Authentic Children of God

Pastor Chris shares an encouraging message about what it means to be Authentic Children of God from John 1:12-13 (Kids Christmas Program Sunday)

Rockwell  Church     Dec 10, 2023    Pastor Chris Teien
Authentic Children of God 
John 1:12-13

1. BELIEVE in His Name (John 1:12b)

2. RECEIVE Christ (John 1:12a)

3. BECOME Children of God (John 1:12c)

4. REBORN from God (John 1:13)

5. GREATEST in the Kingdom of God (Matt 18:1-6, 10-14)

6. GIFT of Eternal Life (Rom 6:20-23)

I hope this message helps you understand and apply God’s Word. Find sermon transcripts at https://Well.faith, learn more at https://ChrisTeien.com, or come visit us at https://Rockwell.church in Virginia, Minnesota. If this message encouraged you, I’d love to hear from you at wellfaith24@gmail.com.

Transcript

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Chris T 0:16

I want in the time that we have, and while we have the kids here, I want to talk about being authentic children of God. Authentic children of God from the book of John. So John was one of Jesus' closest disciples, one of his best friends. If anybody knew Jesus, it was John. So Peter, James, and John were close to Jesus. But John wrote to teach us, to tell us that Jesus truly is God. And he shares that we are children of God, and Jesus is the Son of God. That's how he lays that out. So in John 1, verse 12, it says, Yet to all who did receive him, to those who believed in his name, he gave the right to become children of God. Children born not of natural descent, nor of human decision or a husband's will, but born of God. And so we're familiar with that passage. I think a lot of us are. And so I wanted to, since we have the kids here and it's Kids' Sunday, and parents are here, the first thing it says is that we must believe in his name. We must believe in his name, not to just superficially believe that Jesus existed, but to believe that Jesus truly did the things that we read about in Scripture, that Jesus truly is the Son of God, that Jesus truly is the solution for our sinfulness, truly is the solution to the fallen world. And so we believe that, we trust in it, we place our faith on it. It's almost like when we determine that it's okay to walk on the ice. So I was in Chisholm the other day and I noticed there were ATVs and one house and some people out there on the lake over on one side and then the other side. There's like this swath of open water. I'm like, wow, I hope all your stuff floats. But they have come to the point where someone probably drilled a hole and said, Oh, look, there's enough ice here for us to be out here. And so they're trusting on that ice. They're trusting that they're not gonna fall through and lose their ATV and whatever. Um, we need to trust in Jesus, even more than that. Like we would cling on to someone that was trying to rescue us as we were drowning, to believe in Jesus, to believe in his name, to believe and to place our full confidence and trust in him. And when we do that, that can transform our life. When we do that, that can transform our life. But it's not just enough to believe, but we also to those who believed in his name, it's not enough just to believe, we also must receive Christ. Yet to all who did receive him, we must receive Christ. So Jesus makes it possible for us to know about him. Jesus makes it possible for us not to just um receive him and have him come be part of our life so that um we can be religious or just be part of what Jesus is doing so that we can uh you know join the Lord's army. But it's so much more, it's having a personal relationship with Christ, it's inviting Christ to come into our lives. Many times uh many people have prayed, Lord Jesus, I'm a sinner. Please forgive me of my sin and come into my life and save me and make me the person you created me to be. To come into my life. I want you in my life. Jesus makes that possible. Um the Bible and Christian things are often not understandable, kind of a mystery to people, but the Holy Spirit comes upon them and helps them to understand, convicts them of sin, shows them of their need, helps them to believe upon Jesus and to receive Jesus as their Lord and Savior. We receive Christ into our life. So, and when we give, when we ask the Lord to come into our life and to change us, then we become part of a Christian family. We become part of the local church and the universal church, but we have brothers and sisters in Christ uh locally, around the nation, across the world, all over our brothers and sisters in Jesus Christ. So, and then number three says, then we become children of God. We become children of God. He gave the right to become children of God, the authority, the ability, the permission for us to become children of God. Um, it's God's power in us that makes it possible. So when we become children of God, we want to follow Him. When we become children of God, we want to live for Him. When we become children of God, it says we become a new creation. The old sinful past is gone and a new life has begun. And when so when we believe and we receive, then we become children of God. 1 John 5:1 says, Everyone who believes that Jesus is the Christ is born of God, and everyone who loves the Father loves his child as well. So when we receive Jesus, when he comes into our life, we are adopted as children of God, and we receive the Holy Spirit that helps us to live the Christian life and to understand his book, understand scripture. So we beg, like I said, we become part of God's family, and that is a good thing. So my experience has been, as I've been growing in my faith, when I first came to Christ, there were things that I didn't understand. I would read the Bible, and I