God Loves Us with Great Love: 1 John 3:1-3

Please look with me in Scripture to 1 John 3:1-3 for the reading of God’s Holy Word.

1 John 3:1–3 “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. 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. And everyone who has this hope fixed on Him purifies himself, just as He is pure.”

Let us Pray

John Newton who was born to a Christian mother, and pagan father pinned these famous words of the hymn, Amazing Grace:

“Amazing grace, how sweet the sound that saved a wretch like me I once was lost, but now I'm found was blind, but now I see.”

John Newton never got over the amazement that God would save a wretched sinner like him.

Here we’re reading the writings of the Apostle John who was an old man who also never lost this wonder of amazing grace. For him, amazing grace remained amazing even long after his coming to faith.

Christians here this morning, I too hope that you haven’t lost this wonder and amazement. Whether you’ve been walking with the Lord for a matter of days or for many years, may you never lose the wonder of the amazing grace that God saved a wretched sinner like you and me.

Here in this epistle, John is writing to provide reassurance to believers (some may call it hope) that they may know that they are saved.

1 John 5:13 “These things I have written to you who believe in the name of the Son of God, so that you may know that you have eternal life.”

God wants you and I to know this morning that we’re saved. In this epistle, John gives a series of tests so that we may know that we have eternal life. As we transition from chapter 2 to chapter 3, we see this theme of the fatherhood of God and the sonship of believers. In other words, we see what it means to be a child of God? What it means to be saved? What it means to be a Christian?

You’re not a Christian because you got baptized. You’re not a Christian because you said a prayer and singed a card. You’re not a Christian because you joined a church. These are the results of being a Christian. You’re a Christian because how you live your life resembles that of Jesus Christ. The definition itself of being a Christian is to be ‘Christ-like.’

The main point of today’s sermon is that God’s great love for us as His children provides us with hope that leads to righteous living.

1. We Are God’s Children

1 John 3:1 “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.”

John uses this cause and effect structure to tell us that because of God’s great love, we are God’s children. John starts off with an apostolic breakout session of spontaneous wonder at the love of God in making us his children. A further wonder grasps him: that is what we are.

Here’s a simple outline to best understand the flow of this verse:

John moves from the {Cause: God’s love} to the {Effect: We are children of God} to the {Response: The world does not know us}.

“We are God’s Children”

There are two types of people in this world: “children of God” and “children of Satan.” Every person was once a “child of Satan” and for some they still are.

John tells us that our adoption has great implications on our relationship to God has now changed from a “child of Satan” to a “child of God”.

He says, “See, Behold,” which implies this is far more than a casual glance as you and I would with a newspaper article or a social media post, this is an all out gaze, a deep stare.

Even in the businesses of life Christians are called to “Stop” and gaze upon, reflect upon God’s love just as the apostle is doing here.

In application of this truth, when is the last time that you reflected and mediated on the depths of God’s love for you?

John now proceeds to say, “See, what kind of love the Father has bestowed on us.” The literal rendering of this verse focuses on “what kind” not necessarily “how much.” John’s sense of astonishment is more evident in the original Greek, which implies, ‘Behold, from what country or realm does such love as this come?’

John is telling us literally, “What kind of love is this? This same phraseology (same word) is used in Matthew 8:27 to describe how astonished the disciples were when Jesus calmed the winds and the sea: ‘What kind of man is this (literally, ‘from what realm (planet) ) does this man come from”) that even the winds and sea obey him!’

Have you ever notice that when we as human beings don’t understand something or someone that we immediately take up a defensive posture against it or against them and often we do this by questioning it or them. We often use the phrase, “Its too good to be true!”

RC Sproul said, “God is an infinite cut above everything else. He is so far above and beyond us that He seems almost totally foreign to us.”

This text is telling us that God’s love for us is too good to be true, essentially its out of this world, its mind-blowing. Its unlike any human love for it cannot be categorized with our feeble minds because its a divine love. God’s love for us is not rooted in our worthiness for His love, but its rooted in God’s goodness.

John is saying, God’s love is so great because we are so unworthy and undeserving. Unlike human love, where people seem to fall in and out of love like a tide that constantly comes in and goes out, God’s love is not a love you and I can earn and its not a love that you and I can lose.

We see from this verse that God’s love is a redeeming love in that its because of God’s grace we are children of God. This is not to be confused with God’s common grace which is His mercy that is extended to all even to those who refuse to acknowledge God’s existence.

Matthew 5:45 “for He causes His sun to rise on the evil and the good, and sends rain on the righteous and the unrighteous.”

