Ron Dunn Podcast - Sons Of God

Episode Date: May 16, 2018

Ron Dunn preaches from Romans on being a child of God.

You are listening to the Ron Dunn Podcast. Ron Dunn is a well-known author and was one of the most in-demand preachers during the latter part of the 20th century. He led Bible studies all over the United States, Europe, and South Africa. For more information and resources from Ron Dunn, please visit rondunn.com. For as many as are led by the Spirit of God, they are the sons of God. For you have not received the spirit of bondage, again to fear, but you have received the spirit of adoption, whereby we Abba Father the Spirit himself beareth

witness with our spirit that we are the children of God and the children then heirs heirs of God and joint heirs with Christ if so be that we suffer with him that we may be also glorified together. It's been said that what we lost in Adam, we have more than regained in Christ. And the Apostle Paul says that where sin did abound, grace did much more abound. And it is characteristic of our Lord to take a mess and make a miracle out of it. It is characteristic of our Heavenly Father to take chaos and make a cosmos out of it. That's what he did in the book of Genesis.

The earth was without form and void. It was chaotic. God made a world of symmetry and harmony and beauty out of it. God has the infinite power to reach down into a situation that is totally destroyed, a hopeless situation, and out of that create joy and love and peace. And what we lose through sin and have lost through sin, we have more than regained through grace.

And the highest dignity that God has ever placed upon a human being is that they should be called the children of God. You remember in 1 John 3, the apostle is saying, Beloved, it does not yet appear what we shall be. We don't know what the future holds, and we don't know what everything is going to be like over on the other side, but we do know this, that right now we are the children of God. And when Paul in verse 15 says that we cry, Abba, Father, he is not merely repeating himself. The word Abba is the Aramaic word for father, and so what the apostle is actually saying is that we cry, Father, Father. But it's not mere repetition. The word Abba was a familiar, intimate term.

The English equivalent might be daddy or papa. And nobody could call a person Abba unless he was their personal, intimate father. And what Paul is saying is this, that something has transpired in the life of certain human beings that gives them the privilege of calling God more than Father. A lot of people call God Father, but something has happened in the lives of some people that give them the privilege to be more familiar and more intimate and more personal with him and call him Abba.

You see, not everyone that calls God Father is really honest because not everyone is a child of God. Only those who have had a spiritual rebirth are really the children of God. Only they have the right and the privilege to approach God in a personal, intimate, familiar relationship. We do not have to approach God as someone unfamiliar to us, as someone that we fear. We do not have to shrink back from God in slavish dread. We do not come to God as some unknown fate or some supreme being or some omnipotent influence. We do not come to God as the initial cause of all things. We come to God just as

intimately and personally as a child comes to his natural father, and we call him father. Paul says when this realization dawns upon us, this great privilege and dignity that we have, he says we cry out. That word cry means a loud, irrepressible shout of deep emotion. Once it really dawns upon a person that the God who made all things is his own Father and loves him and cares for him as his Father, that deep emotion wells within him. And Paul says we cry out, Father, the joy and the assurance and the security that comes to those who have this high dignity of being called the sons of God. The sons of God.

No greater name can be given to a son of Adam than to be called a child of God. You notice Paul uses two expressions here. In verse 14 he says we are the sons of God. That signifies our dignity, our dignity as children, as sons of God. I was reading just the other day where Phillips Brooks said, if God calls you to preach, don't stoop to be a king. Well, I think you can paraphrase that and say, listen, if you are a son of God, don't stoop to be a king. The highest dignity that deity can confer upon a creature is to be called the sons of God. The privilege, the dignity.

Now notice in verse 16, he uses the expression children of God. Now the difference between the sons of God and the children of God is this. The sons of God signifies our dignity, the dignity of my position. Children of God signifies my dependence upon him. My dependence upon him. I look upon God as my father, therefore I am dependent upon him. Every need I have is to be met by him. Every sorrow I have is to be comforted by him.

