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Children of the King – Matthew 28:18-20
Kingdom Life - Bethel Church, June 18, 2017
All authority in heaven and on earth has been given to me. Go therefore and make disciples of all nations, baptizing them in the name of the Father and of the Son and of the Holy Spirit, teaching them to observe all that I have commanded you. And behold, I am with you always, to the end of the age. – Jesus, in Matthew 28:18-20
- Jesus is God, has all authority
- we symbolically connect with our new identity through baptism
- God is a Father, he reveals this through Jesus
For to us a child is born, to us a son is given; and the government shall be upon his shoulder, and his name shall be called Wonderful Counselor, Mighty God, Everlasting Father, Prince of Peace. Isaiah 9:6 ESV
… Joseph, son of David, do not fear to take Mary as your wife, for that which is conceived in her is from the Holy Spirit. She will bear a son, and you shall call his name Jesus, for he will save his people from their sins." All this took place to fulfill what the Lord had spoken by the prophet: "Behold, the virgin shall conceive and bear a son, and they shall call his name Immanuel" (which means, God with us). Matthew 1:20-23 ESV
…when Jesus was baptized, immediately he went up from the water, and behold, the heavens were opened to him, and he saw the Spirit of God descending like a dove and coming to rest on him; and behold, a voice from heaven said, "This is my beloved Son, with whom I am well pleased." Matthew 3:16-17 ESV
…God so loved the world, that he gave his only Son, that whoever believes in him should not perish but have eternal life. For God did not send his Son into the world to condemn the world, but in order that the world might be saved through him. Whoever believes in him is not condemned, but whoever does not believe is condemned already, because he has not believed in the name of the only Son of God. John 3:16-18 ESV
- God is Father, revealed through Jesus, the Son
- God tells us he is now our Father! through Jesus!
And you were dead in the trespasses and sins in which you once walked, following the course of this world, following the prince of the power of the air, the spirit that is now at work in the sons of disobedience – among whom we all once lived in the passions of our flesh, carrying out the desires of the body and the mind, and were by nature children of wrath, like the rest of mankind. But God, being rich in mercy, because of the great love with which he loved us, even when we were dead in our trespasses, made us alive together with Christ – by grace you have been saved – and raised us up with him…
Ephesians 2:1-6 ESV
Since you have been raised to new life with Christ, set your sights on the realities of heaven, where Christ sits in the place of honor at God's right hand. Think about the things of heaven, not the things of earth. For you died to this life, and your real life is hidden with Christ in God. Colossians 3:1-3 New Living Translation
- what is the heavenly / permanent reality?
…all who are led by the Spirit of God are children of God. So you have not received a spirit that makes you fearful slaves. Instead, you received God's Spirit when He adopted you as His own children. Now we call Him, "Abba, Father." For His Spirit joins with our spirit to affirm that we are God's children. And since we are His children, we are His heirs. In fact, together with Christ we are heirs of God's glory. Romans 8:14-17 New Living Translation
- God has given us his Spirit to confirm our new identity
Who is God?
What does God do? He loves us and provides for us.
Who are we? We are children of God, we are family!
What do we do? We love each other as family.
We love because he first loved us. If anyone says, "I love God," and hates his brother, he is a liar; for he who does not love his brother whom he has seen cannot love God whom he has not seen. 1 John 4:19-20 ESV
So now I am giving you a new commandment: Love each other. Just as I have loved you, you should love each other. Your love for one another will prove to the world that you are My disciples." John 13:34-35 New Living Translation
- what are some of the common ways a healthy family shows love?
What does this mean for us?
Who is God? What has he done?
Who are we? If we believe this, what do we do?
What if we love each other – our church family - this way?
What if we did that outside these walls?
What if that spilled over to people who are not in God’s family?
Don’t add activities to your calendar, or items to your list!
Instead be more intentional with what you already do every day!
Do those things more with your brothers & sisters in Christ!
This week…
Discuss with a couple of your brothers & sisters:
- What are healthy ways we can love each other like family?
- How can we do this better? more consistently?
- How can we encourage and help each other in this?
- What can we do this week to live & love as family?
Then pray together
- Thanking God you are in his kingdom & family.
- Asking God to give you direction on encouraging each other.
- Thanking God for your fellow citizens and siblings!
for further thinking and discussion…
If you have already done the above suggestions with some other followers of Jesus, act on what the Holy Spirit is showing you!