John 1:12 (NKJV) But as many as received Him, to them He gave the right to become children of God, to those who believe in His name:
Galatians 4:6 (NKJV) And because you are sons, God has sent forth the Spirit of His Son into your hearts, crying out, “Abba, Father!”
To have an intimate relationship with God, we need to have the right perception of the Heavenly Father and the right perspective of how He sees us. The Old Testament saints did not have the concept of God as their Heavenly Father because they were under the tutorage of the law. However, everything changed for us after the atonement and redemptive work of Jesus Christ. We are blessed and privileged to have God Almighty as our Heavenly Father. We have been given the right to become God’s children when we receive Jesus into our hearts. We will utter “Abba Father” in our quiet moments with Him. He wants us to have childlike faith to come before Him to believe in His Word. Therefore, we need to see ourselves as God’s children and not feel inhibited from being in the presence of God. God knows our needs before we even ask Him for them because the Heavenly Father will provide for His family. He wants us to come to Him even though He knows what we need because He cherishes our time and our walk with Him, and He desires us to seek His face and not just His hands.
Ephesians 1:5-6 (NKJV) having predestined us to adoption as sons by Jesus Christ to Himself, according to the good pleasure of His will, to the praise of the glory of His grace, by which He made us accepted in the Beloved.
The Apostle Paul prayed that God would open the eyes of the believers to see the wonderful position that we have been blessed with through all the spiritual blessings in the heavenly places that God has bestowed on us. Similarly, not every Christian today knows the great news of their spiritual blessings in Christ. Many are still trying to earn and achieve God’s love and acceptance even though they are already accepted by God. It is a positional truth that will not change.
Through the blood of Jesus Christ, we are accepted by the holy, just, and righteous God. Though we are imperfect until we are in heaven, God has chosen to see us in Christ now. Therefore, we must bear this truth in mind, especially when approaching Him in prayer. God only sees us in Christ because of our union with Him. We need to accept and rest in the finished work of Jesus Christ. We must also appreciate that God, the Heavenly Father, is the source of every blessing. Precious and priceless are the gifts that He has given to us. What a privilege and honour it is to have free access to the throne of God the Father, and be able to talk to Him freely about anything and everything.
Sermon Series:Lord Teach Us How to Pray (Part 1)
天父如何看我们
约翰福音 1:12 凡接待他的,就是信他名的人,他就赐他们权柄,作神的儿女。
加拉太书 4:6 你们既为儿子,神就差他儿子的灵进入你们(原文作“我们”)的心,呼叫:“阿爸,父!”
要拥有与神的亲密关系,我们需要对天父有正确的认识,对祂如何看待我们有正确的视角。旧约的圣徒不会有以神作为他们天父的概念,因为他们是在律法的管教之下。然而,耶稣基督的赎罪和救赎工作之后,一切都改变了。我们是有福的,能有全能的神作为我们的天父。神把我们当作他的孩子。当我们接受耶稣进入我们的心中时,我们就有了成为神儿女的权利。当我们在与祂的静谧时刻,我们会喃喃称祂“阿爸父”。祂想要我们怀着孩童那样的信心来到祂面前,相信祂的话语。我们需要把自己看作是神的孩子,在神的面前不会感到拘束。在我们开口之前祂就知道我们的需要,因为天父自会供养祂的家人。尽管祂已经知道我们的需要,祂还是希望我们来到祂面前。祂珍惜我们与祂相处的时间和与祂的同行。祂渴望我们寻求祂的面,而不仅仅是祂的手。
以弗所书1:5-6 又因爱我们,就按着自己意旨所喜悦的,预定我们藉着耶稣基督得儿子的名分,使他荣耀的恩典得着称赞。这恩典是他在爱子里所赐给我们的。
使徒保罗祷告神能开启信徒的眼睛,让他们看到我们借着神所赐给我们的天上所有属灵祝福而蒙福的奇妙地位。同样,今天不是每个基督徒都知道他们在基督里得到属灵祝福的好消息。许多人仍在努力赚取和获得上帝的爱和接纳,即使他们已经被上帝接纳。这是一个不会改变的位份的真理。
通过耶稣基督的宝血,我们被圣洁、公义、公正的神所接纳。即便我们在进入天堂之前是不会完美的,但神选择现在就在基督里看我们。我们必须牢记这一点,尤其是当我们以祷告就近祂时。神只在基督里看我们,因为我们与祂合一。我们需要接受并安息在耶稣基督完成的工作中,我们也必须充分意识到,上帝,天父,是一切祝福的源头。祂赐给我们的礼物既珍贵又无价。能够自由地进入父神的宝座,并能够自由地与祂谈论任何事情,这是多么大的特权和荣耀。
讲章系列:主啊,教我们如何祷告(第一部分)
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