had so many questions. And so I think I was in 10th grade at the time. I would pray, Lord, what does this mean? And then I would hear on the Christian radio station, which I had made a commitment to listen to, um, back in the days when they had radio programming. Actually, I think you'll get more uh Christian programming on Psalm FM out of the falls than you would get out of KDNW out in Duluth, which is mostly music. Um, and there's other stations and lots of different podcasts and lots of different things I could recommend you to that you can access on your digital devices. But nonetheless, back then, before they had the internet, before they had all that stuff, I would pray. And I'd often hear the answer through the radio preacher or through the sometimes the TV preacher or through a book or devotional that I was reading. And that's part of the personal relationship, the communication that comes back and forth so many times. I've had questions and uh found it in God's word as I was reading in a regular Bible reading plan, which is also another good thing to have, but God adopts us into his family. Romans 15 says you did not receive a spirit that makes you a slave again to fear, but you receive the spirit of sonship, and by him we cry, Abba, Father, Papa, Daddy, God is our father, which is an exciting thing. When we think about adoption, um, we think about what God does in our life. So I was reading a story uh some years ago that there was a family that was working in uh in their church youth ministry, and there was this girl that was coming to youth group that was about their son's age, and so she didn't have parents that really cared about her. Matter of fact, eventually uh her parents basically abandoned her and said they didn't want anything to do with her but this family. This family cared for her, and she was like part of the family, but she really wasn't officially part of the family. And as they talked about it with their sons and with this girl, um they decided, even though she was 22 years old, to legally adopt this girl. Her name was Amanda, and so they legally adopted her, and that severed her ties to her biological family that didn't want her anyway, and it made her a legal uh part of this uh other family that cared about her. Um they she took their last name, and she then had a family, a true family that was hers, that cared about her, that was going to be there for the rest of her life. So um they had thought of Amanda as their daughter for a long time. Um, but I asked if anything felt different after that day that Amanda was adopted, and the adoptive dad John said, absolutely, when it was official, there was a huge change in my wife and I. Sort of like when you see your newborn for the first time, and for Amanda, there was a change in her too. Now she knew she belonged. She knew we were her parents. And that's what the Lord does for us when he adopts us into his family. You know, the Bible says that before we're adopted into God's family, we're children of the devil before uh we're God's creation, but we're not all God's children until we're adopted into his family, which is what this scripture says. And number four, that makes us reborn from God. It makes us born reborn from God, children born not of natural descent, nor of human decision, or a husband's will, but born of God. So there is a time when my wife and I, when we got married, actually before we got married, we said, you know, we'd really like to have a couple of kids and adopt one, and you know, God, you know, worked all that out, and um, God was it was our plan to have to have a couple of kids, and so we did. But here it's God's plan to adopt you. It was God's plan to make it possible so that you could be adopted into his family, so that you could be an heir of Christ, so that you could be part of this wonderful opportunity to be loved and cared for and provided for and guided, and all of that is such a wonderful thing, and it is such a blessing. And you know, sometimes our plans lead to unexpected wonderful things, like when we have children and then they have children. Uh, it can be really fun. So actually, I'm in like when I'm looking probably at you know the different stages of my life in church ministry, I'm thinking that this is probably the best one that I'll probably ever get to experience. So, and the primary reason for that is because when God sent us here, he also sent my uh daughter and her husband and their kids. And so, if you didn't know the three girls that were reading scripture, those are all three of my granddaughters. And I am so excited to see them being part of church, reading scripture, loving the Lord. Um, it is just a wonderful thing to experience. And so I know that they'll probably, you know, grow up someday. Maybe they'll marry somebody and come back to their church or go somewhere else. I don't know. But right now, they're here and I'm enjoying every minute of it. They're in a youth group, they're just loving it all. And so as you parents are struggling with your kids in different stages and ages when they're little, you're like, oh, I wish they would just stop running around, or I wish they would stop crying, or uh when they are teenagers, oh, I just wish they would stop asking so many difficult questions or having so many attitudes or whatever. There's just different stages and phases, and some are difficult, but still good, and there's others that are just really enjoyable. So we're gonna show a video now about Christmas.

SPEAKER_03 12:08

One December night, over 2,000 years ago, a shining star illuminated a gathering of angels and animals round a baby at the table. And it marked the end of a journey that began on a donkey. Oh, hold up there.

