October 12 | Love Practices Purity | Text: 1 John 3:1-10

Introduction

Good morning, church.

Last week, we talked at length about how we need the Word of God, the Spirit of God and the people of God to remember who we are!

This morning, we're taking the next logical step and following John’s argument. He tells us that when your identity changes, your practices change, too. Driving home a point I’m apt to make here: if grace ain’t changing you, then it ain’t saving you!

It’s like this folks, Imagine you're a gifted athlete playing on a scrappy but losing team. Then one day, the greatest coach in the history of the sport shows up, trades for you, and brings you onto his championship team. That single transaction changes everything. Your status, your future, your resources—it's all transformed.

But it doesn't stop there, does it? You wouldn't say, "Cool, I'm on the winning team now," and then keep showing up to the old team’s practice, running the old team's losing plays. No. You’d get in the new locker room, put on the new jersey, study the new playbook, and start practicing the way champions practice. Your new team identity would radically reshape your daily reality. You would start living up to the name on the front of the jersey.

That is exactly the picture the Apostle John paints for us today. He’s telling us that our adoption into God's family—our draft onto Team Jesus—isn't just a legal fact that secures our future. It’s the powerful, present reality meant to fuel a whole new way of living right now.

And that brings us to our big idea this morning, rooted right here in God's Word: Because of God's incredible love, who you are in Christ is the fuel for how you fight for purity!

To put it in terms we'll be using all morning, you could say it this way: Because the Coach’s love got you on the team, your new identity is the fuel for how you practice and play the game of life.

The point I hope you’ll see in all of this is that not only does being on God's team secure your eternal destination. That spot on the roster is guaranteed, bought by the blood of Christ and sealed by His Spirit. There’s a Superbowl ring in your future! But the purpose of being on the team isn't just about your destination; it's also about changing your daily direction. We’ve been drafted into the big leagues, so we are called to stop practicing like we’re still playing street ball. We are being called to "move on up," to live into the glorious identity we’ve been given.

1 John 3:1-10 is about this reality and I see it in 2 major movements in the passage: First, The Roster and the Ring in verses 1-3—It’s the fuel in our fight for purity. And second, The Playbook and the Practice in verses 4-10—how that fuel changes the way we practice and play.

So, if you have your Bibles, turn with me to 1 John, chapter 3. Let's read our text for this morning in its entirety.

1 John 3:1–10 NLT

1 See how very much our Father loves us, for he calls us his children, and that is what we are! But the people who belong to this world don’t recognize that we are God’s children because they don’t know him. 2 Dear friends, we are already God’s children, but he has not yet shown us what we will be like when Christ appears. But we do know that we will be like him, for we will see him as he really is. 3 And all who have this eager expectation will keep themselves pure, just as he is pure. 4 Everyone who sins is breaking God’s law, for all sin is contrary to the law of God. 5 And you know that Jesus came to take away our sins, and there is no sin in him. 6 Anyone who continues to live in him will not sin. But anyone who keeps on sinning does not know him or understand who he is. 7 Dear children, don’t let anyone deceive you about this: When people do what is right, it shows that they are righteous, even as Christ is righteous. 8 But when people keep on sinning, it shows that they belong to the devil, who has been sinning since the beginning. But the Son of God came to destroy the works of the devil. 9 Those who have been born into God’s family do not make a practice of sinning, because God’s life is in them. So they can’t keep on sinning, because they are children of God. 10 So now we can tell who are children of God and who are children of the devil. Anyone who does not live righteously and does not love other believers does not belong to God.

Firstly,

I. The Roster and the Ring: The Fuel to Practice Purity! (vv. 1-3)

John begins not with a drill sergeant’s command to "try harder," but with an invitation to be astonished by the love of our new Head Coach and Owner. Look again at verse 1:

"See how very much our Father loves us, for he calls us his children, and that is what we are!" (1 John 3:1a, NLT)

Notice, John says, “see how very much" – this love isn’t just given; it is lavished. It’s the kind of love a coach has for his players, not because of what they can do for him, but because they are his. It's a love that trades everything to get you on His team. This love gives you a new name, a new identity: "children of God." This is your spot on the Roster. And just in case we think that’s just a sentimental idea, John puts his foot down with the next phrase: "and that is what we are!" He’s shouting from the rooftops: This isn't just a metaphor! This is your new, unshakable reality. You are not a free agent trying to earn a contract. You are a beloved child of the Coach and Team Owner!

