Today, on the verdict with Pastor John Monroe. 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.
Rejoice! Welcome to the verdict, featuring the Bible teaching of Pastor John Monroe. How we view God shapes every aspect of our lives. And today we're focusing on the marvelous truth that believers can know the Creator of the universe as our Father. In our continuing study of 1 Peter, we'll discover how this relationship changes our identity and provides unimaginable privileges.
Now, here's Pastor Jean Monroe with his message. Calling on God as Father. Peter is exhorting first century Christians who are living in a difficult and hostile situation to be holy. He's reminded them that in the Old Testament it is written, You shall be holy, for I am holy. A holy God calls on His people to be holy.
By nature we're sinful and unholy. That's why we need the righteousness of Jesus Christ imputed to us. To help us understand who God is. Peter refers to calling our God as Father. and those who have been saved through the redemptive work, are his children.
called to be obedient. and holy.
So let's learn more about God as we look at this very important verse. Those who have been saved by Holy God through the redemptive work of His Holy Son and indwelled by His Holy Spirit must lead holy lives. God, who is our Creator, has made us in His image. Which means that in some sense there is a likeness between God and ourselves.
Now we ask, how can that be? God is Spirit, God is omniscient, He's omnipresent. He is All powerful. And we are now. But just as the triune God is relational We have in the Trinity God the Father, God the Son, and God the Holy Spirit.
And the Father, the Son, and the Spirit. They exist in perfect union and communion. And so this God Who exists? Eternally in Father, Son, and Holy Spirit. This God Who has created us in His image has created us to enjoy, and I emphasize the word enjoy, enjoy a relationship with Him.
And I think that understanding God as our Father. Will help us to understand this personal relationship. J.I. Packer writes, You sum up the whole of New Testament religion. if you describe it as the knowledge of God as one's holy Father, that's quite a statement.
We want to know God as our holy Father. Peter has been reminding us of God's holiness. The God who is holy calls us to holiness.
So if you have your Bible there, Turn to 1 Peter. And we're going to read these words that we've seen. before 1 Peter chapter 1. And we're reading from verse 13. Here's the apostle Peter riding.
In the inspiration of the Spirit. And he says to his readers, And so God is saying to you and me this morning, therefore, preparing your minds for action. And being sober-minded, set your hope fully on the grace that will be brought to you at the revelation of Jesus Christ. As obedient children. Do not be conformed to the passions of your former ignorance.
But as he who called you is holy, you also be holy in all your conduct, since it is written. You shall be holy. For I am holy. And if you call on him as father, Who judges impartially according to each one's deeds, conduct yourself with fear throughout the time. of your exile.
A holy God. calls us to be holy. And in turn, Peter says here in verse 17, we are to call on him as Father. And in living this life here on earth, We who know God as Father, we read in verse 17 that we are to conduct ourselves with fear throughout the time of God. Over exile.
Now how do we do that? Peter gives the answer. Because God is your father, he is an impartial judge of our deeds.
So We as followers of Jesus Christ have this great privilege of having God as our Father, but with that comes a responsibility to live a holy life. We are to be the Father. Peter says in verse 17, he describes us as obedient. Children. We have God as our Father, we are His children, and we are to be obedient children.
That is to characterize the people of God. We are not to live as we did formerly, says Peter in verse 14, in your former ignorance. We have been learning over and over again. And I keep emphasizing it, that salvation, true salvation, makes a huge difference in how we live. We are accountable to God.
Yes, He's our Father, but He is our impartial judge. And so we are to honor our God. Peter is telling us. By living a holy life, By obeying him, yes, and revering him, as we live in fear. During our present exile.
Now, this is not a legalistic obligation, but there's a great So, I first of all, 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 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. Let's see that in John.
First. chapter of John's Gospel. John chapter 1. John writes in the prologue, John chapter 1 verse 12. He says that Jesus came to his own people, and some did not receive him, but verse 12, to all who did receive him.
Who believed in his name? He gave the right to become children of God. How marvelous. When you receive Jesus Christ as your personal Savior, you have the right to become children of God. While every individual is created by God, only those who receive Christ as Savior become children of God.
