Becoming Children of God: Assurance and Transformation

 

Summary

In the Gospel of John, chapter 1, verses 12 and 13, we find a profound truth about the purpose of the Incarnation: to grant believers the power to become children of God. This transformation is not born of human effort or desire but is a divine act of God. This is the essence of Christianity, and it is crucial for believers to understand the possibilities of the Christian life. The New Testament, including the Gospels and Epistles, was written to strengthen the faith of Christians and remind them of the person and work of Jesus Christ.

The assurance of salvation is vital for Christians. God, as a loving Father, desires His children to be happy and to enjoy the riches He offers. A Christian's life should be marked by joy and assurance, not doubt and hesitation. To truly enjoy the blessings of the Christian life, believers must examine themselves to ensure they are indeed children of God. This involves understanding our relationship with the Father, the Son, and the Holy Spirit.

A key aspect of this relationship is the fear of grieving the Holy Spirit. The Spirit is sensitive and can be grieved by our actions and attitudes. A true Christian is deeply concerned about not grieving the Spirit, which is a delicate and sensitive test of one's faith. This concern differentiates a Christian from a merely moral person. While a moral person may regret failing a standard, a Christian is troubled by the thought of grieving the Spirit who dwells within them.

The presence of the Holy Spirit in a believer's life is evidenced by the fruit of the Spirit: love, joy, peace, and more. These are not works of the flesh but the natural outcome of the Spirit's work within us. As Christians grow, they become more aware of their own sinfulness but also of the Spirit's transformative work. This dual awareness leads to a life marked by both humility and joy.

Key Takeaways:

- The Incarnation's purpose is to enable believers to become children of God, a transformation that is divine, not human. This understanding is foundational to the Christian faith and life. [01:47]

- Assurance of salvation is crucial for Christians. God desires His children to be joyful and to enjoy His blessings. Doubt and hesitation are contrary to the life God intends for His children. [03:19]

- A true Christian is deeply concerned about not grieving the Holy Spirit. This concern is a sensitive test of faith and differentiates a Christian from a merely moral person. [06:14]

- The fruit of the Spirit, such as love, joy, and peace, is evidence of the Spirit's work in a believer's life. These are not human achievements but the natural outcome of the Spirit's presence. [21:01]

- Christians are marked by a dual awareness: their own sinfulness and the Spirit's transformative work. This leads to a life of humility and joy, as they are amazed by both their weaknesses and the Spirit's work within them. [29:06]

Youtube Chapters:

[00:00] - Welcome
[00:10] - Introduction to John 1:12-13
[01:00] - Purpose of the Incarnation
[02:08] - Assurance of Salvation
[03:36] - Examining Our Relationship with God
[05:10] - Led by the Spirit
[06:14] - Fear of Grieving the Spirit
[07:37] - Awareness of the Spirit's Presence
[09:05] - Differentiating Christian and Moral Person
[11:40] - Assurance and Awareness of the Spirit
[14:22] - Sensitivity to the Spirit's Presence
[19:36] - Evidence of the Spirit's Fruit
[21:01] - Love, Joy, and Peace
[29:06] - Dual Awareness in Christian Life
[39:34] - Love as the Fruit of the Spirit
[45:27] - Peace and Rest in God

Study Guide

Bible Study Discussion Guide

Bible Reading:
- John 1:12-13
- Romans 8:14
- Galatians 5:22-23

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Observation Questions:

1. According to John 1:12-13, what is the source of the power that allows believers to become children of God? How does this relate to the purpose of the Incarnation? [01:47]

2. In Romans 8:14, what does it mean to be led by the Spirit of God, and how does this relate to being a child of God? [05:10]

3. What are the fruits of the Spirit listed in Galatians 5:22-23, and how are they described as evidence of the Spirit's work in a believer's life? [21:01]

4. How does the sermon describe the difference between a moral person and a true Christian in terms of their concern about grieving the Holy Spirit? [06:14]

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Interpretation Questions:

1. The sermon emphasizes the importance of assurance of salvation. How does understanding our relationship with God as His children impact our daily lives and spiritual growth? [03:19]

2. What does the sermon suggest is the significance of being concerned about grieving the Holy Spirit, and how does this concern serve as a test of true faith? [06:14]

3. How does the dual awareness of one's sinfulness and the Spirit's transformative work lead to a life of humility and joy, according to the sermon? [29:06]

4. In what ways does the presence of the fruit of the Spirit serve as a more delicate test of faith compared to knowledge or moral behavior? [21:01]

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Application Questions:

1. Reflect on your own life: Do you have assurance of your salvation? How does this assurance or lack thereof affect your daily walk with God? [03:19]

2. Consider your actions and attitudes: Are there ways in which you might be grieving the Holy Spirit? What steps can you take to be more sensitive to the Spirit's presence in your life? [06:14]