Every fear I have is to be quenched by him. I am absolutely dependent upon him, and I am discovering day by day that the secret of real living is to live as a child of God, dependent upon everything, upon your heavenly Father. And in these verses, Paul expounds on the great joy of being called the children of God. And he says three things about the children of God. And I want you to follow along in these verses as we discuss this. First

of all, he says that the children of God are adopted children. They are adopted children. He says, we have received the spirit of adoption. The word adoption means to place as a son, to take one who was formerly a stranger and has no legal nor natural connections and to legally to place him in the position of a son. And it's important that we understand that we are children of God by adoption. There is no such thing as any human being being a child of God by nature. One of the most effective deceits that the devil has fostered upon the human race

is this idea that all human beings are children of God. Now, I want you to know that's a lie. Every once in a while you'll hear someone talk about the common fatherhood of God and the common brotherhood of man. Well, I want you to know that is not scripturally true. Now, there is a sense in which God is our father in the sense that he created all of us. And there is a sense in which all of us are brothers in the sense that we all share a common life and a common nature. But when you come to spiritual matters, you cannot say honestly that all men are the children of God. They are not.

The Bible says in Ephesians chapter 2 that we are by nature the children of wrath. And you remember Jesus spoke to the Pharisees, who by the way were the most religious people of his day. I would say more religious than any of us, not more spiritual, but more religious as far as all of the ceremonies and the rituals of religion they went through. More religious than anyone sitting in this place. And Jesus said, you are of your father, the devil. The child of God is an adopted child. He wasn't always a child. He was at one time a stranger and had no claim upon God. A stranger to grace, an alien from the Father.

Not all human beings are children of God. You remember in verse 14 where Paul said, For as many as are led by the Spirit of God, they are the sons of God. They are the sons of God is emphatic in the New Testament language, and literally this is what he's saying. They that are led by the Spirit of God, they and no one else are the sons of God. Now, your English translation doesn't bring that out, but that's what it says in the New Testament language. They and no one else are the sons of God.

If the Spirit of God does not indwell you, if there has never come that moment in time, that decisive crisis moment in time, when you receive the Spirit of God through faith in Jesus Christ into your life, and that Spirit of God is in you, you are not a child of God. Just as birth is the gateway to life, physical birth is the gateway to physical life. You can't live physically until you've been born physically. And spiritual birth is the gateway to spiritual life. You cannot live spiritually unless you have been born spiritually. Jesus says, they that are in the flesh cannot please God, and flesh and blood cannot inherit the kingdom of God. And the book of Galatians that you're going to be studying in Sunday school

says that we are the children of God by faith in Jesus Christ. It is important that you understand that we are children of God by adoption, not by birth, not because your parents were Christians, not because you're born in a Christian nation, and I put that in quotes and a question mark after it, but you are a child of God by adoption. There comes that time when you who at one time were a stranger to God, God adopts you, and by an act of his grace and an act of salvation,

he places you as one of his children. And so it's a spiritual sonship, not a physical sonship. It's not a religious sonship. It is a spiritual sonship. Have you had that spiritual rebirth? Have you? Is the Spirit of God dwelling in you? If any man have not the Spirit of Christ, he is none of his.

Have you noticed, as we've gone through the book of Christ. He is none of his. Have you noticed as we've gone through the book of Romans how the Bible keeps cleaving to that sharp division between people? The Bible will never let us forget that there are only two classes of people. You're either in or out. You're either with it or you're not with it. You either have the Spirit of God dwelling in you or not. You're either led by the Spirit or led by self. And only those and nobody else who has the Spirit of God indwelling them are the sons of God. It is a spiritual sonship, but more than that, it is a serene sonship. I like that 15th verse where he says, for he have not received the spirit of bondage again to fear. The word adoption is found only three times in the New Testament.