We're born physically as God's creatures. We're born spiritually as God's children. In the miracle of the new birth, John 3, you must be born again. In the miracle of regeneration, we're born again into God's family. And through our new birth, We are adopted into God's family.
We sometimes talk of unwanted pregnancies. But there are no unwanted adoptions. Paul writes in the opening verses of Ephesians 1. He says, God chose us. Think of this.
in Christ before the foundation of the world. You say, I'm not sure if I understand all of that. Not sure if I do, but it's true. The God and the sovereign plan. chose us He's talking to believers in Christ, in Christ, before the foundation of the world.
He said, He predestined us for adoption to himself as sons through Jesus Christ, according to the purpose of his will, to the praise of his glorious grace. Ephesians 1 verses 4 through 6. How wonderful. Think of it. In the grace of God.
In the sovereign purposes of God. We are adopted. Into the family of God. Peter has told us right at the beginning that we are elect exiles, we are chosen by God. chosen by God and adopted into a new family.
Once we were children of the enemy, now we are adopted into the eternal family of God. We receive a new identity, a new name. My name is Christian. I'm a Christ follower. That is the most important.
name that we could ever take. Yes, we have other identities, but this is the most important. We are now. Children of God, giving a new name, a child of God. You see, in adoption, There is an old and a new relationship.
Adoption is the procedure whereby an individual leaves his or her natural family and becomes a member of a new family. The individual now has a relationship of a son or a daughter to a new father and mother. There's a change of status. There's a change of identity. When we, the grace of God, are adopted into the family of God, the power of sin in our life.
Our old master is broken. We are delivered. We are transferred from the kingdom of darkness into the kingdom of God's beloved Son. 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. Isn't that wonderful? And of course we have new brothers and sisters. Not only can we address God as Father, we can address one another as brothers and sisters in Christ.
With this, there is a dramatic change of identity. The privilege. Of having God as my Heavenly Father, a change of identity.
Now, secondly, With God as our Heavenly Father, there are special privileges. An individual who is adopted into a family has special privileges, privileges which they once didn't have. 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. It's true that God loves everyone, for God so loved the world, that's true.
But God has a special love for his children. Just as you, if you're a parent, you have a special love for your own children. And we understand. That God doesn't love us because we're a wonderful people. God doesn't love us because of our achievements.
He loved us. Before we ever Knew him.
So John writes 1 John 4, verse 10. And this is love. Not that we loved God. You did not wake up one day and say I'm going to start loving God. And God says, Oh, well, if you're going to love me, I'm going to love you.
No. It's not that we loved God. But that he loved us. and sent his son into the world to be the propitiation. For our sins.
1 John 4. Verse 19, we love Because He first loved Yeah. Let's think of that. Before you were born. Dear Heavenly Father, Loved you.
Turn to Romans chapter Eight, where we'll see this a little. More Because those who receive Christ as Savior Paul writes, have received a spirit of adoption as sons Romans 8 verse 15. Paul writes For you did not receive the spirit of slavery to fall back into fear. But you have received Notice this. the spirit of adoption as sons.
by whom we cry, Abba father. The Spirit Himself bears witness with our Spirit that we are children of God. A spirit of adoptions As sons. And that the Holy Spirit is bearing witness with our spirit that we are children of God, so that we can come and cry, Abba. Father.
Fathers, what happens to you when your little daughter falls? Hurts herself. Perhaps bruises her knee and she instinctively cries out Daddy, daddy. It's a cry. Abba father, daddy, daddy, what do you do?
Give her a lecture of how not to fall again. What'd you do? As a good father. You run. You put your arms around that little girl.
And you reassure her. That all is well. You reassure her once again. that you love her. And this is the marvel of being a child of God in difficult times when we're hurting, when we're suffering, and when we're confused, and we cry out, Abba, Father, something that you'll never hear in the Old Testament.
We who know Christ as our Savior. In the times of excruciating difficulty, we also cry out, Abba Father, we cry out to our Heavenly Father. And the Holy Spirit who indwells us reassures us. In a marvelous way of the love of God. Oh, it's true that God always loves us, but We don't always feel it, do we?
We sometimes wonder about it. And we sometimes Think well why Has such and such happened? And then the time of a difficult day. as God's children. We do, as little boys and little girls do when they're hurting.
