I want you to turn back in your
Bibles to 1 John 3, and I want to read again those first two
verses. 1 John 3, verses 1 and 2. The shame that we are in such
a spiritual state that God would ever have to call upon us to
behold the love of Christ, the love of God. He says, "...behold
what manner of love the Father hath bestowed upon us, that we
should be called the sons of God. Therefore the world knows
us not, because it knew him not. Beloved, now are we the sons
of God, and it does not yet appear what we shall be. But we know
that when he shall appear, We shall be like Him, for we shall
see Him as He is." Two weeks ago, we looked at these same
verses, and we beheld what manner of love God has graciously bestowed
upon His people. And today, I want us to note
the consequence of his bestowal of love. What is the consequence
of this love that God has bestowed? Well, he says here, "...behold
what manner of love The Father hath bestowed upon us that we
should be called the sons of God." Or as it is in some translations,
that we should be called the children of God. I thought about it this week,
if there has ever been a stark contrast. If there has ever been
a display of truly amazing grace, it is in this very thing. That we, such as you or I, that
we might be called the sons or the children of God. You see, God has only one Son
that He describes in this particular way. He has only one begotten
Son. My only begotten Son. But He does have many sons. He does have many children. And by His grace, He makes those
that He chose in Christ the sons of God, the children of God. If you look in Something like
Strong's concordance. He gives as the meaning of those
words, hath bestowed. He gives as the meaning there,
a state of completion. A state of completion. That is, something that has been
endowed to the recipient, not a process, not a thing to be
gained or earned, but he hath bestowed this, this sonship in
its entirety on his people. As a matter of fact, the word
called here doesn't simply mean he called after them to be such. It means that he named them to
be such. The manner of the Father's love
to us, John says, to believers, is bestowed in this way that
He has named us or endowed us or bestowed upon us this relationship
that we might be called the children of God. Now, not all are what
John calls here the sons or the children of God. There is no such thing in this
book as the universal fatherhood of God. Absolutely not. And to make a statement such
as is often made like this, well, we're all God's children, is
simply to outwardly deny what God says in His Word. We are not all God's children. As a matter of fact, to some
who thought that if anybody was, they were. Those such as the
scribes and the Pharisees. He said to them, you are of your
father the devil. That brings everything into a
different light. You are of your father, the devil. No, this sonship, this family
relationship to the living God is solely by this act of divine
love and grace and mercy It is solely because of an act of God
before time. You can't earn sonship. It is totally out of our hands. It really altogether depends
only on God who loves whom He will. No other basis. And all who are right now the
sons of God, the children of God, all who are the children
of God right now, they always have been. Exactly right. They always will be. Because God made them His children,
not dependent upon something in them, but everything dependent
on Himself. He said, you are My children. And so, in Scripture, we have
a need, I believe, to distinguish between two words that are used
of God Himself concerning His people, the first one being that
word justification. And the distinction is that justification
differs from that word adoption, Because justification is something
that God does as the judge. He does this as the judge of
all the earth, whereby he releases us from all condemnation on the
basis of Christ's blood shed, and also accepts us as righteous
because he has imputed his righteousness to us. But adoption? Though it pertains to the same
individuals, and though it is done by the same God, adoption
is something that God does as the Father, whereby He appoints
us as His children, still on the basis of Christ's person
and work, and yet at the same time makes us joint heirs with
Christ. He adopts us into His family. Justification brings us into
His favor. Adoption brings us into His family. And adoption in the Bible, which
has to do with this relationship of father and child, adoption
in the Bible is not like adoption in our day. Not like it at all. You see, adoption, as is stated
in this very two verses that we have read, adoption is this
placing of an individual in this relationship and position of
being God's child. God calls us, My children. my son, my daughter. And he does so as a blessing
of grace that is given to his people and given to them from
God as he is this triune God. This is what we find in the Bible. And here it is, as he speaks
in this third chapter, first of all, as we find it in the
Bible, it is that God the Father purposed in Christ to bring us
into His family. How did you get into the family
that you're in? Well, it begins outside of your
hands. It begins before you're ever
born. It begins literally with your
father. What does he say here? Behold
what manner of love the Father hath bestowed upon thee. Turn over, if you would, in your
Bibles to Ephesians chapter 1 again. And look with me at what he says
here in describing and glorifying God the Father in this very thing,
beginning in verse 3. He says, "...blessed be the God
and Father of our Lord Jesus Christ." Now, we've read these
