Today, on the verdict with Pastor John Monroe. When we, in the grace of God, are adopted into the family of God, we have a new family, the family of God.
Now, God, this eternal God, the creator of the heavens and the earth. And the wonder of salvation and the wonder of the gospel, I can address him as my heavenly Father. It's not wonderful. Welcome to The Verdict, featuring the Bible teaching of Pastor John Monroe.
Some people perceive God as distant, harsh, or demanding. but scripture reveals an entirely different picture. Today, as we continue in 1 Peter, we'll explore the remarkable privileges that come with being adopted into God's family. These privileges transform not only our eternal destination, but our daily experience of the Christian life.
Now, here's Pastor John Monroe with today's lesson. Last time we were considering the great truth that God is our Father. Peter encourages his readers to call on God as Father, who judges impartially according to each one's deeds. Conduct yourself with fear throughout the time of your exile. That's 1 Peter 1, verse 17.
Don't miss this change of identity. When we trust in Jesus Christ as Savior, we become children of God and are adopted into God's family. We're delivered from our old family of sin. and brought into a new family, the family of God. And now we will learn that as God is our Heavenly Father, we have special privileges.
you will be strengthened in your faith. As you think of all of the blessings and privileges we have as the people of God, calling on God as Father. As we think of this concept of God as our Father, which Peter mentions in chapter 1, verse 17. I want us first to understand With with God As our Heavenly Father, there is a change. of identity.
If we have God as our Heavenly Father, this changes our identity. When we receive Jesus Christ into our hearts and lives, we become children of God. No second Lee. With God as our Heavenly Father, There are special privileges. And I want to mention four of these special privileges.
The first, is the privilege of being loved and cared for. By our Heavenly Father. When you think of that. If you're an authentic follower of Jesus Christ, You are loved. and cared for by your heavenly Father.
Here's a second privilege. of having God. As my Heavenly Father. the privilege of having access to my Heavenly Father. And the privilege Not only of having access to him, but of asking him for good things.
Matthew Seven Verse 7. And it'll be given to you. Seek and you will find. Knock and it will be open to you. For everyone who asks receives, and the one who seeks finds, and to the one who knocks, it will be opened.
Or which one of you, if his son asks him for bread, will give him a stone? Or if he asks for a fish, we'll give him a serpent. If you then who are evil know how to give good gifts to your children, how much more will your Father who is in heaven give good things To those who ask him. Jesus is encouraging us to come to our Heavenly Father and to ask Him for good things. Parents, when one of your children asks for a piece of bread, Perfectly good request.
You don't give them a stone. For a child to ask for food is a legitimate request. Of course you're going to give that. Here's the powerful argument: if you, being evil, know how to give good gifts to your children, how much more? Notice what Jesus says.
How much more? Will your Father who is in heaven? Notice he doesn't say just God, he says, Your Father who is in heaven, give good things. to those who Ask him. Here's a wonderful privilege.
As I go through life, I have my Heavenly Father. I have access to him. In fact, Jesus is telling me to ask, to seek, and knock. I have a legitimate request. It's a good request.
I am to make it known to my Heavenly Father. I have to ask. I'm to seek, I'm to knock. No, not all of these requests are given in my own timetable, and therefore I am to be diligent in prayer, in continuing to ask, and continuing to seek, knowing that my Heavenly Father loves to give good things to those who ask him. What's your view of God?
Do you think he's uh Please harness God He is a good Good God.
So I ask you this question. Very difficult question. Do you trust and delight in your Heavenly Father? We were thinking that God is good. There's probably not one person here who would disagree with the statement that God is good.
But I want to ask you. Do you trust His goodness? Members in the garden. Notice, remember how Satan Tempted Eve. He suggested to Eve very subtly.
That God Couldn't be trusted. with giving them what was best. and was joyful. for us. You know Eve.
I mean There's that tree, and God said, You can't eat that one. And so she began to doubt it. The commandment was clear, don't eat of that tree. But Satan was able To give a wedge, as it were, between the command of God and the goodness of God. God's commands can't be separated from who He is.
He's always a good God. And do you think God gives commandments. To destroy your joy? Is that your view of God? Do you see God like that?
Do you really think Your way of life is better and smarter and more joyful than God's. You think you know better than God? And so God says, You go down this path, and you say, No, if I go down this path, it's going to be more joyful. I'm going to have a much, much better time. You ever tried that?
All of us have. We're like sheep haven't gone astray. We've turned to our own way. But we need to understand, as the people of God, that God what God says is always good. What kind of view of God is that if you obey God, life is going to be miserable?
What kind of father, earthly father, wants the children to grow up thinking, well, if we do what this wretched man says, life is going to be miserable.
So we're going to disobey him and we're going to live a good life.
Well, that may be true of some fathers because there's a lot of bad fathers, but God is a perfect heavenly father who loves you and cares for you and comes to you and says, Now ask and seek. And if you are able to give good gifts to your children. How much more shall God, the heavenly God in heaven, give good things to those who ask? This is the privilege of being a child of God, of having God as my heavenly Father who loves me. And the old catechism then got it right that man's chief end is to glorify God.
and to enjoy him forever. Who are the most joyful people on this earth? Those who choose their own way. Those who disregard scripture. Those who continue their sinful purposes, are they the most joyful?