John is not speaking of God’s common grace that He showers on all but he speaks of his special grace by which God chose whom he would adopt before the foundation of the world. God’s love can only be understood with the bestowment of His special grace which is revealed by knowing and receiving this truth:

John 3:16 “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.”

The Good News is that: it is by God’s grace that born-again Christians have been snatched from the fiery flames of Hell. We were dead in our sins and our trespasses and now God has made us alive in Christ, adopted us into His family, and has invited us to His table to feast.

This reminds me of the illustration of David’s love for Jonathan in 2 Samuel.

Mephibosheth was the son of Jonathan, who was the son of King Saul and a special friend of King David. When Mephibosheth was five years old, his father Jonathan was killed in battle. Fearing that the Philistines would seek to take the life of the young boy, a nurse fled with him to Gibeah, the royal residence, but in haste she dropped him and both of his feet were crippled. He was carried to the land of Gilead, where he found refuge in the house of Machir, son of Ammiel, at Lo-debar. Years later after David conquered all of Israel’s enemies, he sought to minister and display a loving loyalty to Jonathan’s family. Royal messengers were sent to Mephibosheth and his son Micah to bring them to Jerusalem.

Could you imagine this morning what it felt like to be stuck in hiding, crippled, unable to flee from your persecutors , and the door slams open and you and your son are hauled off to Jerusalem? The expected to be killed but instead was brought to the King’s table, for they were brought into the King’s house and the King’s court to receive blessings.

Much like the Christian who once stood in opposition to God, was deserving the wrath of God now has been graciously adopted into God’s family. Adoption is as the Westminster Shorter Catechism Q. 34 clearly defines as: “an act of God’s free grace, whereby we are received into the number, and have a right to all the privileges of the sons of God.”

Thomas Watson said, “It were much for God to take a clod of dust, and make it a star; it is more for him to take a piece of clay and sin, and adopt it for his heir.”

I hope you see the amazing grace and continue to awe over this grace in that God would not only save a wretched sinner like you and me but in that He would bring us into the family of God based solely on His goodness, not our worthiness. Please church, don’t ever lose this sense of awe over God’s amazing grace. For those of you who haven’t received it yet, don’t wait any longer for today is the day of salvation.

John now transitions to the {Response: The world does not know us}.

“the world does not know us”

John tells us that our adoption has great implications on our relationship to the world has also changed in that we’re no longer a friend of the world but an enemy. This is a good place to be, for this is where we want to be as Christians.

This is illustrated in James 4:4 “You adulteresses, do you not know that friendship with the world is hostility toward God? Therefore whoever wishes to be a friend of the world makes himself an enemy of God.”

Pastor Joel Beeke says, “On the one hand, the believer shares with Jesus the unspeakable love of the Father, but on the other hand, he shares with Jesus the hostility, estrangement, and even hatred of the world.”

The world hates us because the world does not know us. Just like the world hated Jesus because they couldn’t categorize Him or categorize His love because it was out of this world, the world also hates us because we are now part of God’s kingdom and we possess a new nature of heavenly origin.

Think about how radical and foreign the kingdom principles are to the lost and blind of this world:

Blessed are the poor in spirit; Blessed are those who mourn; Blessed are the gentile; Blessed are those who hunger and thirst; Blessed are the merciful; Blessed are the pure in heart; Blessed are the peacemakers; Blessed are those who are persecuted and are insulted.

Kingdom principles are radical and completely foreign in contrast with worldly principles and wordly advice we receive today.

Illustrated clearly in John 1:10–11 “He was in the world, and the world was made through Him, and the world did not know Him. He came to His own, and those who were His own did not receive Him.”

In other words, the world does not know (accept) us because they do not know (accept) the Father. If the world rejects God, it is no surprise that it would reject us, God’s children.

In application of this truth this morning, believers and unbelievers live in different worlds, in different kingdoms, in different families. That cannot help but bring consequences. But adoption into God’s family means that we must be willing for Christ’s sake to walk in the world even if we are misunderstood, unwanted, despised, even hated, all the while giving no unnecessary offence to the world.

John now transitions from what we are (We are God’s children) to what we will be (We will be God’s children).

2. We Will Be God’s Children

1 John 3:2 “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.”

Even though we are children of God, we don’t grasp the full significance of what it means to be God’s children. We now have only a dim perception of who we are and what we will be (what we will be has not yet been made known).

Notice the contrast between the already (we are children of God) and the not yet (what we will be like).

“we are children of God now”

Christians, we are children of God now! We have all the new covenant blessings except from eternal glory in heaven, right now. We are saved as much today as we’ll ever be. We are as much a child of God today then we’ll ever be.