And this new identity explains the second half of that verse.

“But the people who belong to this world don’t recognize that we are God’s children because they don’t know him.”

John says the world doesn't recognize us because they don't know our Coach. And because they don't know the Coach, they don't even know what game is being played. They think the game is for this life only, a 60-minute scramble for pleasure and power. But our Coach tells us the real game is for eternity, and the goal isn't just pleasure, but lasting pleasure is found only in purity. The goal is to become the kind of players—the kind of creatures—so holy, so filled with the joy and light of God, that if you were to meet one of us in our glorified, image-bearing state, you’d be tempted to worship.

The world doesn't see this. They don't recognize the game for what it is, and they don't recognize that this isn't a 32-team league with lots of options. It's only a two-team league: Team Satan and Team Jesus. And those who’ve never been captured by the lavish love of the Father, who have never had their old jersey ripped off and a new one put on them by grace, cannot possibly recognize our new team colors, because their eyes have never been opened to reality.

So what does this have to do with our big idea—that this love is the fuel for how we fight sin? It's everything. The fight to live like a member of Team Jesus—to practice purity and turn from our old ways—is fueled, first and foremost, by the lavish, present love of the One who brought you onto the team.

You don't practice for His approval; you practice from it, because you already have it in full in Christ.

But John doesn’t stop there. He pivots from our present status on the roster to our future glory, the rings we’re all promised! Look at verse 2:

"Dear friends, we are already God’s children, but he has not yet shown us what we will be like when Christ appears. But we do know that we will be like him, for we will see him as he really is." (1 John 3:2, NLT)

We don't know everything about the championship celebration, but we know the most important thing. We will be like him. We will be like our Team Captain, Jesus. This is the promise of the Championship Ring. One day, the game will be over, the victory will be final, and we will perfectly reflect the character of our Captain. This isn't a possibility; it's a promise. It’s the guaranteed outcome for every player on God's team.

So, you are fueled by a lavish, present love, and by a glorious, future hope of ultimate victory.

But what do we do with that hope? We practice. This hope isn't passive; it's active. Verse 3 is the pivot point where John shows us how the fuel powers our practice:

"And all who have this eager expectation will keep themselves pure, just as he is pure." (1 John 3:3, NLT)

See how it works? Our hope of the championship parade becomes the engine for today's practice. The “eager expectation" is the mindset of a player who is eager to win and please his coach. This eager expectation of victory purifies our present. It makes us want to keep ourselves pure, just as our Captain is pure. You don't practice to earn your spot on the team—you're already on the roster! You practice because the coming victory motivates you to play your best for your Captain now. We pursue purity not to earn our way into heaven, but because we're already on the winning team and we want to be ready when our Captain appears.

If the Roster and the Ring are the source of our fuel to practice purity, John now shows us how that fuel changes the way we actually play the game. I see two key truths here.

II. The Playbook and the Practice: How the Fuel Changes the Game (vv. 4-10)

First, the plays we run prove whose playbook we’re living by. When you're filled with the fuel of your Coach's love, running the other team's plays feels like a relational tragedy. Why? Because as verses 4 and 5 show us, sin is a rebellion against God's good game plan, and Jesus came to take away our sins—to defeat the other team. The fuel of His love makes us loyal. It makes us want to run His plays, not the enemy’s.

This is where our practice becomes the proof of our allegiance—the jersey we wear. As John says in verses 7 and 8, a life that practices righteousness shows the world you belong to Team Jesus. This isn't about perfect performance; it's about the joyful direction of our lives. The inner reality of being loved by the Coach naturally works its way out into the jersey we are proud to represent every day.