And every time that it's found, it is found in connection with bondage. Freeing us from bondage. Freeing us from bondage. We were strangers to God, in bondage to sin, in bondage to self, in bondage to Satan. And when the Father adopted us as sons, he freed us from that bondage. And the spirit that I've received is the spirit of adoption, not the spirit of bondage again to fear. There's no fear. We get our word phobia from that word fear. Oh, there's no phobias to the person who one day it dawns upon him that he's a child of God. You know, he was saved a few years ago as a child, and he's always recognized that he's a Christian,

and academically and theologically he's always known that he's a child of God. And one of these days when the Spirit of God really fills him and gets control of him all of a sudden he sees it as he's never seen it before the light bulb turns on in his head and he realizes he is a child of God and I want you to know when that realization dawns upon you it will erase the phobias in your life the more people I counsel and deal with who've been to psychiatrists, the more I realize that if people told their heavenly father everything they tell a psychiatrist, they may not need a psychiatrist and it's much cheaper. Listen, if you want to get rid of your phobias and your fears and your frustrations and your guilts, you realize that God is your Father and you are His child. And he says in Luke chapter 11, if you being evil know how to give good gifts to your

children, how much more will your heavenly Father give good things to them that ask Him? You know, it just makes sense. It just makes sense. Jesus says you're an evil father. You're a sinful father. You have a sinful nature in you, but even you have enough sense to take care of your child. If he asks for a bread, you're not going to give him a stone. If he asks for a fish, you're not going to give him a scorpion. He says, you take care of your own children as best you can. You try to feed them and clothe them, and if they're hurt, you try to help them.

How much more? One of these days I'm going to preach a sermon on much more, because you'll find that all the way through the New Testament, comparing the human with the divine—how much more will your heavenly Father give good things to them that ask? Oh, it was great when your little child had your father there always taking care of you. Every time you needed anything, he'd provide for you. When the soles on your shoes got so thin you could step on a dime and tell whether or not it was heads or tails, you didn't worry about where the next shoe was coming from. When I was a little boy living with my mother and daddy, I want you to know something, I

never one time worried about who's going to pay the bills. I never one time worried about where the next meal was coming from. If I needed clothes, if I needed shoes, if I needed something, I tell you, I didn't worry about it. I had a father who was taking care of me. And he didn't always give me what I wanted, but I want you to know, he always provided my needs as was in his power to provide. And you know, that is one of the characteristics of a child is faithfulness and trust.

There's nobody that can trust like a child. Oh, they believe in their father. They trust. They have confidence. If he doesn't destroy it and do something to betray it. I want you to know my Heavenly Father has never done anything to destroy my confidence in him and every day I live he only proves the truth of what I'm saying to you this morning I'll tell you this is a serene sonship. I Want I had someone say to me not long ago. They you know, they got married

They thought that solution to all their problems to get married. No brother And you know, they got married. They thought that's the solution to all their problems, to get married. Oh, brother. And they said, oh, boy, you know, wouldn't it be great when all the, you know, when the, you know, when you're a young married person, you need money more and you have it less at that time. And, you know, they overextend themselves. You know, they buy everything a dollar down a dollar a month

that's the only reason they don't have an elephant because nobody's ever offered it to them at a dollar down a dollar a month you know they overextend themselves and they and they find the adjustments of marriage are too much and and suddenly all this joy and bliss they dreamed about just begins to turn into bitterness and i had one to say oh sometimes, to be honest with you, Pastor, I long to be back a little girl again, knowing that my Father takes care of everything. Trust, the serenity, the peace, and my Heavenly Father, I love that song, watches over me. And Paul says, we have not received a spirit that causes us to have phobias and fears, but we've received the spirit of adoption.

Brother, we have been adopted into the family of God. He is our Heavenly Father, and out of His vast treasure house of love and grace and treasure, He will meet our needs and calm our fears. I'm glad I'm a child of God. And you have to be a child of God only by adoption. There must come that moment,

that decisive crisis moment in your life when the Lord Jesus Christ, by His saving grace, makes you a child of God. Do you possess the Holy Spirit this morning? Have you been adopted into the family of God? But we're not only children, adopted children, we're not only children, adopted children,

we're also assured children. We're also assured children. Look at that, verse 16. The Spirit himself beareth witness with our spirit that we are the children of God. Assurance. Now listen. Very little good in being a child of God if you're not certain of it.