words a lot of times, but I want you to listen again. He says,
"...who hath blessed us with all spiritual blessings in heavenly
places in Christ." In other words, this blessing, this relationship,
this adoption into God's family, it is a blessing that we were
blessed with in Christ before the world began. He says, "...according
as He hath chosen us in Him before the foundation of the world,
that we should be holy and without blame before Him, in love having
predestinated us unto the adoption of children." You see that? It began with God the Father
Himself. It began as a blessing of His
grace, a blessing wherein He blessed us in Christ Jesus and
predestinated us. Not just things, although He
surely does that, but He predestinated or marked us off beforehand unto
the adoption of children. He didn't just predestinate an
opportunity. He didn't just predestinate us
to receive a chance, or a call, or any of these things. He actually
marked us off beforehand to receive this adoption of children by
Jesus Christ to Himself. We think sometimes because of
our fleshly nature and because of what religion has told us
so many times, that everything that God has done, He's done
just for us, but He first does all things for Himself. He's
blessed us. He predestinated us unto the
adoption of children by Jesus Christ to Himself according to
the good pleasure of His will, to the praise of the glory of
His grace, wherein He hath made us accepted in the Beloved. Christ is the well-beloved Son
of God. And that says that God the Father
has blessed us, or as it is, He has graced us in His Son,
the well-beloved Son, Jesus Christ, and He has accepted us in the
Beloved. Young's literal translation says,
"...having foreordained us unto the adoption of sons in Jesus
Christ." That's what God the Father has done. But this is
the work, this is the will and the blessing of God, the triune
God. And here we have also God the
Son, in His work of redemption, He removed all the obstacles
from these children receiving this great adoption and blessing. You see, there's a matter that
has to be dealt with because of what we are in ourselves. And here's something I'll just
say this in passing. This is where so many people
run into error as they study the Scriptures, because side
by side, We have statements of Scripture wherein God describes
us on the one hand as how we are in Christ, and then right
beside it, on the other hand, as how we are in ourselves. What we are or what we became
in Adam could not change what God had already made us to be
in Christ. But Christ came into this world,
God the Son, and He, in His love, demonstrated that love in the
work of redemption, and He removed all the obstacles from our receiving
this adoption. You can imagine this. Here is
somebody that dies and leaves you in their will a million dollars. Or they leave you in their will
a brand new Cadillac or whatever it is. They're leaving you something,
but the problem is you're sitting down on death row in the prison.
They willed it to you. They've determined that you should
have it, they've given it to you as a gift, but their problem
lies in the fact that in the state that you are right then,
there's no way you could ever enjoy it. The price came. Turn over to Galatians chapter
4. Galatians chapter 4, and listen
to what it says here in Galatians 4. Down in that fourth verse,
it says, "...but when the fullness of the time was come, God sent
forth His Son, made of a woman, made under the law, to redeem
them that were under the law." What does that mean, under the
law? Well, it means under the curse
of the law, under the penalty that was due the law. That's where we have always been,
so far as the law is concerned, guilty under that law. And so it says, Christ, the Son
of God, came forth, Son of God, made of a woman, made under the
law, to redeem them that were under the law. What does the
redeem mean? We read these words, but do we
really have any understanding of what it means to redeem something? Well, to redeem something means
to buy something back by the paying of a particular price
or the paying of a ransom price, and that is the only way they
can ever be redeemed from whatever it is, and in this case, the
curse of the law, by paying the price. So Peter says to those
believers in his first epistle, he said, now you know, you were
not redeemed by corruptible things such as silver or gold. You were not redeemed by these
things such as the blood of goats and calves and sheep and such
as that, but you were redeemed by the precious blood of the
Lord Jesus Christ as of a lamb without spot or blemish. He redeemed us. Here the law
has pronounced a curse upon us because of our sin, because we
have violated every law and command of God. It has declared us guilty
in ourselves. So Christ had to redeem us. Like
Hosea had to go to the slave market and redeem Gomer. Just
like Boaz had to go down to the city gate and redeem Ruth. He redeemed us. He paid the debt
that we owed. He paid the price of our sin
before the justice of God. He established righteousness
on our behalf before God. He redeemed us. Look at that
fifth verse. For what? That we might receive
the adoption of sons. It's like we're here sitting
on death row. We have all this great gift given
us, and yet we're not able, because of our position and our state,
to receive or delight in it or enjoy it or anything like that. We're sitting on death row, and
the law and justice requires that we die the only way we can
ever be redeemed if one dies in our place. And when the Lord
Jesus Christ redeemed us, the law and justice of God said,
go free. The price is paid. The ransom
