God Has No Grandchildren

Have you ever gone to a family gathering and you were known as so-and-so’s daughter or son? Maybe they even introduced that way. This is Aunt Sally’s grandchild, people might say. Wouldn’t you love to be known as one of God’s children? When they see you, wouldn’t it be great if because of what you say and how you act that you are clearly one of God’s children? A lot of times if someone doesn’t know you, they think they know you by who you hang around with or who you are related to. God wants us to listen to him and to behave in such a way that there can be no doubt that you are God’s child, in addition to being Velma’s son, Tom’s niece, or Susie’s cousin.  (Use children’s relative’s names in the congregation, if possible.)

Some people may think that because grandma or grandpa, mom or dad, or sisters or brothers have developed a connection with God, that they will in some way get into Heaven on their shirt tails. After all, that’s the way it is with royalty, people might think. When a man becomes a president or a king, his wife and children automatically become royalty. This is not the situation in the Kingdom of God. God has no grandchildren – only children.

We are all individually accountable to God. When he saves us by His awesome power, we are adopted as His personal sons and daughters. Not one of us can claim the faith of our father or mother as our own. There is no such thing as a “spiritual grandchild” of God. We each must come to Him on our own. If we don’t have our own faith, we have no faith at all. Even though it is the same faith as others (because it is faith in Jesus), it is not our faith, until we own it in our hearts and minds. That was true for our parents; it’s true for our children, and it is true for each of us. God gave the privilege of becoming His children—His sons and daughters. How? By receiving Jesus Christ by faith, by letting go of the coattails of parents and grandparents and praying to God. When you do that, God becomes your “Daddy,” and you enter into the most intimate and loving privilege in all of the world. Prayer: Heavenly Father, help us to want to become your children. Give us wisdom and guidance to follow you closely, to love you, and to bring other people to your saving grace. 

Song: 4th stanza of the song, I Have Decided to Follow Jesus (see below)

Will you decide now to follow Jesus? Will you decide now to follow Jesus? Will you decide now to follow Jesus? No turning back, no turning back.

From http://www.hymntime.com/tch/htm/i/h/a/ihavedef.htm