SPEAKER_02 12:28

I beg your pardon, your nativity. That's not exactly how it happened. Here look, let's start with that donkey. Neither of the gospel stories mentions Mary traveling by donkey. And given the 16 miles of rough terrain they traveled, it's more likely they used a lag. The Bible doesn't actually mention an in order. And in the Greek, the word in refers to an upper room at a house of an actual hotel.

SPEAKER_03 13:01

Look, there was no room. Mary and Joseph was table. No stable.

SPEAKER_02 13:10

Not in the Bible either. Now you're catching up. And in those days, most animals were typically kept.

SPEAKER_03 13:20

So it could have been that instead of a stable, but the Bible said, and the start of the that's biblical. Well, we're right. Oh, it's cool. Okay, so now three kings.

SPEAKER_02 13:36

No kings. Three kings is from the start. The Bible says magi, which means wise men. Three wise men? That works. Well, not so fast. While the Bible does mention three gifts, it doesn't specify the number of wise men that brought them. You mean there could have been more. Oh yeah. With a crowd like that, it's a miracle that they just never cry. What? No crying he makes? That's just a lyric from away in a manger. Not after it's crying. Yes and no. There may have been many wise men, but they weren't there that night.

SPEAKER_03 14:13

You say, okay, that's the blue and started building him. You've just dismantled the most inspiring image of Christian tradition. So what's your point?

SPEAKER_02 14:24

Point? Well, I guess it's this. Even when all of the man-made traditions are stripped away, the eternal truths still remain. Whether they traveled by donkey or wagon, God brought them safely to the birthplace that was prophesied. Whether born in a stable or cave, God provided shelter in a strange new land. Whether there were three kings, three wise men, or many, God called the elect to bear witness and testimony to the birth of Emmanuel. So whether your manger looks like this or like this, the one thing that remains unchanged is this. A baby boy, born of a virgin, this day, in the city of David, a savior, which is Christ the Lord.

SPEAKER_03 15:22

I'll never look at the miracle of December 25th the same way again.

SPEAKER_02 15:27

December 25th? Oh, I almost forgot. Stop that!

SPEAKER_03 15:30

Music!