has been paid. And you've been redeemed, therefore
go forth free and receive the adoption of sons. Look back over in Galatians 3
at that 13th verse. Because here he tells us exactly
how it is that he redeemed us. In verse 13 he says, "...Christ
hath redeemed us from the curse of the law, being made a curse
for us. For it is written, Cursed is
every one that hangs on a tree." How did he redeem us from the
curse? by His bearing the curse, by His being made a curse in
our place on the cross, hanging there on that tree. Turn over
also to Hebrews chapter 2. Hebrews chapter 2, and look down
in that ninth verse. He says, "...but we see Jesus,
who was made a little lower than the angels for the suffering
of death, crowned with glory and honor, that He, by the grace
of God, should taste death for every." In the original, that's
where it stops. Which means that we have to look
all around that verse to find out exactly who he's talking
about. And one of the names that he
gives in these verses to describe those he's talking about here,
those he tasted death for, is his children. For it became him. for whom are all things, and
by whom are all things, in bringing many sons unto glory." What's
his objective? What was the goal of God, and
most especially his goal in Christ? It was to bring these many sons
all the way to glory. It became him to make the captain
of their salvation perfect through sufferings, for both he that
sanctified and they who are sanctified are all of one, for the which
cause he is not ashamed to call them brethren, saying, I will
declare thy name unto my brethren, In the midst of the church will
I sing praise unto thee, and again I will put my trust in
him, and again behold I and the children which God hath given
me." Now, the church, the brethren, and the children, they're all
the same. And he quotes the Old Testament
prophet in that he says, in the midst of the church, I will sing
praise unto thee. How can the Christ of God, in
the midst of this bunch of sinners, sing praise to God? Because He
redeemed them. Because He tasted death for them. The children are partakers of
flesh and blood. He also himself likewise took
part of the same, that through death he might destroy him that
had the power of death, that is, the devil, and deliver them
who through fear of death were all their lifetime subject to
bondage." Christ, who is God the Son. But there also remains
and is required a work of God the Spirit. And God the Spirit
works in the heart of each one of these children. He works in
the heart the spirit of adoption, and manifests this adoption,
and reveals it to them, and brings them to the assurance of every
promise. in this relationship. Turn back over to Romans chapter
9. Romans chapter 9. Hold your place
in Galatians, but turn back to Romans chapter 9 and look down
at verse 7. Paul is saying here, Does it
mean that since these Israelites that God identified, this nation
of Israel, since they in great part have rejected Christ, have
rejected the Word of God, does that mean that God will not have
His children? Does it mean that the Word of
God and the work of Christ will be of none effect? He says, neither
because they are the seed of Abraham are they all children. He said, no, that can't be, because
just the fact that they're, according to the flesh, connected to Abraham,
that makes them the children of God. No. He says, because
if you remember, but in Isaac shall thy seed, or thy children,
be called. That is, they which are the children
of the flesh, these are not the children of God, but the children
of the promise are counted for the seed. In other words, it
wasn't a physical connection, but a spiritual connection. Because
the seed that God promised to Abraham, which was not according
to flesh, but according to that which was the gift and promise
of God, was not natural. It would have been then in Ishmael
and Isaac, but it was in Isaac. Why? because it was in one who
would come through Isaac, the Lord Jesus Christ. Turn back
over to Galatians 4. You can hold your place also
there in Romans, but turn back over to Galatians 4 and look
down at that 6th verse. Now, he's talked about in verse
5 what Christ did in redeeming them that were under the law,
that they might receive the adoption of sons. Now, listen to what
he says in verse 6. And because you are sons, because
you are the children of God, that's why Christ died for you. And because you are the sons
of God, God has sent forth the Spirit of His Son into your hearts,
crying, Abba, Father." Now, do you wonder why he puts that word,
which is kind of an untranslated word, into that statement? Abba, which means father, is
a word that was used to speak of in an intimate sense of relationship. I could say to Lee, I know your
father. But I could say to my daddy,
were he here, Father, Father. See what I'm saying? He sends
forth the Spirit of Christ into the hearts of those that God
loves and chose and Christ redeemed. He sends forth His Spirit to
make known to them this relationship, this salvation, this gift, this
family sonship. Turn back over to Romans 8. Romans
chapter 8, and look down in verse 14. "'For as many as are led
by the Spirit of God, they are the sons of God.'" Now, what
does that mean? Well, all we have to know, really,
to know what that means, is to go, like, to John 14 and John
16, and to hear what Christ said the Comforter, the Spirit of
God, would do when He was come. He said, He will take the things
of mine and show them to you. He'll be the Glorifier of Christ. He will lead us, if we are the
children of God, He will lead us out of every false refuge. He will lead us away from every