But when a Christian speaks of heaven we often attempt to shortened the distance between where we are and our heavenly destination. Spurgeon said,

“A few more rolling suns at most will land me on fair Canaan’s coast. The way may be rough, but it cannot be long.”

As assuring as it is to know that today, Christians we are children of God now, in the near future awaits us a better day, a most glorious day when our consecration in Christ will be completed.

John now transitions from what we are now to what we will be.

“what we will be.. we will be like Him”

John tells us that our adoption has great implications on our relationship to the future.

The believer’s hope that we cherish is that when we see Jesus, our understanding will expand, and with ever-increasing glory.

We see this illustrated in 2 Corinthians 3:18 “But we all, with unveiled face, beholding as in a mirror the glory of the Lord, are being transformed into the same image from glory to glory, just as from the Lord, the Spirit.”

Notice in this verse the great tension between “now we are children of God” and “we will be like Him.” This tension will be resolved at Christ’s return when the believer will receive ultimate conformity to the likeness of Christ.

Illustrated in Romans 8:29 “For those whom He foreknew, He also predestined to become conformed to the image of His Son, so that He would be the firstborn among many brethren;”

Illustrated in Philippians 3:21 “who will transform the body of our humble state into conformity with the body of His glory, by the exertion of the power that He has even to subject all things to Himself.”

This process of transformation, which is slow and uneven here on earth, will be rapid and complete when we see Jesus.

There are simply no words to describe this glorious transformation that is awaiting us as Christians. As our present privileges as God’s adopted children are so great that the world cannot grasp them, our future prospects are so glorious that even we cannot fully grasp them.

Illustrated clearly in 1 Corinthians 2:9 “but just as it is written, “Things which eye has not seen and ear has not heard, And which have not entered the heart of man, All that God has prepared for those who love Him.”

In other words, for the Christian that has been adopted into God’s family, the best is yet to come. Today we experience great blessings, despite our infirmities and sins, but one day we shall be in glory, free from sin and living in perfect communion with God. Our heavenly Father keeps the best surprises for his children until the end, when he shall turn all their sorrow into joy.

Today we look to Christ by faith, though what we see is shadowy and dim, we are being changed from glory to glory by the Spirit of the Lord. One day all those shadows will be removed and we will see Christ as he is, in all his glory. We will fully bear his image without sport or wrinkle, a day that all of creation is eagerly awaiting.

In application of this truth be encouraged Christian that you are a child of God and despite what difficulties and infirmities we deal with today, our earthly stay is only a pit stop enroute to our heavenly destination where a better day awaits us all.

John now transitions from what we are and what we will be to what children of God will do.

3. What Children of God Will Do

1 John 3:3 “And everyone who has this hope fixed on Him purifies himself, just as He is pure.”

When we understand that because of God’s great love for us, we are children of God, who will one day in glorification conform us into His likeness fully, we will want to live pure and holy lives, for we will want to be pure as He is pure.

“as He is pure”

John tells us that our adoption has great implications on our relationship to ourselves. In other words, this hope that we have changes how we live.

The children of the heavenly Father embrace His will and purpose for them. The goal for the Christian is to live holy lives.

John Calvin said, “So long as we don’t look beyond the earth, we are quite pleased with our righteousness, wisdom, and virtue.”

What this means is that as adopted children of God we are in the world but not of the world so we should not settle to living according to earthly standards but only by heavenly standards.

There should be a growing desire within us to become like Him now. The only way we can become like Him is by purifying ourselves from sin daily.

This is illustrated in Colossians 3:12 “So, as those who have been chosen of God, holy and beloved, put on a heart of compassion, kindness, humility, gentleness and patience;”

Purifying ourselves means we hate what God hates and to love what God loves. You and I have one purpose in this life after being saved which is to purify ourselves before our Father in order to be more like Christ.

The simplest way to understand the word ‘purify’ is to be sold out completely to Jesus Christ with our lives. In the Greek this word carries the connotation of ‘undivided allegiance’ or ‘having one’s eyes on one thing.’

In application of this truth we are to live to bring glory to Jesus Christ and the way we do this is by God’s grace in purifying ourselves even as Christ is pure.

In Closing this morning’s message, have you grasp the depths of God’s great love for you? It is my belief that if you truly have sunk your teeth into this glorious truth, your life will never be the same again. Knowing that you are a child of God, that you will always be a child of God will change how you live in this life and the life to come. My question for you this morning, is whose family are you part of? This is evident by one’s life whether you’re a child of God or a child of Satan. Come today, to experience the Great Love that God has for you!

LET US PRAY