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Devotions from Gospel Chapel Ministries HOME SERMONS SERMON NOTES
BECOMING A SON OF GOD
"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," EPH 1:4.
JOH 1:12 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." So "as many as received Him" are the ones privileged to become the sons of God. They received the freedom, they were delegated the Divine influence of the Spirit upon their heart to become the sons of God.
By nature we will not let the Lord Jesus Christ reign as king over us, we will not come into His service. By nature we want to serve self and sin because we see no beauty in Him. It is only those who have the Divine influence upon the heart, delegated by the Holy Spirit, who have a desire to come under Christ's blessed yoke. The grace of God works that desire in His own.
The privilege or right to become the sons of God is granted only to those whom God has chosen and loved from eternity. It comes not from any good or evil He saw in us, but it is by His own free choice. EPH 1:4 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."
Let's stop and analyze this; it was God who chose, and this choice was made before the world was created! To what were we predestined? It was to be conformed to the image of Christ and holiness. Can any person come up and say that isn't fair because he was not predestined to holiness? Are any of us compelled to live in sin? Is any person going to say they didn't have the privilege of living a holy life? No. Would it be a privilege or would they consider it an imposition upon their freedom to be chosen?
Those whom God has sanctified, i.e., set apart for Himself from eternity, are the sons who receive the call of the Spirit. All these sons of God need the call of the Spirit; we need the quickening power of the Spirit to bring us to the point where we have the desire to be conformed to His blessed image. JUD 1 teaches us, "Jude, the servant of Jesus Christ, and brother of James, to them that are sanctified by God the Father, and preserved in Jesus Christ, and called." See, God has sanctified these sons of God, spoken of in our text and preserved them in Jesus Christ from eternity; then He called them in the day of grace.
Now see 1CO 1:26, "For ye see your calling, brethren, how that not many wise men after the flesh, not many mighty, not many noble, are called." The calling is the call of the Spirit; the Lord calls whom He will. Not many of those listed receive the call of the Spirit. We receive the call of the Spirit because we are "the sons of God" from eternity. GAL 4:6 says, "And because ye are sons, God hath sent forth the Spirit of his Son into your hearts, crying, Abba, Father." Isn't that beautiful? It is because we are sons. These are the people who are led by the Spirit of God. They are foreordained and chosen from eternity; they are led by the Spirit of God. "For as many as are led by the Spirit of God, they are the sons of God," ROM 8:14.
JOH 1:12-13 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." How do you and I become sons? We must be born! We become sons by being born of God, "Which were born, not of blood..." in other words, we do not become sons of God because we are the sons of Abraham or because our father was a Christian. It is not by bloodlines, neither is it by the will of the flesh. That means it is not because of our will or that a parent decreed it so. It is not because of the will of another person or the will of man or our will.
Do you see the harmony with the other verses? Now we see who are the ones who receive Christ; they are the ones who were born again. Jesus said in JOH 3:5, "Verily, verily, I say unto thee, Except a man be born of water and of the Spirit, he cannot enter into the kingdom of God." Amen.
Behold th’ amazing gift of love
The Father hath bestowed
On us, the sinful sons of men,
To call us sons of God!
Concealed as yet this honor lies,
By this dark world unknown,
A world that knew not when he came,
E’en God’s eternal Son.
High is the rank we now possess;
But higher we shall rise;
Though what we shall hereafter be
Is hid from mortal eyes:
Our souls, we know, when God appears,
Shall bear his image bright;
For then his glory, as he is
Shall open to our sight.
These on-line devotions are a ministry of Gospel Chapel located in Conrad, Montana. We also have a daily devotion. See also our sermon notes. We pray this devotion has been a blessing to those who read it. Thank you.