old false profession of faith and religion. He will lead us
away from any notion of our own righteousness. He will lead us
to Christ. only Christ. So, as many as are led by the
Spirit of God, they are the sons of God. He leads us to believe
the Word of God. He leads us to this book as the
final authority on everything. He leads us away from every human
help in the matter of our souls. He says, "...for ye have not
received the spirit of bondage again to fear." Wherever there
is this spirit of bondage, that is, to be afraid that if we do
this or we don't do that, we'll have the favor of God or we won't
have it or we can be lost or saved or in one day and out,
he says, wherever the spirit of bondage is, is a spirit again
to fear. But he says to these believers
at Rome, you have not received that spirit, but you have received
the Spirit of adoption, whereby we cry, Abba, Father." I'm a
poor parent, and I'll be the very first to admit this. I've failed my children so many
times, it's just not even funny. But I don't think at any time,
based on anything that they have done, that they knew displeased
me. I don't think that they have
ever been afraid at any time, even in the worst that they might
have done, they've not been afraid that I would no longer be a father
to them. That they would no longer be
in my family. And that's what Paul says. He
says, you've not received the spirit of bondage again to fear,
but you've received the spirit of adoption, whereby we cry,
Abba, Father, Appa. The Spirit itself bears witness
with our spirit that we are the children of God. I can't say, you're a child of
God, you're a child of God, you're not a child of God. I can't convince
anybody, but the Spirit of God will convince every one of God's
children that He loves them, that Christ died for them. The
Spirit bears witness with our spirit. We look outside of ourselves,
we look at ourselves, and we can't see any family characteristic. You couldn't look at yourself
and say, well, boy, I'm a child of God for sure. No. As a matter of fact, we're oftentimes
in ourselves convinced that there's no way we could be. And yet,
the Spirit of God bears a witness in us, in our spirit, that we
are the children of God. Turn back to our text there in
1 John 3, and look down in 1 John 3 and verse 10. In this, the
children of God are manifest and the children of the devil. Something that's going to distinguish
which one is this one and which one is that one. Whosoever doeth
not righteousness is not of God, neither he that loveth not his
brother. Now, my friends, if we're any
way honest at all with ourselves. If we can imagine that this doing
righteousness is in some way doing something that pleases
God in our flesh, and that's the way it is, or in our Christian
life, they say, if we imagine that, we can never have any peace. But to do righteousness here,
And for God's people to do righteous is to do right in this chief
thing, and that's to believe on and trust Christ, and only
Christ. Because God does right in that. God is right, He does right,
to receive and bless every sinner in Christ that He blesses. And you and I do right to look
to Christ and even expect to receive from God every blessing
because of Christ. In John 1 it says, "...he came
unto his own, and his own received him not." But then he says, "...but
as many as received Him, to them gave He power to become the sons
of God, even to them that believe on His name, which were born,
not of blood, nor of the will of the flesh, nor of the will
of man, but of God." And this is the attitude, the submission. This is the love. of sons. It was demonstrated for us in
the love of the Son, who in Mark 14, it says that He said, Abba,
Father, all things are possible unto Thee. Take away this cup
from Me. Nevertheless, not what I will,
but what thou wilt." Not only that, but as His children, as
sons, we receive the Father's chastisement. Now, this is something
that you ought to just sit down and read. I'll read it to you
in Hebrews 12, but listen to what it says, "...for whom the
Lord loves, He chastens." Did you
hear that? One evidence of God's love to
His children is this, He chastens them. The same is true of us
as parents. And to say that we love our children,
therefore we're not going to chasten them, we're not going
to discipline them, is a lie. What we really love is ourself. We are in ourselves just like
our children are. He says, foolishness is bound
up in a child, but the rod of chastisement will drive it far
from them. He whom the Father loves, he
chastens, and scourges every son he receives. If you endure chastening, God
deals with you as with sons. For what son is he whom the Father
chastens not? But if you be without chastisement,
Whereof all are partakers, then are ye bastards, and not sons."
This is a mark of sonship, of being a child of God. The fact
that He not only loves, but He chastens His children for their
good. And at the same time, As sons,
we have also the Father's pity and love. Now, I love this verse
of Scripture found in Psalm 103. Like as a father pities his children,
so the Lord pities them that fear Him. For He knows our frame,
and He remembers that we are dust. You know, one of the most
horrible things I know of is how that sometimes religion acts
like that God really expects a lot from us. No. That's why you disappoint yourself
so much. That's not to say we're not to
do the best we can, obey His Word, but at your best day, you're
going to fall on your face. It says the Lord pities His children,
and He's never disappointed with them, because He always views
them in Christ, and He always remembers that we're just dust.
