BEING LIKE OUR FATHER IN HEAVEN

  

^{John 1:10} He was in the world, and the world was made by him, and the world knew him not. ¹¹ He came unto his own, and his own received him not. ¹² 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:

 

Reading the above verses gives us some insight into what the LORD has provided for us when we “believe on” or believe into HIS name. We are according to; ^{1Co 12:13} For by one Spirit we were all baptized into one body–whether Jews or Greeks, whether slaves or free–and have all been made to drink into one Spirit.

 

We are baptized by the Spirit of God into the “Body” of Christ when we believe on HIM.

 

In this we are born-again and are “babes in Christ” Read the following:

 

^{1Peter 2:2} As newborn babes, desire the sincere milk of the word, that ye may grow thereby:

 

^{Galatians 3:26} For ye are all the children of God by faith in Christ Jesus.

 

Let’s think a little more on John 1:12:

 

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:

 

The Greek word that is translated “become” is a very interesting word. While we know that we are becoming “sons of God” getting to that point is not an instantaneous thing, I believe it is a process and it is necessary for us all.

 

However there is another aspect of the word that could be translated “behave”. We not only are to “become” sons but we are to become full grown sons of God that behave as mature or complete sons.

 

^{Matthew 5:48} Be ye therefore perfect, even as your Father which is in heaven is perfect.

 

We must understand what the word “perfect” really means “complete” or we will be led off in a wrong direction.

 

5046. tel’-i-os  complete (in various applications of labor, growth, mental and moral character,; completeness:–of full age, man, perfect.

 

The word means to be mature or complete. We can get a better understanding of the word from the following:

 

^{Ephesians 4:11} And he gave some, apostles; and some, prophets; and some, evangelists; and some, pastors and teachers; ¹² For the perfecting of the saints, for the work of the ministry, for the edifying of the body of Christ: ¹³ Till we all come in the unity of the faith, and of the knowledge of the Son of God, unto a perfect man, unto the measure of the stature of the fullness of Christ:

 

In verse 13 above the word “perfect” is the same word “telios” that we have been dealing with. The LORD is saying that we are to become full grown mature sons and to behave as Jesus did.

 

Now read the following verses and let’s move a little further into understanding what it means to behave as sons of our Father:

 

^{2Peter 1:2} Grace and peace be multiplied unto you through the knowledge of God, and of Jesus our Lord, ³ According as his divine power hath given unto us all things that pertain unto life and godliness, through the knowledge of him that hath called us to glory and virtue:

 

 

 ⁴ Whereby are given unto us exceeding great and precious promises: that by these ye might be partakers of the divine nature, having escaped the corruption that is in the world through lust.

 

There are two main things in these verses that I want us to see:

 

(1) “his divine power hath given unto us all things that pertain unto life and godliness.”

We have been given all that we need to live the life that we are called to live in Christ and we have been given all that we need to live a life of “godliness” or to live in this earth being like God or being like our Father. We have HIS DNA in us.

 

(2) We have been made partakers of HIS “divine nature.”

We can live in HIS kingdom in this earth today with HIS nature and character working in us.

 

The verses below are a revelation given to Moses of the very nature, character or glory of God.

 

^{Exodus 34:6} And the LORD passed by before him, and proclaimed, The LORD, The LORD God, merciful and gracious, longsuffering, and abundant in goodness and truth, ⁷ Keeping mercy for thousands, forgiving iniquity and transgression and sin, and that will by no means clear the guilty; visiting the iniquity of the fathers upon the children, and upon the children’s children, unto the third and to the fourth generation.

 

We see that the LORD our Father is:

• merciful (compassionate)
• gracious
• longsuffering (or slow to anger)
• full of goodness and truth
• merciful (loving kindness) and
• He is forgiving.

 

These are attributes of God that I believe that have been given to us according to what we read in 2Peter 1:2-4 where we are told that we have been given “all things” that pertain to life and godliness and that we have been made a partaker of HIS divine nature.

 

As we continue this study if we look at what Jesus said in the following verses we will see that HE is telling in these that we are to do these things so that we “behave” as children of our Father in heaven.

