Title Ephesians 01:3-6 Children of God
Contents
Title: Children of God
Text: Ephesians 1:3-6
“He predestined us to be his sons through Jesus Christ…” (verse 5). God has made us his sons.
in making his sons;
First, he did it "according to his good pleasure." Second, he “predestined us,” and third, “by Jesus.” Nothing of a man affected him to become a son. It was God's work.
Paul was not content with being the sons of God, but more importantly, living as children of God as children.
1. To become a child of God means to become an heir to an inheritance.
In verse 11, “we were predestined, and in him we became an inheritance”, which has the same structure as verse 5, “…and made them his sons”. This means that children become heirs. It is truly amazing that a person who cares about little things becomes a child of God. When we have the image of a child of God, and when we lose that image, we reveal the ugliness of human beings. When a man becomes noble, it is when he is loved by God, and when he is not, it is when he loses his love.
2. Think about what it means to be a child.
If you are adopted, you are legally the same as your own child. However, although they were sons, they did not resemble their parents. We are not God's children or exactly like God. But from now on, you have to train to live like him. You must train with your father's help. Verse 4 says, “…we must strive to be holy and blameless before Him in love…”
3. Consider the privilege of being a child.
In verse 13, verse 14, it says, “… we were sealed with the Holy Spirit of promise, which was the guarantee of our inheritance…” This is the testimony that the Holy Spirit will be the guarantee and you will receive all the joys and blessings of heaven.
4. When you become a child, your child has a job to do.
With privilege comes responsibility. Those who become children of God have a responsibility to become children of God. We must obey God's word and become a cooperator in what God wants us to do. If you turn your back on God and do what you want, you will become a 'prodigal son' like the second son in Luke 15.
Those who become children of God must live as 'children' as 'inheritances'.
You should aim to 'be like your father' and continue to refine and train. And we must obey the Father's word, discern his will, and become a cooperator to accomplish his will.
illustration; High school students practiced frog dissection. Looking at the flesh and intestines through a microscope, the teacher eagerly explained the mysteries of life. But a few guys started to gossip. "Hey, how many minutes do you have left?" or "There are still 10 minutes left." Do you know why kids gossip? This is because they are not interested in the mysteries of life and are interested in roasting frog hind legs after class.
These students are called bad students. God wants us to be children and wants us to live like children. However, if today's Christians are not interested in becoming children who resemble God's disposition and focus only on receiving material blessings, they are bad Christians.
illustration; South Africa's black leader, Nelson Mandela, has been elected president after a long struggle. The moment he was elected, televisions around the world immediately broadcast his victory. President Kim Young-sam, who was watching this TV, said, "Hold on for a while. I know how hard it is." Being president and being president are two different things.