A Purified People

1 John 3:1–3 KJV 1900

Behold, what manner of love the Father hath bestowed upon us, that we should be called the sons of God: therefore the world knoweth us not, because it knew him not. Beloved, now are we the sons of God, and it doth not yet appear what we shall be: but we know that, when he shall appear, we shall be like him; for we shall see him as he is. And every man that hath this hope in him purifieth himself, even as he is pure.

INTRODUCTION

We as Christians continually struggle with living our normal day-to-day lives, while at the same time try to uphold a standard of living that is consistent with being saint of God. Every day we must effectively deal with a multitude of places, people, and personalities. Sometimes, it is difficult to maintain our Christian posture because some of the places we go are filled with temptation, some of the people we associate with are spiritually bad influences, and some of the personalities we have to deal with in people are pessimistic, antagonizing, and provoking. Yet, we are still children of the Most High God, and we must ultimately overcome these very serious and very real scenarios. Today’s lesson will help us understand our mandate from God himself to become and/or remain a purified people in His sight.

GOD’S WORK OF THE PAST – THE REVELATION!

1 John 3:1

“Behold, what manner of love the Father hath bestowed upon us, that we should be called the sons of God: therefore the world knoweth us not, because it knew him not.”

The scripture begins with the word “behold”, this is a call to take special notice of something that is wonderfully spectacular. It is hard for anyone not to take notice of anything that God is involved with. This is an important word because it is meant to really get our attention and prepare us for something that we really need to know – in this case, God is about to give us a revelation of what He has done for us already, and how what He has done has affected our lives.

1. What God Has Done

a. “Bestowed” His love upon us - 2 Cor 4:7 “But we have this treasure in earthen vessels, that the excellency of the power may be of God, and not of us.”

2. Who God Did It For

a. “Us” - 1 Cor 1:2 – “…to them that are sanctified in Christ Jesus, called to be saints, with all that in every place call upon the name of Jesus Christ our Lord”

3. Why God Did It

a. That “We” should be “called” the sons of God - Eph 2:1-3 – “And you hath he quickened, who were dead in trespasses and sins; Wherein in time past ye walked according to the course of this world, according to the prince of the power of the air, the spirit that now worketh in the children of disobedience: Among whom also we all had our conversation in times past in the lusts of our flesh, fulfilling the desires of the flesh and of the mind; and were by nature the children of wrath, even as others.

4. Where We Stand Because Of What He Did

a. “Alienated” from the world - 1 Cor 2:14 – “But the natural man receiveth not the things of the Spirit of God: for they are foolishness unto him: neither can he know them, because they are spiritually discerned.”

OUR POSITION IN THE PRESENT – THE REALIZATION!

1 John 3:2

“Beloved, now are we the sons of God…”

This verse begins with the word “Beloved” which is a derivative of the word “agape”; it means “well loved” and it infers the meaning “a recipient of the agape”. The bible recognizes us as extremely loved of God, so much so, that He has given us love, favor, grace, and mercy without any conditions. As a result, our present status with God is that of being one of His own children, born into His divine family. We are not divine ourselves, because divinity is only attributable to God,

Isa 42:8

“I am the LORD: that is my name: and my glory will I not give to another, neither my praise to graven images.”

However, we are now members of the divine family with all of its accesses, rewards, and yes, responsibilities! Remember, the verse says we are “now” the sons of God; this means that our present state is nothing less than a complete heir to the blessings of our Father, who has prepared a great inheritance for us. We are His children, and we must realize what this means:

Rom 8:16-19

“The Spirit itself beareth witness with our spirit, that we are the children of God: And if children, then heirs; heirs of God, and joint-heirs with Christ; if so be that we suffer with him, that we may be also glorified together. For I reckon that the sufferings of this present time are not worthy to be compared with the glory which shall be revealed in us. For the earnest expectation of the creature waiteth for the manifestation of the sons of God.”

OUR FUTURE STATE – THE REWARD!

1 John 3:2

“and it doth not yet appear what we shall be: but we know that, when he shall appear, we shall be like him; for we shall see him as he is.”

There is something truly great awaiting us when Jesus Christ returns for His bride, the church. There has been a spiritual change in our lives since we became members of the family of God, but it does not stop there! We are destined for much, much, more! Verse 2 goes on to say that it does not even yet “appear” what we shall be. We can’t even begin to understand what God is going to make us when we see Him face to face. It is beyond our comprehension right now, there is no way to even speculate the glory that He is going to cloth us in. We know that we will be changed; we know that we will be with Him in eternity, and we know that we will dwell as glorified spirits with Him, but we don’t know what we will actually be.

We know that there will be no more sickness, pain, trials, tribulations, suffering, and most of all death, but we don’t know the glory that He is waiting to cover us in. And this is the great expectation of the Christian; to see him and to know Him, even as we are known. This will be perfect peace, perfect Joy, perfect perfection! But we don’t know what it is!

This is the present state of the true believer, one who daydreams of the wonder and glory of eternal life. Our minds are fixed on the expectation of that which is to come. We labor every day to do the will of God because of what He has done for us, and because we desire to be with Him for all eternity.

OUR PURIFICATION – THE RESPONSE!

1 John 3:3

“And every man that hath this hope in him purifieth himself, even as he is pure.”

So how do we respond to the past, present, and future work of God in and upon our lives? We purify ourselves with the hope of His coming and the expectation of our future glory. We prepare ourselves for what is to come by always keeping our minds focused on the things of God.

Worldly, evil, and carnal thoughts pollute the mind with spiritual filth that makes us unclean, not only in thought but also in deeds:

Matt 15:18-20

“…those things which proceed out of the mouth come forth from the heart; and they defile the man. For out of the heart proceed evil thoughts, murders, adulteries, fornications, thefts, false witness, blasphemies: These are the things which defile a man…”

Therefore, if we want to be purified and remain pure we must fill our minds (hearts) with the hope of His coming. This will by default, help keep our minds on the things of God:

Phil 4:8

“…whatsoever things are true, whatsoever things are honest, whatsoever things are just, whatsoever things are pure, whatsoever things are lovely, whatsoever things are of good report; if there be any virtue, and if there be any praise, think on these things.”