1 John 3:1-10
Notes
Transcript
Background
Last week we finished up 1 John 2, and looked at the things of this world and antichrist. The overall theme of the book is knowing who God is, believing in His Son Jesus Christ, and having assurance of eternal life.
1 See how great a love the Father has bestowed on us, that we would be called children of God; and such we are. For this reason the world does not know us, because it did not know Him.
2 Beloved, now we are children of God, and it has not appeared as yet what we will be. We know that when He appears, we will be like Him, because we will see Him just as He is.
3 And everyone who has this hope fixed on Him purifies himself, just as He is pure.
John begins this section with a call to see how great God’s love is for us. The context for this is in the previous chapter:
25 This is the promise which He Himself made to us: eternal life.
The love God has for us is so great that He gave up His own Son.
16 “For God so loved the world, that He gave His only begotten Son, that whoever believes in Him shall not perish, but have eternal life.
By doing this, God enabled us to become His children.
Jesus died for us so that we could be adopted into God’s household.
Jesus died for us so that we could be adopted into God’s household.
14 For all who are being led by the Spirit of God, these are sons of God.
15 For you have not received a spirit of slavery leading to fear again, but you have received a spirit of adoption as sons by which we cry out, “Abba! Father!”
16 The Spirit Himself testifies with our spirit that we are children of God,
17 and if children, heirs also, heirs of God and fellow heirs with Christ, if indeed we suffer with Him so that we may also be glorified with Him.
Last week, we talked about how the world will not love us.
18 “If the world hates you, you know that it has hated Me before it hated you.
19 “If you were of the world, the world would love its own; but because you are not of the world, but I chose you out of the world, because of this the world hates you.
20 “Remember the word that I said to you, ‘A slave is not greater than his master.’ If they persecuted Me, they will also persecute you; if they kept My word, they will keep yours also.
Look at the promise made here: when Christ appears at His return, we will be like Him.
4 When Christ, who is our life, is revealed, then you also will be revealed with Him in glory.
50 Now I say this, brethren, that flesh and blood cannot inherit the kingdom of God; nor does the perishable inherit the imperishable.
51 Behold, I tell you a mystery; we will not all sleep, but we will all be changed,
52 in a moment, in the twinkling of an eye, at the last trumpet; for the trumpet will sound, and the dead will be raised imperishable, and we will be changed.
53 For this perishable must put on the imperishable, and this mortal must put on immortality.
This is what we put our hope in - not in things of this world, but in the promise of what is to come.
4 Everyone who practices sin also practices lawlessness; and sin is lawlessness.
5 You know that He appeared in order to take away sins; and in Him there is no sin.
6 No one who abides in Him sins; no one who sins has seen Him or knows Him.
7 Little children, make sure no one deceives you; the one who practices righteousness is righteous, just as He is righteous;
8 the one who practices sin is of the devil; for the devil has sinned from the beginning. The Son of God appeared for this purpose, to destroy the works of the devil.
9 No one who is born of God practices sin, because His seed abides in him; and he cannot sin, because he is born of God.
10 By this the children of God and the children of the devil are obvious: anyone who does not practice righteousness is not of God, nor the one who does not love his brother.
These topics are not new to us.
We discussed abiding in Christ last week.
10 “If you keep My commandments, you will abide in My love; just as I have kept My Father’s commandments and abide in His love.
12 “This is My commandment, that you love one another, just as I have loved you.
Now, John is connecting what we practice with who we belong to.
Lawlessness isn’t just breaking the law; it is a rejection of God’s objective moral standard which He has written in our hearts.
18 For the wrath of God is revealed from heaven against all ungodliness and unrighteousness of men who suppress the truth in unrighteousness,
19 because that which is known about God is evident within them; for God made it evident to them.
21 I find then the principle that evil is present in me, the one who wants to do good.
22 For I joyfully concur with the law of God in the inner man,
23 but I see a different law in the members of my body, waging war against the law of my mind and making me a prisoner of the law of sin which is in my members.
24 Wretched man that I am! Who will set me free from the body of this death?
But remember - we have been set free.
18 “The Spirit of the Lord is upon Me, Because He anointed Me to preach the gospel to the poor. He has sent Me to proclaim release to the captives, And recovery of sight to the blind, To set free those who are oppressed,
If we continue to practice sin - willingly live in rebellion to God, we prove we are children of the devil.
42 Jesus said to them, “If God were your Father, you would love Me, for I proceeded forth and have come from God, for I have not even come on My own initiative, but He sent Me.
43 “Why do you not understand what I am saying? It is because you cannot hear My word.
44 “You are of your father the devil, and you want to do the desires of your father. He was a murderer from the beginning, and does not stand in the truth because there is no truth in him. Whenever he speaks a lie, he speaks from his own nature, for he is a liar and the father of lies.
If we are children of God, the the Holy Spirit dwells in us and convicts us of sin, so that we do not walk in that way.
7 “But I tell you the truth, it is to your advantage that I go away; for if I do not go away, the Helper will not come to you; but if I go, I will send Him to you.
8 “And He, when He comes, will convict the world concerning sin and righteousness and judgment;
9 concerning sin, because they do not believe in Me;
10 and concerning righteousness, because I go to the Father and you no longer see Me;
11 and concerning judgment, because the ruler of this world has been judged.
Christ appeared to take away sins.
11 For the grace of God has appeared, bringing salvation to all men,
12 instructing us to deny ungodliness and worldly desires and to live sensibly, righteously and godly in the present age,
13 looking for the blessed hope and the appearing of the glory of our great God and Savior, Christ Jesus,
14 who gave Himself for us to redeem us from every lawless deed, and to purify for Himself a people for His own possession, zealous for good deeds.
What we do in this life proves who our Father is.
What we do in this life proves who our Father is.
Notice in v. 10 that practicing righteousness is in the same category as loving your “brother.”
This is what we saw back at the beginning - doing what Christ commands, loving one another.
Go back to vs. 1-3 - this is why Christ came.
APPLICATION
APPLICATION
Jesus died for us so that we could be adopted into God’s household.
What we do in this life proves who our Father is.
Next week, we will continue through 1 John.