Chris T 15:40

Alright, well, I thought that was really good when it comes to Christmas time, and we have the kids here. But it's interesting that Jesus said that if we are like children, we'll be the greatest in the kingdom of God. In Matthew, chapter 18, verse 1 through 6. It says, About that time the disciples came to Jesus and asked, Who is the greatest in the kingdom of heaven? And Jesus called the little child to him and put the child among them. Then he said, I tell you the truth, unless you turn from your sins and become like little children, you will never get into the kingdom of heaven. So anyone who becomes as humble as this little child is the greatest in the kingdom of heaven. And anyone who welcomes a little child like this on my behalf is welcoming me. So what is it about the child that makes them greatest in the kingdom of heaven? Uh, children trust. They are born into the world, into your family, and they just trust that you're going to be able to provide for them. They believe what you say, they usually follow your plan. Um, they're usually content. And when we are Christ followers, we need to humbly follow Jesus' will and way. We need to trust that He can provide for us. We need to walk humbly yet boldly in Christ. Uh further in that passage, uh, there's in the next verse in the passage, there's a warning that says, But if you cause one of these little ones who trusts in me to fall into sin, it would be better for you to have a large millstone tied around your neck and be drowned in the depths of the sea, which is quite a warning that says that you shouldn't stand in the way of your child finding and growing in Christ. That sometimes parents want to be well-meaning and say, Well, I don't want to force any religion on my child, I just want them to find their own way. Um Jesus says that He is the way, the truth, and the life. He's the only way to the Father. So you don't want to stand in the way of that. Um, I have found when I was a youth pastor, especially, that sometimes parents were punishing their children, saying, You didn't get your homework done, you didn't get your chores done, you can't go to youth group. I'm like, You did what? So the one place that they might learn uh biblical values and more respect for their parents and all of these other things, and you're using that as a form of punishment, I'm sure you can find something else to take away from them and still have them come to church. So, and it says, Beware that you don't look down on any of these little ones, for I tell you that in heaven their angels are always in the presence of my heavenly father, which is so interesting to think about. Now, I don't know if scripture shows that we all have a guardian angel or what. I always feel like it would take more than one angel to take care of me. But nonetheless, um, that angels are around, angels are involved, angels are supervising, maybe watching with interest or maybe disappointment as we raise our children and our grandchildren in the Lord. It is a good thing. But um, this all leads to the gift of eternal life, the gift of eternal life, and that's truly what it is. That's what Christmas is about is the gift of eternal life. And so Romans 6.23 says, for the wages of sin is death, but the free gift of God is eternal life through Christ Jesus our Lord. So here we have from what we talked about if we believe, plus we receive, then we become children of God. We are reborn into God's family, and that is the greatest gift. The greatest in the kingdom of heaven are like children, and the greatest gift is the gift of salvation that comes through Jesus. So the next time we come together, we're gonna talk about experiencing the true light of Christmas, but before we do that, we're gonna watch another video about Christmas, and then we don't have any closing music, so we'll be done. But on Christmas Eve, we're having two services. So some of the churches, they're not having a morning service. So they're not having Sunday morning, they're just having their Christmas Eve services like in the afternoon, evening. And then other churches are just having Christmas morning or Christmas Eve morning because it's on a Sunday, and they're not doing a Christmas Eve service. So we have no idea how many people will come, but we're doing both. So we're having a normal, uh, regular Christmas or Christmas normal Sunday morning service, and then at 4 30, we're having a candlelight Christmas Eve service that's gonna be 45 minutes long. It's always good to tell people how long it's gonna be so they can make plans, and so we're gonna do that. So that'd be a great thing to invite your friends to. It'd be a great thing to come to. And so then on the 31st, on it's also in Sunday, New Year's Eve, Sunday, um, we're gonna have a message about open doors in 2024. And so Alex Ingrov is gonna share with us about his missions trip uh with Crown College and the Envision uh group in LA. I guess he's gonna lead a group that direction. He wants to share with you about what he's gonna be doing and get some prayer support and some support for that on the 31st. And if we have people and we have opportunity, um, we want to do communion also, but we like to do baptisms. So, and we think I think we can fit that all in. So, um, but that's what's coming up. And when you think about giving to our church, some people are like, well, I'll just wait till the last minute. So we can take your gifts until the 31st. So if you mail something um in the postmark is December 31st and it gets here on January 5th or whatever, that's still applied to last year. Um, if you give online and you do it on the 31st, even if it doesn't clear your bank on the until the third or whatever, that's still on the 31st. But as a church, we're hoping to, our budget's been behind the share. We're hoping to finish strong to help us be set for a good new year. But more than money, we want your prayer. We want you to become involved in the church. We want you to pray for lost people to get saved. We want you to pray that we can make a bigger influence on the range than we are now. And we've got lots of different technologies and we've got talent. People, but more than anything, we need God to bless what we're doing. So I'm gonna pray. We're gonna show a video and then we'll we hope that you'll stick around, talk to each other, have cookies and stuff like that. But let's pray, Lord Jesus, I thank you for children. I thank you for the children that sang and we're part of it. I thank you for people who love children. And even if they don't have children that age, maybe their grandparents, they invest in kids' ministry. I am so thankful for all those people that serve children in this church. Lord, I am thankful that you have given us this building to be in so we can be warm on a cold day. I'm thankful that you give us all this media and technology and stuff to convey your message. I'm thankful for lost people who have gotten saved and for saved people who want to serve you, and for those who are maturing in their faith that want to help disciple others. I'm just thankful for everything that you're doing here, and we're thankful for Christmas time. In Jesus' name, amen. All right, let's watch this.

SPEAKER_01 23:18

It's not about malls and movies and bells and sleighs. It's not about cards and carols and candy and cheer. Christmas is about a king. A king who became a baby and a baby who became a savior. Christmas is about a light that shatters the darkness and begins a new day. Christmas is about a gift, not a toy wrapped in paper, but a savior swaddled in a manger. Christmas is about a home, the savior leaving his, so we could have one forever. Christmas is about the creator who entered into creation and shared in our humanity but never our depravity. Christmas is about a cross, because there's no heaven without Calvary and no Calvary without Bethlehem. Christmas is about Jesus. Christmas is about you. Because while it's true that Christ came into the world for you, don't forget that you came into the world for Christ.

Chris T 24:22

Alright, well, I'll just say one other thing and then you can go. So is that we have this video service that streams online right now, media, that is rockwell.church forward slash right now, where you can get free subscriptions. But there's two things on there that you want if you're a parent or a grandparent. One, there's like 2,000 videos for kids that stream and are good that you can, you know, trust your kids are watching a good time. Uh some of you might feel guilty as parents. And so there are parent training videos on there to help you become a better parent in the different ages and stages in life. So um I think there's even a grandparent training video on there. But it's a great resource. So with that, you're dismissed. Thank you so much.