The Blessings of Being a Child of God (Part 1)

The Blessings of Being a Child of God (Part 1)

With Bishop Ronald K. Powell

Bible Text: 1 John 3:1-3

SUBJECT: God’s Family, Blessings

TITLE: The Blessings of Being a Child of God

PROPOSITION: To be a child of God is to have the blessing of: 1) Forgiveness, 2) Family 3) A Father 4) Felicity.

OBJECTIVE: That each would be encouraged in knowing that they are children of God.

Aim: To use fatherhood as an illustration of what it means to be a child of God.

INTRODUCTION:

1. Read: 1 John 3:1-3
2. About the Text:

1) The book of 1 John was written to encourage faithful Christians to remain true to Christ in the face of the false teaching of Gnosticism.

2) The book encourages Christians to keep God’s commandments.

3) The book encourages Christians to properly love one another.

4) The book encourages Christians to be faithful to the Lord.

5) In encouraging the faithful, John cannot help be exclaim what a wonderful blessing it is to be a child of God.

6) It is, in fact, a great demonstration of God’s love that we are called God’s children.

7) As a result of this wonderful relationship the Christian has great blessings.

DISCUSSION: To be a child of God is to have the blessing of…

•  Forgiveness

One of the most important things that a father must know is forgiveness.

1) From the smallest to the oldest, children constantly make mistakes that offend their fathers.

2) Good fathers know how to forgive their children and continue to raise them appropriately.

3) Moreover, we forgive our children even when they don’t know they are doing wrong.

1. When they are ungrateful
2. When they are selfish.
3. When they are disobedient.

Good fathers forgive their children.

• Our Father in heaven is a good Father.

1) James 1:17 “Every good gift and every perfect gift is from above, and cometh down from the Father of lights, with whom is no variableness, neither shadow of turning.”

2) Matthew 7:11 “If ye then, being evil, know how to give good gifts unto your children, how much more shall your Father which is in heaven give good things to them that ask him?”

How much more will he practice forgiveness toward His children?

1) Psalm 86:5 “For thou, Lord, art good, and ready to forgive; and plenteous in mercy unto all them that call upon thee.”

2) Daniel 9:9 “To the Lord our God belong mercies and forgiveness’s, though we have rebelled against him;”

3) 1 John 1:9 “If we confess our sins, he is faithful and just to forgive us our sins, and to cleanse us from all unrighteousness.”

• Read Psalm 103:8-14

Psalm 103:8-14 Easy-to-Read Version (ERV)

8 The Lord is kind and merciful.
He is patient and full of love.
9 He does not always criticize.
He does not stay angry with us forever.
10 We sinned against him,
but he didn’t give us the punishment we deserved.
11 His love for his followers is
as high above us as heaven is above the earth.
12 And he has taken our sins
as far away from us as the east is from the west.
13 The Lord is as kind to his followers
as a father is to his children.
14 He knows all about us.
He knows we are made from dust.

What a blessing to be children of God and have forgiveness of sins.