3. Identify one aspect of the fruit of the Spirit (love, joy, peace, etc.) that you feel is lacking in your life. What specific actions can you take this week to cultivate this fruit? [21:01]

4. The sermon mentions the importance of examining our relationship with God. How often do you take time to reflect on your relationship with the Father, the Son, and the Holy Spirit? What changes can you make to deepen this relationship? [03:36]

5. Think of a recent situation where you were aware of your own sinfulness. How did you respond, and how can you allow the Spirit's transformative work to bring about humility and joy in similar situations in the future? [29:06]

6. The sermon highlights the difference between a moral person and a true Christian. How can you ensure that your faith is not just about moral behavior but a genuine relationship with God? [06:14]

7. How can you remind yourself daily of the truth that you are a child of God and that the Spirit of God dwells within you? What practical steps can you take to start each day with this mindset? [19:02]

Devotional

Day 1: Divine Transformation into God's Children
The Incarnation's purpose is to enable believers to become children of God, a transformation that is divine, not human. This understanding is foundational to the Christian faith and life. This transformation is not a result of human effort or desire but is a divine act of God. It is the essence of Christianity, highlighting the possibilities of the Christian life. The New Testament, including the Gospels and Epistles, was written to strengthen the faith of Christians and remind them of the person and work of Jesus Christ. Understanding this divine transformation is crucial for believers as it forms the basis of their identity and purpose in the Christian life. [01:47]

"But to all who did receive him, who believed in his name, he gave the right to become children of God, who were born, not of blood nor of the will of the flesh nor of the will of man, but of God." (John 1:12-13, ESV)

Reflection: How does understanding your identity as a child of God change the way you view your daily challenges and interactions with others?


Day 2: Assurance and Joy in Salvation
Assurance of salvation is crucial for Christians. God desires His children to be joyful and to enjoy His blessings. Doubt and hesitation are contrary to the life God intends for His children. Assurance of salvation is vital for Christians, as God, as a loving Father, desires His children to be happy and to enjoy the riches He offers. A Christian's life should be marked by joy and assurance, not doubt and hesitation. To truly enjoy the blessings of the Christian life, believers must examine themselves to ensure they are indeed children of God. This involves understanding our relationship with the Father, the Son, and the Holy Spirit. [03:19]

"And we are writing these things so that our joy may be complete." (1 John 1:4, ESV)

Reflection: What are some specific blessings in your life that you can thank God for today, and how can you cultivate a deeper sense of joy and assurance in your salvation?


Day 3: Sensitivity to the Holy Spirit
A true Christian is deeply concerned about not grieving the Holy Spirit. This concern is a sensitive test of faith and differentiates a Christian from a merely moral person. The Spirit is sensitive and can be grieved by our actions and attitudes. A true Christian is deeply concerned about not grieving the Spirit, which is a delicate and sensitive test of one's faith. This concern differentiates a Christian from a merely moral person. While a moral person may regret failing a standard, a Christian is troubled by the thought of grieving the Spirit who dwells within them. [06:14]

"And do not grieve the Holy Spirit of God, by whom you were sealed for the day of redemption." (Ephesians 4:30, ESV)

Reflection: Reflect on your recent actions and attitudes. Is there anything that might have grieved the Holy Spirit, and how can you seek His guidance to align more closely with His will?


Day 4: Evidence of the Spirit's Work
The fruit of the Spirit, such as love, joy, and peace, is evidence of the Spirit's work in a believer's life. These are not human achievements but the natural outcome of the Spirit's presence. The presence of the Holy Spirit in a believer's life is evidenced by the fruit of the Spirit: love, joy, peace, and more. These are not works of the flesh but the natural outcome of the Spirit's work within us. As Christians grow, they become more aware of their own sinfulness but also of the Spirit's transformative work. This dual awareness leads to a life marked by both humility and joy. [21:01]

"But the fruit of the Spirit is love, joy, peace, patience, kindness, goodness, faithfulness, gentleness, self-control; against such things there is no law." (Galatians 5:22-23, ESV)

Reflection: Which fruit of the Spirit do you see most evident in your life, and which one do you feel needs more cultivation? How can you invite the Holy Spirit to work more deeply in that area?


Day 5: Dual Awareness of Sinfulness and Transformation
Christians are marked by a dual awareness: their own sinfulness and the Spirit's transformative work. This leads to a life of humility and joy, as they are amazed by both their weaknesses and the Spirit's work within them. As Christians grow, they become more aware of their own sinfulness but also of the Spirit's transformative work. This dual awareness leads to a life marked by both humility and joy. It is a journey of recognizing one's weaknesses while being continually amazed by the Spirit's work within. This awareness fosters a deeper reliance on God and a more profound appreciation for His grace. [29:06]

"For I know that nothing good dwells in me, that is, in my flesh. For I have the desire to do what is right, but not the ability to carry it out." (Romans 7:18, ESV)

Reflection: In what ways have you seen both your weaknesses and the Spirit's transformative work in your life recently? How can this awareness lead you to a deeper reliance on God's grace?