They cry out, Daddy, daddy, mummy, mummy. And we cry out to our Heavenly Father. And the Holy Spirit testifies in afresh. And the supernatural way that we are loved by God. You've experienced that, haven't you?
In the times of difficulty, you are reassured. of the love Yeah. George Robinson writes that wonderful hymn we have in the hymnal. Loved. with ever Lasting.
Love. In a love which cannot cease. I am his and he is mine. That's it. This everlasting love, a love which will never cease.
I love Which is rooted in the eternal purposes of God and will continue for all of the ages of eternity. We don't understand it all, but we understand it's there, and we bask in that marvelous love that we have. As the children of God, this incredible privilege of being loved and cared for. By God. her father.
Are you trying to earn God's love? You think that there's a list out there? that you have to check off. Is that what you think? This is what you're doing.
I want you to understand. That for followers of Jesus Christ. were loved with our and everlasting love to our Heavenly Father. That we don't do things to earn his love. No, there are certain things we do because we do love him.
And that love The things that we do flow from our heart. of love. Here's a wonderful privilege then, to be loved. By our Heavenly Father. And also, This love by our Heavenly Father shows itself.
and his care for us. Turn to Matthew chapter 6. Matthew six verse thirty-two. Where the Lord tells us, don't be anxious, why? For the Gentiles seek after all these things.
And your Heavenly Father knows that you need them all. How wonderful. In this passage in Matthew chapter 6, Jesus is dealing with one of the most common of all human emotions: anxieties, and fears, and worries. We're worried about what's going to happen in the future. We're worried about our health.
We're worried about our finances. We're worried about our family. We're worried about our employment. We're worried about am I going to pass this exam? Am I going to make the team?
What's going to happen to the economy? What's going to happen to the world? And all of these anxieties come to us. And if we're not careful, we're paralyzed by fears. And anxieties, annoying worries.
And Jesus says now. I don't want you to be anxious. Do you say, well, it's easy to say that? Your Heavenly Father knows that you need them all. There's your trust.
As a child growing up, I never worried About what I was going to eat. I never worried if I was going to have clothes. I knew that I had loving parents who would take care of me. I never ever, I never, as a five-year-old boy, I never had a sleepless night worrying about what was gonna happen in the future. No?
I was blessed to have loving Permit. If earthly fathers know how to take care of their children, Is God a worse parent than you are? Here is a privilege. that I'm loved and cared for. In the most intimate of details.
That the heavenly Father who sees the fall of a sparrow. certainly sees every intimate detail of your life and that which worries you and is fretting you right now. No, I'm to trust him and to love my heavenly Father who loves and cares for me. 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 seven.
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 and continuing to ask and continuing to seek, knowing that my Heavenly Father loves to give good things to those who ask him.
This is the verdict with Pastor Jean Monroe and the first part of a message titled. Calling on God as Father. Today's message highlights a profound spiritual reality. That through Christ, we're adopted into God's family with all the privileges that relationship entails. And to help you continue to develop your spiritual and eternal perspective, we're offering John's enlightening booklet for the time is near.
This practical resource breaks down the book of Revelation into five key lessons that will transform your perspective on current events and eternal realities. You'll discover what Scripture teaches about Christ's centrality. God's prophetic timeline. The reality of judgment, spiritual warfare, and the glorious promise of heaven. Request your free copy today at theverdict.org.
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Give securely online at theverdict.org. The verdict is a ministry of Calvary Church in South Charlotte, and we'd love to have you visit us this Sunday. We're located on the corner of Highway 51 and Ray Road, and we invite you to come join us for worship this Sunday. For more details about Calvary and current service times, visit theverdict.org. And now, here's Pastor John Monroe with closing remarks for today's lesson.
Well, What's your verdict? Is God your Holy Father? God is the creator of all. But only those who know God through our Lord Jesus Christ know God as Father. What a wonderful privilege to have God as our Father.
But this comes with responsibility. As God, who is our Father, expects us to be His holy and obedient children. Are you making it a priority? to live a holy life.
Next time, we'll continue with this important subject of God as our Heavenly Father and learn the special privileges of being in the family of God. 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.
