The Identity Of God’s Children

Deacon and volunteer signups on the back table.

Escape Room Tonight

Family Pictures next week for directory.

Introduction

Years ago, when I traveled alot, I spent an inordinate amount of time in hotels. Now, I tried my best to get a walk in after work if the weather was good, but many times, I was stuck in my room.

So typically I would get in and turn on the tv for some background noise and then catch up on emails and phone calls before leaving for dinner that night.

Now, there was a short season in there that I found myself watch the Maury Show, don’t judge me. You know what I’m talking about right? One of the shows that he did that almost always caught my eye was the one where he would do paternity tests live on the air.

So he’d have a few people sitting in chairs (a couple of guys and a woman) and it was usually to see who the father was. So the highlight of the show was when he’d get the results out and he’d say…Tom, “You are NOT the father.” And the whole audience would go nuts.

Today we are continuing our study in 1st John called True Christianity, where we are looking at what does a true Christian look like? We are going to tackle about half of Chapter 3 today which is kind of like a paternity test. John is writing in such a way for us to determine who really is our father.

Are you a son or daughter of God or are you a son or daughter of the devil? That’s the question and today we have the results.

We are going to read verses 1-10. The words will be on the screen and the notes will be on the app.

Main Text

1 John 3:1–10 ESV

See what kind of love the Father has given to us, that we should be called children of God; and so we are. The reason why the world does not know us is that it did not know him. Beloved, we are God’s children now, and what we will be has not yet appeared; but we know that when he appears we shall be like him, because we shall see him as he is. And everyone who thus hopes in him purifies himself as he is pure. Everyone who makes a practice of sinning also practices lawlessness; sin is lawlessness. You know that he appeared in order to take away sins, and in him there is no sin. No one who abides in him keeps on sinning; no one who keeps on sinning has either seen him or known him. Little children, let no one deceive you. Whoever practices righteousness is righteous, as he is righteous. Whoever makes a practice of sinning is of the devil, for the devil has been sinning from the beginning. The reason the Son of God appeared was to destroy the works of the devil. No one born of God makes a practice of sinning, for God’s seed abides in him; and he cannot keep on sinning, because he has been born of God. By this it is evident who are the children of God, and who are the children of the devil: whoever does not practice righteousness is not of God, nor is the one who does not love his brother.

Now I’m going to frame this sermon today by working this passage in reverse. The point of the entire passage, and it really starts with Chapter 2:28 and 29, is the idea that there are two types of people in this world, you are either a child of God or a child of the devil. You are either righteous and born of him (2:29) or you are sinful and your father is the devil (3:8).

Now this may seem harsh, but it’s a reality we see throughout scripture. Big picture - Everything God does is in relationship and you are either in relationship with Him or you are not.

For those that are not in relationship with Him, it means you are in a relationship with the devil. You are his offspring. You are owned by sin. You are a slave.

That’s the big picture of this passage.

Let’s take it apart bit by bit.

God’s Children Are Evident

The Apostle ends this section with a declaration in verse ten. It is evident who you are a child of, God or the devil. And the reason he can declare this so confidently is because John believes, like the Apostle James, that our faith produces something…namely good works.

In other words, if you are asking the question, how do I know if I am saved? How do I know if I am truly a Christian? This is the point of this section and John’s letter as a whole.

John gives us two key markers of a child of God in verse 10:

Practicing Righteousness

Loving Your Brother

If you aren’t doing these things, John says, you are not a child of God. In other words, God… “You are not the Father.”

Practicing Righteousness - Now this may seem a bit vague, but I don’t think it is. John in verse for says this 1 John 3:4 “Everyone who makes a practice of sinning also practices lawlessness; sin is lawlessness.” This would be the opposite of righteousness. If we live a life of sin and lawlessness. Now this word lawlessness might be unfamiliar to you, so let’s explore it quickly.

The greek word here is “anomia” and it means wickedness and a violation of the law. This is where we get the word “antinomianism” which is the belief that there are no moral laws for Christians to obey. In other words, I’m saved, I’m forgiven and I’ve punched my ticket, now I can do whatever I want. I am a law unto myself.

And honestly, whether you are a Christian or not, this is the way most people live in society today. You can’t tell me what to do. I do what I want. If you watch the show Cops or LivePD, you will see most people being arrested believe themselves to be above the law.

So that’s practicing lawlessness, which John says gives us evidence that you are not a Christian. If you are a Christian you are practicing righteousness, which means “right living.”

In other words, you will live according to God’s rules and standards. Now this doesn’t mean we have to become Jewish and start sacrificing animals again. That’s not what this means. It means that we live our lives based on God’s moral commands. We should love others, we should show mercy and strive for peace. We should be humble and kind.

This isn’t a prerequisite for becoming a child of God, it’s the result. See, we are all born children of the devil, in bondage to sin and by nature lawless. Our heart is bent toward evil. God in his mercy, when we repent and put our faith in Him, creates inside of us a new heart. That new heart is empowered by the Holy Spirit to follow Him.

To be crystal clear here, we aren’t saved by following the law. We are saved by grace through faith and that faith is a living faith that produces a life in us that is capable of following God’s commands.

That’s what it means to practice righteousness.

Loving Your Brother - This is the second evidence that John presents. If you love your brother, you are a child of God. If you hate your brother, you are not.

As a reminder, this isn’t a squishy type of love, this is an action. This type of love is evident because we see the actions that result from it. I cannot just say that I love David Carey. I have to actually love him by caring for him and doing things that will cause him to feel loved.