Quotes

"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 men, but of God. Now this is essential Christianity, and that's why I'm calling attention to this. I've been pointing out how this gospel was Rick as, indeed, most of the New Testament was written, in order that Christian people might know the possibilities of the Christian life." [00:12:50]

"Nothing is more important for us than the assurance of salvation. The Christian is not only saved, he's meant and now it God is our Father he gave them power to become the children of God and it's a very poor father who doesn't want his children to be happy and God, according to the New Testament, wants us to be happy he wants us to enjoy the large yes which he has for us and his munificence and his unsearchable riches." [00:29:57]

"Now the Christian is a man who is aware of the fact that the Spirit of God is in him, everything about him brings him to that awareness. The epistles constantly put this men of the forest take for instance an example of it in 1 Corinthians 6 at the end what know ye not that the that you have body is the temple of the Holy Ghost which dwelleth in you you know that since Paul you realized that as a Christian the Holy Spirit has come to dwell in you as he was in Christ he is in you now the Christian is aware of this and as he goes on growing he becomes increasingly aware of it." [00:46:03]

"So that as he goes on he develops an increasing anxiety as it were fear less than anything or in any respect he should offend or grieve or cause the spirit to mourn in those words we've been singing of william kappa i hate the sins that made the mom and drove the from my breasts now, the way I would put the test therefore is this, that the Christian is more afraid of grieving the spirit than he is of anything else." [00:50:35]

"His fear is not so much that he may fall into sin of course he fears death but the thing that mark cement the thing that can give him reassurance is this that even when he does fall into sin, the thing that troubles him is not so much that he has sinned, not so much that he has been guilty of failure, but that he has grieved this blessed spirit that has deigned and humbled himself to come and dwell in him and to inhabit his very body." [00:54:54]

"Now I'm stressing this point for this reason, this is one of the most delicate and sensitive tests that I'm aware of in the matter of differentiating between the Christian and a good moral men that's the problem how do I know that I'm a Christian or not just a good morrow man there are very good moral men in the world very upright men there are men this morning who seem to be a Paragons of all the versions you can't point a finger at them they never seem to do any wrong and they've got a very high moral code or high ethical standard and they do believe in living up to this." [00:58:19]

"Now then here is obviously a very wonderful test that we can apply to ourselves in order to prove that we are the children of God if I'm a child of God the Spirit of God dwells in me if the Spirit of God dwells in me produces fruit if I find the fruit in myself I am of necessity therefore a child of God that's the way it works but let's look at it." [01:16:26]

"Now this again is a very wonderful thing and it's a very delicate test, this is a much more delicate test in the test of knowledge, knowledge is a test, grow in grace and in the knowledge of the law, the man who doesn't know more about the scriptures now than he did a year ago is in a bad state, as you go on in the Christian life your knowledge must increase." [01:20:30]

"Because unfortunately you can grow in a kind of head knowledge of the truth in a kind of intellectual academic knowledge and that doesn't have necessity prove that you're a Christian, it's an amazing thing this but it's quite true you can through listening to the preaching of the word and reading books about it you can be very interested in scriptural knowledge but it doesn't prove you're a Christian, you can do that with your head alone." [01:26:50]

"But you see what you can never do is to produce the fruit of the Spirit never, not only that as the Apostle puts it in 1 Corinthians 8:1 lease as we know that we all have knowledge these people in Corinth they were intellectuals and they were very knowledgeable people some of them have been dabbling with philosophy and so on and they were bursting about their knowledge the stronger brother that's right says Paul we know that we all have knowledge but knowledge puffeth up but charity, love edifies builds you see the difference the difference between being puffed up and then and being built up solidly securely safely very well then." [01:28:38]

"Now there is a and the preliminary difficulty about this testing of ourselves in terms of the presence of the fruit of the Spirit in us because it seems to be a self-contradictory thing in this way, that the more a man as the fruit of the spirit in in the more humbly will be the more meek the more lonely the more delicate and sensitive in his spirit and therefore the more he will be aware of indwelling sin." [01:35:48]

"So that when you look at it at first you feel this he would say well the most saintly amen becomes the more is he aware of his own deficiencies you are raw newborn convert thinks he's become perfect in one stroke that's because he's ignorant he'll have to learn that he isn't but we tend to be like the infants children always are in that position the older one gets the more one knows about one's ignorance and as one goes on in the Christian life the more windows about the plague of one's own heart well therefore you say the more you grow and the more the spirit works with indium the more you'll see all this blackness and darkness and therefore the more hopeless you'll feel about yourself but it's a false argument that it's quite wrong." [01:38:00]

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Transcript
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