And not only are we blessed, listen to this, we're not only
blessed to be the sons of God, we're also blessed as sons. As children. Turn back to Galatians
4 again. Galatians 4 again, and look down
at verse 7. This just keeps going on here
in Galatians 4. He says, "...wherefore thou art no more a servant, but
a son." Child. You're not in the Father's house
as simply a servant, but as His child. And if a son, now listen
to this, this is the basis of inheritance. And if a son, if
a child, then an heir of God through Christ. Well, if you
do real good, you'll get some of the inheritance. No, if you're
a child of God, if you're one of those in Christ, You're an
heir of God. Look back over at Romans 8. Romans
8. Because Paul says the same thing
here. Romans 8 and verse 17. He says, "...and if children,
then heirs." Heirs of what? Of what he calls an eternal inheritance. Incorruptible. Undefiled. reserved in heaven for you. If children, then heirs, heirs
of God. You'd like to be heir of Joe
Blow-Down-the-Road who has a few hundred thousand dollars in the
bank and a little property. You'd like to be one of his heirs.
Heirs of God who says, all things are mine. And joint heirs. with Christ. If so be that we
suffer with Him, that we may be also glorified together."
We may suffer in this world because of our relationship with Christ.
John said, the world didn't know Him, they won't know you. They
didn't love Him, they won't love you. But he said, this is also
an evidence that we're also going to be glorified with Him together. For I reckon that the sufferings
of this present time are not worthy to be compared with the
glory which shall be revealed in us." And then there's this
great expectation of children. For the earnest expectation of
the creature waits for the manifestation of the sons of God. You know
what, this whole creation is described by God as waiting for
something. What is that? For these children
to be manifested publicly, openly, and before all of the universe,
that they are the children of God. They are the children of
His grace. He says, "...for the creature
was made subject to vanity, not willingly, but by reason of him
who hath subjected the same in hope. Because the creature, or
creation itself, also shall be delivered from the bondage of
corruption into the glorious liberty of the children of God."
For we know that the whole creation groans and travails in pain together
until now, and not only they, but ourselves also, which have
the firstfruits of the Spirit, even we ourselves groan within
ourselves, waiting for the adoption, the public manifestation of it,
to wit, the redemption of our body. Do you remember Omer Phibosheth? He was Saul's son, grandson really,
Jonathan's son. He was in the wrong family to
be in when David became king. He was lame in both his feet. He couldn't walk. He was in this
bad family. He lives down away from the city
of God. Dwells in a land of no pasture. But just out of grace and mercy,
David said, I'll show a kindness to him. He said, you go and fetch
Mephibosheth, and you bring him back to me. And he looked at
Mephibosheth, and he said, you will be as one of the king's
sons, and you'll eat bread at my table continually. I'm going to love you, preach
you, just like one of my children. So Mephibosheth dwelt in Jerusalem,
for he did eat continually at the king's table." Now, I want
you to turn back to our text and look at the second verse.
John describes these believers to whom this letter was written
to. He describes them, after that first verse, as now, beloved. You who have been so beloved
of God. Beloved, now are we the sons
of God. See that word N-O-W? Right now, in Christ, we are
the children of God, the heirs of God, the people of God, the
family of God, the sons of God. In 1777, there appeared in what was called
then the Gospel Magazine, a hymn. And I don't think to this day
that anybody is sure of who wrote it. But it goes like this. Sons we are, through God's election,
who in Jesus Christ believe. By eternal destination, sovereign
grace we here receive. Lord, Thy mercy, Lord, Thy mercy,
does both grace and glory. Behold what manner of love the
Father hath bestowed upon us, that we, a bunch of sinners,
a bunch of wretches, a bunch of God-haters by nature, that
we, should be named, have this bestowed upon us in its entirety
in Christ, the children of God. That's amazing. As we say, it
don't get any better than this. Father, we thank you this day
for this sonship, this gift of your grace in our Lord Jesus
Christ. who hath redeemed us, so that
we might receive the adoption of sons. Hasten the day that
all of creation and all of your people long for, the manifestation
of your children. Lord, we know that these things
should never make us proud or boastful, but humble us. fill our hearts with gratitude
and praise and thanksgiving. For all You do for us, we praise
You. In Christ's name, Amen.