Absolutely not. They may from a human perspective be successful, but they don't know joy. They have gone the wrong way, the wrong path. They have a wrong view of God. But we who are saved by God's grace need to understand that this God who loves me Invites me to come and to ask him for good things.
And my greatest joy. Is in knowing God, in worshiping God, in surrendering my life to God. because he is a good heavenly Father, here's the third one. And this may surprise some of you. The privilege of being disciplined.
By our Heavenly Father. They said, well, I don't like that one. But I want you to think of it. Hebrews chapter 12. Hebrews chapter 12.
Verse 7. Hebrews 12, verse 6, for the Lord disciplines the one he Loves. and chastens every son whom he receives. It is for discipline that you have to endure. God is treating you as sons.
For what son is there whom his father does not discipline? If you had left without discipline, in which all have participated, then you are illegitimate children and not sons. Here is a characteristic. Our society has largely abandoned this, of course. Here is a characteristic.
of a good father. A good mother. They discipline. the children. Whom a father loves, he disciplines.
You don't discipline the neighbor's children. You may want to. But you can't. You don't discipline them, you discipline your own children. And your own children may say, well, you know, so-and-so next door, he can do or she can do such and such, and why are you preventing me to do it?
Why do you do that? Why do you discipline your own children?
Well, you discipline those whom you love. It's a hard thing to discipline, isn't it? My dad used to say to me, John, this is going to hurt me more than it hurts you. I said, no.
Okay. You give me the belt. You know. But then you realize When you're a father. How difficult it is to discipline your children, isn't it?
It's a difficult thing. It requires great skill. It requires great wisdom. It requires the knowledge of your child. But you discipline the child, even though it's difficult.
Why? Because you want to build their character. You want to ensure that your children are not selfish, whiny, self-centered, self-indulgent children. And one of the great privileges of having God as our Father is that when we stray from our path, in love, our Heavenly Father comes. and disciplines us.
Notice What Peter says in 1 Peter 1, verse 17 regarding our Father, he says he does this impartially according to one's deeds. God is a God is perfect in His discipline. He knows us. He's got infinite wisdom, he knows your future, he knows your character, he knows your personality, he knows everything about you, and his discipline then comes impartially to you. And discipline at the time is hard.
By being disciplined by your Heavenly Father. is proof. That you're a child of God. Children, students. When your parents discipline you.
Be glad of it. Be glad that you've got a mum or dad who care about you. Who don't allow you to run wild and do exactly what you want because that would be self-destructive. No. And as the children of God, We're not to resent God's discipline.
Notice what verse ten says of Hebrews chapter twelve. Our Father disciplines us for our good that we may share His Holiness. We're talking about being holy. And so our Heavenly Father disciplines us, He shapes us, He is conforming us to the image of His Son. And to do that requires some discipline, which is very difficult.
But this is the goal. Her father. My Heavenly Father wants me to live a life which glorifies him. Which displays his Son, our Lord Jesus Christ. And here is a great privilege.
Of being a child of God. In fact, it reassures us that we are one of His children when God, in His grace, And it is his grace. He disciplines the privilege of being disciplined by our Heavenly Father. Here's number four, and this is the final one. The privilege Of spending eternity.
in our father's home. Do you ever think of that? Remember what Jesus says in John chapter 14 when the disciples were. Uh very discouraged. devastated when he said he was going to leave them he said let not your hearts be troubled You believe in God, believe also in me.
In my How does he describe heaven? In my father's house. There are many rooms. If it were not so, I would have told you. I go to prepare a place for you, and if I go, I will come again and receive you unto myself, that where I am, there you be also.
Jesus is saying to his disciples, Don't be worried, don't be afraid. I'm going to my father's house, but I'm going to come back for you so that you're going to be where I am going. And so the Bible presents heaven. as our home. as our eternal Home.
I think I can safely say I I love you as a my congregation, but you're not all going to stay in my house. I don't love you that much. Imagine. Imagine the kind of love that God has for his children. Saving us.
Washing our sins. forgiving us.
Now he adopts us into his family that he says, You're my children, you're my son, you're my daughter. I give you my spirit. You can come to me at any time and pour out your requests to me, and I'll answer. I'll give you good things because I love giving good things to my children. What a great God.
And through all of life, yes, I'm going to discipline you from time to time when you need it, but it's always going to be done in love. And when the time comes, When you're going to leave planet Earth, you're going to come with me. I'm going to take you home and you're going to be forever in my home. And there there's no death. There's no illness.
No hospitals. No tears. and you're going to be eternally With our Lord Jesus Christ. In the fathers. House.
I read from Romans six. Romans 8, rather. about crying Abba Father. I stopped at verse 17. But let me read it to you.
Verse 16 goes: The Spirit Himself bears witness with our Spirit that we're children of God, and if children then heirs, Heirs of God. And fellow heirs with Christ, provided we suffer with Him in order that we may also be glorified with Him. See, when you become a child, when you come into a new Family, one of the privileges is you get the inheritance. God in His grace adopts us into his family. as his children.
