption of those who are God's possession-to
the praise of his glory. NIV
We can fully realize our standing before
God as we allow the Spirit’s presence to make room for God’s word in our
hearts. The Holy Spirit seeks to lead us to God through the counsel
of God’s word.
John 14:25-27
26 But the Counselor, the Holy
Spirit, whom the Father will send in my name, will teach you all things
and will remind you of everything I have said to you. 27 Peace I leave
with you; my peace I give you. I do not give to you as the world gives.
Do not let your hearts be troubled and do not be afraid. NIV
The Holy Spirit seeks to lead us through
the counsel of God’s word as he convicts us of our guilt in regard to sin
and righteousness and judgment.
John 16:7-11
7 But I tell you the truth:
It is for your good that I am going away. Unless I go away, the Counselor
will not come to you; but if I go, I will send him to you. 8 When he comes,
he will convict the world of guilt in regard to sin and righteousness and
judgment: 9 in regard to sin, because men do not believe in me; 10 in regard
to righteousness, because I am going to the Father, where you can see me
no longer; 11 and in regard to judgment, because the prince of this world
now stands condemned. NIV
Eph 5:25-27
25 Husbands, love your wives,
just as Christ loved the church and gave himself up for her 26 to make
her holy, cleansing her by the washing with water through the word, 27
and to present her to himself as a radiant church, without stain or wrinkle
or any other blemish, but holy and blameless.NIV
We can be sure that the Spirit is willing
to guide us into all truth.
John 16:12-15
12 "I have much more to say
to you, more than you can now bear. 13 But when he, the Spirit of truth,
comes, he will guide you into all truth. He will not speak on his own;
he will speak only what he hears, and he will tell you what is yet to come.
14 He will bring glory to me by taking from what is mine and making it
known to you. NIV
We grieve the Holy Spirit when we limited
his potential in our lives.
Ephesians 4:30-32
30 And do not grieve the Holy
Spirit of God, with whom you were sealed for the day of redemption. 31
Get rid of all bitterness, rage and anger, brawling and slander, along
with every form of malice. 32 Be kind and compassionate to one another,
forgiving each other, just as in Christ God forgave you. NIV
"Grieve not the Holy Spirit of God"
commands Paul. Now, only a dear friend can be grieved. Not a stranger:
he might be annoyed. Not a chance acquaintance: he might be perplexed.
Not a business partner: he might be offended. Only a loved one can be grieved.
Ephesians 5:15-20
15 Be very careful, then, how
you live-not as unwise but as wise, 16 making the most of every opportunity,
because the days are evil. 17 Therefore do not be foolish, but understand
what the Lord's will is. 18 Do not get drunk on wine, which leads to debauchery.
Instead, be filled with the Spirit. 19 Speak to one another with
psalms, hymns and spiritual songs. Sing and make music in your heart to
the Lord, 20 always giving thanks to God the Father for everything, in
the name of our Lord Jesus Christ. NIV
We limit God’s
Spirit in our lives by refusing to follow his counsel.
The resurrection power of the Holy Spirit
resides in my heart to give me a new birth as a child of God, but it is
subject to my willingness to obey. Paul writes, "The spirits
of prophets are subject to the control of prophets" (1 Corinthians
14:31-32 NIV). Paul is telling us that the spirit of the prophets were
in submission to them. This meant that the Spirit of God was subject to
the self-control of the person the Spirit resided in. The Corinthians were
claiming their outburst in the assembly was the result of the Spirit’s
word. But Paul told them that God’s Spirit was subject to them.
The same holds true with God’s Spirit today
as he seeks to lead us to salvation, he is subject to us. We can disobey
him. In doing so we may reject the Spirit’s power to bring about a new
birth.
The prophet Jonah refused to obey when
God’s spirit sought to lead him to Nineveh to save a lost city. He was
swallowed by a whale.
Samson was a pitiful example of a man
who was empowered by the Spirit of God, but he lived like a spiritual vagabond.
Conclusion:
It is within you power to claim your
right to become a son or daughter of God.
John 1:11-13
11 He came to that which was
his own, but his own did not receive him. 12 Yet to all who received him,
to those who believed in his name, he gave the right to become children
of God- 13 children born not of natural descent, nor of human decision
or a husband's will, but born of God. NIV
Becoming a son or daughter of God is
the greatest privilege in life. Imagine being allowed to claim kinship
with God.
You can become a child of God today
through obedience to Christ through the message of the gospel.
Our rebirth as a child of God begins
at baptism.