This is exactly what God does for us. This week we will celebrate Good Friday, where Jesus displayed his love for us, he showed us his love, by dying for us on a cross. It wasn’t just a love in word, but in deed as well.

Your Practices Reveal Your Family

What you practice or how you live reveals who your family actually is - God or the devil. And there is one clear line of demarcation that tells us who the children of the devil are…sin.

John says in verse 8, “whoever makes a practice of sinning is of the devil, because he has been sinning from the beginning…”

In other words, the devil’s offspring, look like him! They do the things they do. Conversely, the children of God should look like Him, doing the things he did.

So we need to ask the question, who do you look like? If you look at your life, what do your actions tell you?

One of the questions I get often is about Christians who sin - If a Christian sins, is he still a Christian? Yes. 1 John 1:8 “If we say we have no sin, we deceive ourselves, and the truth is not in us.”

So yes, Christians can sin, but the point in this passage is this. Christians do not continually sin. We don’t “practice” it. Or to bring it back to this word, we don’t “abide” in it. We don’t make sin our home any longer.

John says that the devil has been sinning since the beginning. What did he do in the beginning? Think back to the Garden. His sin in the garden was lying. Jesus even calls him the Father of Lies.

Today, my fear is that many of us, think of lying as a small sin. We think it’s just a little white lie. No big deal, but the bible doesn’t give us this indication.

Every liar is a child of the devil, and will be sent home to his father.

Charles Spurgeon

Spurgeon doesn’t have a problem calling a spade a spade. The Devil deceived Adam and Eve in the garden, so when we practice lying or deception or manipulation. We are acting like our father, the devil.

You see our actions tell the story that our minds try to hide. We can easily convince ourselves that just because we have some bible knowledge and attend church twice a month that we know Him, but John here is telling us, we don’t.

What do your actions tell about you? What are you doing when people aren’t watching? Are you living a life that is full of hidden sins. If someone looked at your bank account or your browser history, what would they find?

Our actions reveal our hearts and the heart of a Christian is supposed to be pure. “Well pastor, my heart doesn’t feel very pure to me. How can I a Christian become pure again after I’ve messed up so much?”

I’m so glad you asked. This leads me to what I think is the big point in this passage.

What We Behold, We Become

Let’s read that first couple of verses again:

1 John 3:1–3 “See what kind of love the Father has given to us, that we should be called children of God; and so we are. The reason why the world does not know us is that it did not know him. Beloved, we are God’s children now, and what we will be has not yet appeared; but we know that when he appears we shall be like him, because we shall see him as he is. And everyone who thus hopes in him purifies himself as he is pure.”

That first word in verse 1 is translated by the ESV as “see”, but a fuller definition is Behold! It means to pay attention to! Look at intently, gaze at it until you understand it.

John says when Jesus returns we will be like him because…BECAUSE we shall see him as he is. In other words, because we are looking at him, we will finally or completely become that which we are beholding.

Now, this process doesn’t start at the second coming of Jesus, it culminates at the second coming. It starts the moment you become a child of God. It starts at salvation. It starts when you are born again.

If you are saved today, you have but one very important job. Behold Jesus. Keep your eyes on Jesus. Or if you’ve turned away, let me quote you an old hymn…

Turn your eyes upon Jesus, Look full in His wonderful face, And the things of earth will grow strangely dim,   In the light of His glory and grace.

As we behold him, we are changed into his image. Remember back to the garden, we were created in His image, we fell into sin and that image because marred. It was distorted.

In walking with him, beholding him, we are restoring that which we lost - which is being the reflection of Jesus. Paul explains this idea to the Corinthian church:

2 Corinthians 3:18 ESV

And we all, with unveiled face, beholding the glory of the Lord, are being transformed into the same image from one degree of glory to another. For this comes from the Lord who is the Spirit.

Paul says we are looking at his glory. John says here to look at or behold the kind of love the Father has given us. In other words, I think we are to behold all of the various aspects of who He is. God is love, but he’s not ONLY love. God is also Truth. God is also Grace. He is our provider, He is our source. He is our strong rock. No one word or trait can describe God.

We are transformed into the image of the Lord by beholding it, not by reflecting it.

Charles Hodge (American Presbyterian Theologian)

When we look at him, when we gaze into who He truly is, that means we are changing on the inside to become more like Him.

The Bible has many instances of the importance of keeping your eyes on God. Think about Peter walking out to meet Jesus on the waves. As long as he kept his eyes on Jesus, he could walk on water. The moment he turned away, he sank.

The eye is the lamp of the soul Jesus says.

What we are looking at matters. Who we are looking to matters even more. John starts with a Behold statement. Behold the KIND of LOVE the Father has for us. What kind of love is that? The love of a FATHER. Not just any father, but a good father. A loving father, who gave himself for us, so that we could be adopted into his family as sons.

This is why it is important to know who your true father is. So what do I want you to remember today? This…

How Do You Know You Are A Child Of God?

You Are Looking To Jesus (for salvation)

You Are Looking At Jesus (as part of your Christian walk)

You Are Looking Like Jesus (sanctification)

Conclusion

Now, what do I want you to do?

If you don’t know Jesus. I want you to turn your eyes to him. Repent and put your trust, your total faith in Him.

If you are not walking with him, I want you to turn your eyes to Jesus and start walking in relationship with him. Trust the Holy Spirit to lead you and guide you. Pray to him.

If you aren’t looking like him, I want you to root out the sin in your life, find areas where you struggle and aggressively fight to look like Jesus. Make that your goal to model after him. If you are sinning, stop. Repent. Look to Jesus. He is not mad. He is not disappointed. He is waiting for you.