And now we are heirs. There is an inheritance. We saw that in 1 Peter 1 about this inheritance, Peter says, which is undefiled. Unfading. Imperishable, reserved in heaven for you, who are kept by the power of God.
We have this wonderful inheritance and. Paul is describing it in terms we can all understand. When you're part of a family, you are an heir. You're going to get the inheritance. The future, now says Paul, your heirs, your children, if you're children, you're heirs entitled to the inheritance.
Heirs of God. And he says, Fallow heirs with Christ. It's not as if God. Says, well, I'll just give you a little bit. of my inheritance.
Like a a parent who's got Six children, I'll give so much to one, so much to the other. This one was a real pest, very little to him or her. Cause not like that, is he? Heirs of God Jointers. With Christ.
Remember in the parable of the prodigal When the sun goes home. after his time in a far country. And the elder son complains about it, he's the legalist. He doesn't understand the generosity of grace. And the father says, All that is mine.
is yours. It's a picture of God. Everything that the father has belongs to the children. That God not only saves us. Not only brings us into his family, We are in the family, and we share the inheritance with the son.
That we are blessed with every spiritual blessings in Christ. That God overwhelms us with His grace, that we will be for all of eternity with Him in the Father's house, and that everything that belongs to our Heavenly Father belongs to us as His children. This is incomparable wealth. And so when you pray, Our Father, who art in heaven. Remember.
the privileges of prayer. And I have to ask you as I finish The question I asked at the beginning. Do you know this God? Do you have a personal relationship with God? Can you honestly say that God is your Father?
The only way to have a relationship with God as Father is through His Son, Jesus Christ, who comes to reveal the Father, to die for our sins, who says, I'm the way and the truth and the life. No one comes to the Father apart from me. And if you're a child of God, rejoice that you're a member of God's eternal family. Family. Rejoice.
This is overwhelming to think of it, that we the people of God Who had no, no desire to live for God, God, in His grace, has chosen us. And called us into his family. and has showered his love upon us so that we are called the children. And but perhaps Not perhaps. I'm sure there are some prodigals here.
You've wandered away from Your Heavenly Father. You felt that you knew a bit better. Thank God. You began to doubt his goodness. You began to doubt that true joy was in knowing God and obeying God, and you've tried to live for yourself.
You've disobeyed your Heavenly Father, and you've gone to the far country. I'm asking you to return. I'm asking you to do that, what that boy did in Luke chapter 15 is to understand that he had sinned. Sinned against heaven, sinned against his father, and now he began to come home. And as we Sang, as he's coming, the goodness of the father is running after him.
So you see this wonderful picture of the father running to welcome the son. And the son has a carefully rehearsed speech. He's going to say to the father, Father, I've sinned against heaven and in your sight. I'm no longer worthy. to be called your son, treat me as one of your hired servants.
But when the father beats them, And hugs them. What does the father say? You know my servant. What does he call him?
Son. This son of mine was lost. And it's found. was dead. and is alive.
They're overwhelming. Grace. Is that your picture of God? Will you come to him? You say, John, I've really blown it.
You're welcome. The chief of sinners are welcome. God's grace is always greater than your sin. There's always more grace in our Lord Jesus Christ. then there is sin in you.
Will you come? To the father. At home. This is the verdict with Pastor John Monroe and the conclusion of his message titled. Calling on God as Father.
If you'd like to revisit this powerful teaching, visit our website at theverdict.org. Today's message beautifully illustrates God's heart toward his children. Offering unconditional love, perfect discipline, and an eternal inheritance. To deepen your understanding of God's ultimate plans for his family, we're offering God's comprehensive resource for the time is near. This valuable booklet brings clarity to the book of Revelation through five essential lessons.
Request your free copy today by visiting theverdict.org. And when you support the verdict with a generous donation, you become part of something bigger than yourself. a worldwide initiative to bring biblical truth to those who need it most. Every broadcast helps someone understand God's Word more clearly and perhaps introduces them to the hope of Christ for the very first time. Would you consider investing in this eternal work with a gift today?
No matter the amount, your contribution makes a lasting difference. It's simple to give securely online at theverdict.org. Want to take these biblical teachings wherever you go? The Verdict Podcast delivers John's messages directly to your mobile device, making it easy to listen during your commute, workout, or quiet time. Plus, subscribers get access to Avizandam, John's weekly commentary where he tackles current issues with biblical wisdom and clarity.
Subscribe today on your favorite podcast platform or through our website at theverdict.org.
Now, here's Pastor John Monroe.
Well, what's your verdict? Are you rejoicing in all of the privileges you have with God? as your Heavenly Father. Can you say with certainty that God is your Father? Have you been born into the family of God?
You don't enter the family of God through a religious ritual. but rather through being born again when the Holy Spirit regenerates you. and you receive Jesus Christ as your Savior. And once you are a child of God, you may call on God as Father and enjoy the great privileges. including spending eternity in the Father's house.
Thanks for joining us today on The Verdict. I'm Michelle Davies. Today's program with Pastor John Monroe was produced and sponsored by Calvary Church in Charlotte, North Carolina.
