Christian Living

Escape the Orphanage

by Thomas Kirkpatrick
11/16/21
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“But as many as received Him, to them He gave the right to become children of God, even to those who believe in His name, who were born, not of blood nor of the will of the flesh nor of the will of man, but of God.” (John 1:12-13)

I have said this before in my ramblings, and I will repeat the thought here again. At birth, we are all born orphans. I know most of us have parents at birth, some only have one parent, and others have foster parents. Even so, whatever the circumstance, all of us are born orphans. When Adam and Eve fell to the temptation of the evil one and ate the forbidden fruit of the “Tree of the Knowledge of Good and Evil,” sin entered into their lives. Humanity now knew something they were never meant to know, evil. What once was created in the perfection of the Creator is now fractured. The intimate relationship between God and man was broken by the sin that had come between them. We have all experienced separation from our earthly parents. When I did something I knew was wrong, guilt and the fear of being caught came between my father and me. That brokenness never minded until the truth came out.

Mankind was created in perfect harmony with God’s nature, and when sin fractured that harmony, humanity became broken. Our brokenness is inherent to all who have come to life after our first parents. The image God breathed into Adam, which gave him life, is now a broken image for all of humanity. Our broken image cannot understand the truths of God’s Word, live a righteous life, and love in the same love that God has for us. God has gone to great lengths to come to us in the likeness of man, Jesus, to provide a way to restore the image to its intended image of Him.

There are three things God cannot do, and one of them is lying. God has to abide by the word He has spoken. God has to abide by the law He has given. If God were to sin, then He would not be holy or righteous. This truth is also the same for humanity. Humankind is born into sin and has a sinful nature that drives them to sin. Therefore, humanity cannot be holy and cannot be righteous. Sinful humanity cannot be in the presence of God. Humanities sin condemns them to death, as they cannot be in God’s Kingdom in Heaven. Jesus came to fulfill the law of sin’s death by sacrificing Himself in humanity’s place. Through Jesus, humanity can restore God’s image in their spirit and find life in His Kingdom. “For the wages of sin is death, but the free gift of God is eternal life in Christ Jesus our Lord.” (Romans 6:23)

When we leave this world, there are only two statuses that determine our eternal destiny. We’re either sons of disobedience, “And you were dead in your trespasses and sins, in which you formerly walked according to the course of this world, according to the prince of the power of the air, of the spirit that is now working in the sons of disobedience.” (Ephesians 2:1-2) or the Children of God. The sons of disobedience will face an eternity of tormenting judgment. The Children of God will inherit the riches of God’s glory in His Kingdom, Heaven. “In Him we have redemption through His blood, the forgiveness of our trespasses, according to the riches of His grace which He lavished on us. In all wisdom and insight.” (Ephesians 1:7-8)

The problem for most is Jesus places a decision that has to be made, to accept or reject Him as what He claims to be the Lord and Savior of humanity. Those who reject are on their own and what the world gives them is all they will ever have in their life. There is nothing for them after this life but spiritual death. “He who believes in the Son has eternal life; but he who does not obey the Son will not see life, but the wrath of God abides on him.” (John 3:36) Accepting or rejecting Jesus as Lord and Savior is the most important decision a person can make. Some make the decision quickly, and some tarry and decide to accept. “But as many as received Him, to them He gave the right to become children of God, even to those who believe in His name, who were born, not of blood nor of the will of the flesh nor of the will of man, but of God.” (John 1:12-13) Others never give it a taught until they face judgment, but the opportunity has passed them. The consequences of sin become a choice they have made.

To become a Child of God, one must believe Jesus is their personal Savior and trust Him on His Word that they have been forgiven of the sins. “For by grace you have been saved through faith; and that not of yourselves, it is the gift of God; not as a result of works, so that no one may boast.” (Ephesians 2:8-9) Believing is not proven without faith. Faith is living life in the truth of His Word. If Jesus has taken your sins away, and you still hold on to them, then you are not living in faith that His Word is true. Becoming a Christian recognizes the sin in your life, knowing that there is no way to be free of its penalty without the cleansing blood Jesus shed on the cross. Christians confess their sin and repent from it. If the Christian stumbles into sin, then he is quick to confess and, in faith, believe he has been forgiven. “If we confess our sins, He is faithful and righteous to forgive us our sins and to cleanse us from all unrighteousness.” (1 John 1:9)

Becoming a child of God does not mean that life will be perfect or easy. One reason is you are no longer a citizen of the world but a citizen of the Kingdom of God. The other reason is you are still in the world and living in the darkness of the world. Friends will reject you because you serve the Lord. Some people will persecute you, as they did Jesus when He was in the world. The world is filled with trials and tribulations as a result of sin’s effect on society. Jesus says, do not fear. He is with you always. Do not fear because, at the acceptance of Jesus, you have His Holy Spirit living within you as your helper. “But when He, the Spirit of truth, comes, He will guide you into all the truth; for He will not speak on His own initiative, but whatever He hears, He will speak; and He will disclose to you what is to come.” (John 16:13)

In Romans, Paul wrote that a Christian becomes a new creation in Jesus and takes on unique characteristics foreign to the worldly people. Transformation is something that must be done, as we are not citizens of this world. “And do not be conformed to this world, but be transformed by the renewing of your mind, so that you may prove what the will of God is, that which is good and acceptable and perfect.” (Romans 12:2) Do not fear as this regeneration is the work of the Holy Spirit, and in faith, be obedient to His counsel.

It is an exciting adventure to embark on the Christian life. It is exciting as you are not the old self but are becoming a new self, not the old creature of the past, but the new creature of eternal life. It is an exciting struggle of restoration of the broken image to the perfect image of Jesus. It begins with Jesus talking to a Pharisee named Nicodemus who came to Jesus in the night and learned he must be born again. As Jesus said to him, “Truly, truly, I say to you, unless one is born again he cannot see the kingdom of God.” Nicodemus did not understand this, and Jesus explained. “Truly, truly, I say to you, unless one is born of water and the Spirit he cannot enter into the kingdom of God. “That which is born of the flesh is flesh, and that which is born of the Spirit is spirit.

The New Birth is not physical, as the flesh is corrupted from the fall and will always desire the worldly things that satisfy the senses. When God breathed life into a man, it was His Spirit that gave life. It is the fractured spirit that has to have a rebirth. The Christian has been saved, forgiven, and redeemed by the bloodshed sacrifice of Jesus, and now the spirit must be reborn to grow into the image of Jesus. Rebirth is an amazing adventure when you do things that you know you could never do. A miracle is done through you pulling a lost soul out of Satan’s clutches and his evil minions. No man can win a spiritual battle, but the Holy Spirit can through you with faith. “Whoever will call on the name of the Lord will be saved.” (Romans 10:13)

Confession is our testimony and has the power of the Holy Spirit to reach the souls of humanity. The power to take them out of the pit and guide them on the narrow path to eternity. Belief, confession, faith, and a committed willingness to reach the lost souls. “The word is near you, in your mouth and in your heart”--that is, the word of faith which we are preaching, that if you confess with your mouth Jesus as Lord, and believe in your heart that God raised Him from the dead, you will be saved; for with the heart a person believes, resulting in righteousness, and with the mouth he confesses, resulting in salvation.” (Romans 10:8-10)

This mission leads people to escape the orphanage of this dying world to their home in the Kingdom of God. “Go therefore and make disciples of all the nations, baptizing them in the name of the Father and the Son and the Holy Spirit, teaching them to observe all that I commanded you; and lo, I am with you always, even to the end of the age.” (Matthew 28:19-20)

Thomas N Kirkpatrick

First Baptist Church of Durant, October 8, 2020