There's very little serenity in being a child of God if you're not sure of it. And the one thing the Holy Spirit who dwells in us and who enables us to become a child of God, the one thing the Holy Spirit wants to do is to give us this assurance that we are the child of God. 1 John chapter 3 and verse 24 says that we know that we are in him by the Spirit which he has given us. 1 John chapter 5 and verse 10 says, he that believeth on him hath the witness in himself. Paul is talking here about an inward witness. The Holy Spirit who dwells in my spirit testifies to me that I'm a child of God.

Now, how does this work? How does this work? There are only two sources of assurance. How can I know for certain that I'm a child of God how can I know without a shadow of a doubt that I'm safe there are only two sources first of all is the objective the objective source of the scriptures I know that I'm a child of God because the book says so Romans chapter 10 in verse 13 says for whosoever should call upon the name of the Lord

when I acknowledge his lordship in my life, they shall be saved. Jesus said in John chapter 1, rather John said it, But as many as received Jesus, to them gave he the right to become the sons of God. Jesus said in Revelation 3 and 20, Behold, I stand at the door and knock. If any man hears my voice and opens the door, I will come in to him. The objective assurance of the Scriptures. Remember what we quoted in 1 John 5 and verse 10?

He that believeth on him hath the witness in himself. The way that I can know that I'm a child of God is by bare naked faith in this word, in this book. Now, I've known some people who struggle with this matter of their assurance, and here's the way they reason. They say, well, I must be saved. I mean, after all, I've taught a Sunday school class for years. After all, I've taught a Sunday school class for years. After all, I've been a deacon. I mean, certainly I wouldn't have been witnessing to people if I wasn't saved.

Surely, surely I wouldn't have gone to church all of these years if I wasn't saved. I must be saved because look at this. Listen, no, no. The only way you can know that you're saved, the Word of God, not what you've done, not your life of merit, not your life of work, but by the Word of God. Has there come that moment in your life

when by an act of your will you deliberately said, Lord Jesus, I want you to come into my life. I yield to your lordship. Save me right now. Now that's one source, and that's the primary source. The other source is the subjective witness of the Spirit. First of all, the objective witness of the scripture. Secondly, the subjective witness of the Spirit. That means the Holy Spirit witnessing in me, within me.

Now, this is what he's talking about. Now listen, I want you to get the connection. 1 John 5, 10 says, He that believeth on him hath the witness in himself. You don't have the witness in yourself until, first of all, you believe on him. The subjective witness of the Spirit merely confirms the objective witness of the Scriptures. Now, here's what Paul says. Let's read verses 15 and 16 together. Paul says, For you have not received the spirit of bondage again to fear, but you have received the spirit of adoption. The word of God tells me that I am a child of God, whereby we cry, Abba, Father.

When I believe the Word, when I believe the Scripture, when I stand not on my feelings, not on my past, not on how good I am, but I stand on the Scripture, and the Scripture says that when I trusted Jesus as my Savior, I became His child, I have my faith grounded in that Word of God, and I cry, Abba, Father. The Holy Spirit answers back within me and says, Yes, Son. You see, once I take the word of God, and once I by faith accept the

objective witness of the scriptures and acting on that faith, I say, Yes, sir. God is my Father, and the Holy Spirit who dwells within me witnesses and testifies to my spirit. That's right, you are. You are. Now listen, the Holy Spirit can never witness to your spirit that you're a child of God until, first of all, you faith it.

The subjective witness of the Spirit is founded upon and merely confirms the objective witness of the Scriptures. Do you have those two witnesses this morning? If you do not, then you are not saved. Do you have the objective witness of the Scripture? Have you fulfilled the Scriptural commands? Have you acknowledged Jesus as Lord and Savior in your life?

Have you, by an act of your faith and an act of your will, received Jesus as your Lord and Savior? Do you have that witness? Does the Holy Spirit who dwells within you witness to that fact? You say, well, I haven't done what you're talking about.