 

^{Matthew 5:38} Ye have heard that it hath been said, An eye for an eye, and a tooth for a tooth: ³⁹ But I say unto you, That ye resist not evil: but whosoever shall smite thee on thy right cheek, turn to him the other also. ⁴⁰ And if any man will sue thee at the law, and take away thy coat, let him have thy cloke also. ⁴¹ And whosoever shall compel thee to go a mile, go with him twain. ⁴² Give to him that asketh thee, and from him that would borrow of thee turn not thou away. ⁴³ Ye have heard that it hath been said, Thou shalt love thy neighbour, and hate thine enemy. ⁴⁴ But I say unto you, Love your enemies, bless them that curse you, do good to them that hate you, and pray for them which despitefully use you, and persecute you; ⁴⁵ “That ye may be the children of your Father which is in heaven”: for he maketh his sun to rise on the evil and on the good, and sendeth rain on the just and on the unjust.

 

The instructions that Jesus is giving us here is not for the millennium but is for us here and now in HIS kingdom, which is at hand or in our midst. This is for us now.

 

^{Romans 5:1}  Therefore, having been justified by faith, we have peace with God through our Lord Jesus Christ, ² through whom also we have access by faith into this grace in which we stand, and rejoice in hope of the glory of God. ³ And not only that, but we also glory in tribulations, knowing that tribulation produces perseverance; ⁴ and perseverance, character; and character, hope. ⁵ Now hope does not disappoint, because the love of God has been poured out in our hearts by the Holy Spirit who was given to us.

 

Because we have received Jesus as LORD we do have peace with God, we do have access to our Father and HIS grace or enabling power. We can expect the Glory of God or HIS DNA, the character and nature of our Father

 

to be made manifest in our lives.

 

We as well can rejoice and boast in our LORD in tribulations because we know that in the tribulations the fruit of perseverance is being produced as well as the character of our Father coming forth in our lives.

 

Now let’s look a few verses in Romans chapter 8;

 

^{Romans 8:14} For as many as are led by the Spirit of God, these are sons of God. ¹⁵ For you did not receive the spirit of bondage again to fear, but you received the Spirit of adoption by whom we cry out, “Abba, Father.” ¹⁶ The Spirit Himself bears witness with our spirit that we are children of God, ¹⁷ and if children, then heirs–heirs of God and joint heirs with Christ, if indeed we suffer with Him, that we may also be glorified together. ¹⁸ For I consider that the sufferings of this present time are not worthy to be compared with the glory which shall be revealed in us. ¹⁹ For the earnest expectation of the creation eagerly waits for the revealing of the sons of God. ²⁰ For the creation was subjected to futility, not willingly, but because of Him who subjected it in hope; ²¹ because the creation itself also will be delivered from the bondage of corruption into the glorious liberty of the children of God.

 

Walking in this earth as sons of God will be accompanied with sufferings that are part and parcel of being a son of God.

 

^{Hebrews 5:8} Though he were a Son, yet learned he obedience by the things which he suffered;

 

The whole creation is waiting for the sons of God to begin to behave as sons of God. This is not just in doing miracles and demonstrating the power of God, but also in manifesting HIS Agape Love in word, deed, attitudes and what we allow to motivate us.

 

^{Matthew 7:21}  “Not everyone who says to Me, ‘Lord, Lord,’ shall enter the kingdom of heaven, but he who does the will of My Father in heaven. ²² “Many will say to Me in that day, ‘Lord, Lord, have we not prophesied in Your name, cast out demons in Your name, and done many wonders in Your name?’ ²³ “And then I will declare to them, ‘I never knew you; depart from Me, you who practice lawlessness!’

 

Prophesying, casting out demons and working miracles according to these above verses are not as important as “knowing” HIM. We must be in an intimate relationship and fellowship with the LORD; in other words learning HIS ways and allowing HIM to order our lives, partaking of HIS sufferings so as to be conformed to HIS image. See Romans 8:29

 

It is not to say that prophesying, casting out demons and working miracles is not part of what the LORD is doing in HIS people today. It seems to me it takes both and there may be priorities that the LORD is dealing with.