Called to be Sons: Happy With Jesus Alone

Beautiful day sons and daughters of the Most High,

I am excited and humbled that you are here to share with me in the Word of God. Today, it is pressing upon me that we discuss St. John 1:12 (KJV) and what it means for us today. St. John 1: 12 (KJV) says, “But as many as received him, to them gave he power to become the sons of God, even to them that believe on his name.” May God add a blessing to the readers, hearers, and doers of His holy Word. It is in the sadness and the brokenness of this present world that causes us to look to Scripture for hope. What better joy is there in this world than to be called a son by the eternally existent God of heaven?! It is this scripture that gives me the understanding that God has personally called me to be one of His sons even in the midst of this broken and destroyed world.

All that is required for us to receive the power to become one of the sons of God is that we live our lives continually and always, believing in the person and work of Jesus Christ. This should be our greatest joy. Not only should our identity as the children of God be our greatest treasure and our greatest joy, but we should also be aware that God has always desired for us to be His children who would freely love, worship, and adore Him. Psalm 100 says, “Make a joyful noise unto the LORD, all ye lands. Serve the LORD with gladness: come before his presence with singing. Know ye that the LORD he is God: it is he that hath made us, and not we ourselves; we are his people, and the sheep of his pasture. Enter his gates with thanksgiving, and into his courts with praise: be thankful unto him, and bless his name. For the LORD is good: his mercy is everlasting: and his truth endureth to all generations.” From this particular psalm, we understand that it is He that made us for his good pleasure and not we ourselves.” Furthermore, from the beginning it was so that He created us to be His sons and daughters in the earth.

Why is it important mankind comes to the knowledge of this identity that God has called us to?

The reason it is important for humanity to acknowledge and answer the call of being God’s children is because all the tragedies and confusion that exists in the world has manifested as a result of humanity’s lost identity and lost reality. For example, strife, hatred, and murder is the result of a lost identity and the failure to identify God’s children as the children of God. In the same way, pornography, fornication, and sodomy are common behaviors and lifestyles in society. If we are not careful; if we are not mindful of our identity as the sons and daughters of God, we run the risk of hating each other for money, fame, titles and positions. If we are not mindful of our identities as the sons of God, we run the risk of finding identity in something else. Place your hand on your heart, and say these words, “Never forget that you are a child of God.” You are a son of God. You are a daughter of God. Let not hatred, and strife be among us! Let not fornication, adultery, or sodomy be among us! We are the children of God.

Although humanity boldly and sometimes arrogantly rejects God in Christ Jesus, it does not quench their human thirst for love, affection, and a sense of belonging. It is critical that we understand that any form of love, affection, or sense of belonging that is not God-ordained is in fact perversion and confusion. The Apostle Paul wrote in 1 Corinthians 14:33 that, “...God is not the author of confusion, but of peace, as in all saints.” We must know and be sure that God is not the author of confusion. Satan is the author of the confusion and perversion that gives birth to sin and death. For example, Luke 3:38 declares that Adam “was” a son of God. Adam was a man created by God, and there was a day when Satan came to Eve (Adam’s wife) in the form of a serpent. In that moment, Satan utilized confusion and perversion to deceive Eve into committing sin, and Adam joined Eve in committing sin against God. When Adam committed sin against God, he lost the perfect communion he once had with God.

When Adam committed sin against God, sin became his nature. He became an estranged son fallen from grace. Not only that, but sin became the nature of all Adam’s seed. Since sin became Adam’s nature, he and all his seed had to pay a costly retribution called death. The word death comes from the Hebrew word “maw-veth” which means to naturally come to ruin. In the Hebrew culture, they understood that the final destination for the soul who dies is a place called Hades. But in the process of time, Jesus Christ, the only begotten Son of God, God from God, He was fully God and fully man, He came into the world, born of a virgin birth. He lived 33 years of joy and pain, gladness and sadness, love and betrayal. He never sinned against God. He never mistreated a soul. One day, he died. He died. Three days later he rose from the dead with all power in his hands. All power in his hands! Power to make us the sons of God! Power to give us Holy Communion with God! Aren’t you glad to be a son? I’m glad to be a son! No wonder the Pilgrim Jubilees you to sing the song “I’m Happy With Jesus Alone!” They said, “There is nothing as precious as Jesus to me. I am happy as can be with my Savior Lord I see. I’m happy with Jesus alone!” I’m happy with Jesus alone! Everyday we live, let this be our prayer.

Let us pray,

Heavenly Father, we thank you for who you are and for all that you have done for us. You have kept us from harms and dangers seen and unseen. Thank you for giving your only begotten Son Jesus Christ so that we could be redeemed as your sons. Thank you for restoring us to Holy Communion in you. Right now, we confess Jesus Christ as our Lord, Savior, and Master. We believe the Jesus Christ died, and that HE rose from the dead with all power in his hands. He rose with power to make us the sons of God. We believe by faith that we are now your sons and daughters through Jesus Christ. Thank you for the new identity we have in you. Help us that this will be our greatest joy. In Jesus Christ mighty name we pray, Amen.