I joined the church and was sprinkled and confirmed or baptized. I know I've never done what you're talking about, the Word, but I know I feel saved. That must be the Spirit witnessing within me. No. Maybe that's the devil witnessing within you. If you don't have the first witness of the Word, if you don't have the first witness of the Word, if you don't have the first witness of the Scriptures,

if you have not obeyed the scriptural commands of this book, then whatever it is that's witnessing in you, telling you you're saved, is not the Spirit of God. Because the Spirit of God only confirms the witness of the Word. Do you have that first witness? That's the main thing. That's the first thing.

Do you have that first witness? Have you obeyed the Word of God? Have you called upon the name of the lord to save you have you received jesus into your life if you have then the spirit of god will witness with your spirit that you're his child when you believe so we are assured children we are assured children god doesn't want us to be into any doubt as to where our status is. Now there's one last thing. Not only are we adopted children, not only are we assured children, but I want you to know we're also affluent children. We're rich. You look at that verse 17. And if children, and we are, then heirs, heirs of God, and joint heirs with Christ.

Affluent, rich, wealthy. If I'm a child, adopted into a family, they are no less legal claim and right to all of the father's inheritance as the natural sons had. Oh, and that means that when God picked me up and said, Listen, I want to free you from the bondage of your sin. I want to free you from the bondage of yourself. I want to free you from the bondage of your sin. I want to free you from the bondage of yourself. I want to free you from the bondage of Satan. I want to place you and make you one of my children. And I said as a nine-year-old boy,

all right, that's what I want. That's what I want. I want to receive Jesus. I want to become a child of God. At the moment that happened, suddenly, suddenly, I became an heir of God I received a legal title to everything that God is and everything that God has that's affluence that's

wealth that's richness now I haven't entered into all that yet that little baby lying in the crib may be an heir to a millionaire fortune, but he doesn't know it. He doesn't realize it. He hasn't entered into it yet, but one of these days he will. I haven't entered into all of my inheritance yet, neither have you, but one of these days we will. I want you to notice something.

He says that not only are we heirs of God, we're also joint heirs with Christ. Joint heirs with Christ. You say, well, I wonder why God, I wonder why God, the Holy Spirit inspiring Paul to write, added that phrase. Certainly that's not necessary. I mean, isn't it enough merely to be heirs of God? Why does he mention in addition to this that we're also joint heirs with Christ? That means we share equally with Christ. We have an equal title with Christ. I'll tell you why.

Because that is just another underscoring of our security. If the Father breaks the title of one, he has to break the title of all of them. Jesus Christ and I share the same title. If I lose my title, he loses his. If I lose my inheritance, Jesus loses his. I am a joiner with Christ. I have the same title that Christ has. And if God makes null and void my title or your title or your title,

then he must make null and void the title of Jesus Christ. And you know that's not going to happen. My title to my inheritance, to my salvation is just as secure as is Jesus Christ himself. I'll let these people that believe you can lose your salvation be here today and gone tomorrow, saved today and lost tomorrow. They just don't know the Scriptures. I can no sooner be lost than Jesus can. If I die and go to hell, Jesus must go to hell. If I lose my inheritance with God, Jesus loses his.

Why? Because we both hold the same title. Sherry Flynn. And you can't break one without breaking both of them. Join heirs with Jesus. I share equally everything Jesus has. Now we keep talking about

up yonder, you know, sweet by and by. But that doesn't mean just up there. That also means a sweet here and now. I love that verse over in john chapter 17 when jesus is here on earth and he's praying that's that great intercessory prayer

and he says he says father i'm not only praying for these immediate 11 disciples that i have left but he says i'm also praying for all of those who will believe on me through their witness that means jesus was praying for you and praying for me, praying for all of us. And you know what Jesus says? He says, Father, I pray that they will know that you love them just as much as you love me. I share equally with Christ. And that means, and I cannot fathom it,

but that means this morning as I stand in this place that the Heavenly Father loves me just as much as He loves Jesus. He loves me just as much as He loves Jesus. And He is going to care for me and watch over me and protect me just as much as He would Jesus. These and nobody else are sons of God. Are you a child of God this morning? Are you? Do you have this two-fold witness?

Do you? Have you obeyed the word? Does the Spirit this morning witness with your spirit that you're a child of God? If you do not have those two witnesses together, only these are the children of God. Let's pray together.