But let's be honest: you can't do this alone. Being a Christian is a team sport. It takes studying the playbook together. A team that only listens to the pregame speech but never practices is a joke. Church, we need each other! We practice as a team, we win as a team, and the joy of the game is magnified because of it.

But that leads to the second, deeper truth. The progress of our practice proves whose Spirit is in us. Where does the power for this new life come from? John brings it all home in verse 9:

"Those who have been born into God’s family do not make a practice of sinning, because God’s life is in them..." (1 John 3:9, NLT)

When you are "born into God's family," His "life"—His very DNA—is in you. This is the Holy Spirit, the ultimate performance-enhancing drug. Now, in the world's leagues, those are illegal, and for good reason. But in the Kingdom of God, our Coach doesn't just allow it; He mandates it! He says, "Don't be filled with wine, but be filled with my Spirit." He wants us to be under the influence of the Holy Spirit, the one who turns the fuel of your identity into real power. To make a practice of sinning is to try and run on empty when you have a full tank of premium, Spirit-provided fuel freely available to you.

And here is the most powerful, pastoral truth: if you are in a struggle, if you hate your sin, that struggle is evidence of the Spirit in your life! If you are indifferent to sin, if you can run plays from Satan's playbook and feel nothing, you should work out your salvation with fear and trembling. But conviction is not a bad thing, church! Like alcohol on a fresh wound, it stings, but its purpose is to heal and purify. Conviction is meant to draw you deeper into fellowship with God.

Condemnation is different. Condemnation is from the enemy. It's the voice that tells you you’re cut from the team. But that is not our Coach's heart! His heart wasn't to condemn you, but to pay the crazy signing bonus required to get you on the team in the first place! The struggle you feel is the Spirit reminding you that your new nature is at war with the old, and that is the greatest sign of life there is.

Conclusion

So let's bring it all home. It comes back to our big idea: Because the Coach’s love got you on the team, your new identity is the fuel for how you play the game.

For years, many of us have approached the Christian life like a bad football coach. What kind of coach tells his running back that the only goal is to avoid being tackled? Imagine it. The running back gets the ball and just runs around like a chicken with his head cut off—zigging and zagging with no purpose other than to not get hit.

No, a good coach tells his running back one thing: fix your eyes on the end zone. Always run downhill. When the tacklers come—and they will come—you deal with them, but your focus is never on them. Your eyes are locked on the goal.

Church, for too long, we have been taught that the goal of the Christian life is to simply avoid the tacklers of sin. But that's not the goal!

The goal is the end zone! The goal is Jesus! The call of the Christian is to fix our eyes on Jesus, our Captain, and run the race set before us after Him. And as we run hard after Him, He gives us the power to deal with the tacklers. And what is that power? It's the fuel we've been talking about all morning!

It’s the lavish love of the Coach who drafted you. It’s the glorious hope of the championship you are guaranteed to win. It’s the finished work of your Captain, who has already defeated the opponent. It’s the new nature He has placed within you that makes you long for the end zone.

This is your fuel and this is what love does. It pursues purity. This is your power. Stop focusing on the tacklers. Fix your eyes on the end zone. Run hard after Jesus.

For the Christian here who is weary of practice, the call today is not to try harder, but to believe better. To preach the truth of your identity to yourself every single day. You are a beloved player on the King's team. Now, fueled by His love, get up and live like it.

And for the person here today who feels like you're on the losing team, the good news is that team tryouts are open. The Coach's love is so lavish that He made a way for you to get on the roster, not by your own performance, but by trusting in the Captain who already won the victory for you. Once you're on the team, you get a new identity that becomes the fuel to live a new life, in a new direction, for His glory.

Communion Meditation

As we prepare our hearts to come to the Lord's Table, we’re going to respond to this truth in the most tangible way we can. This table is a family meal for the team. It’s a place where we remember and receive the very fuel we’ve been talking about. This bread and this cup are the tangible reminders of the price that was paid to give you this fuel for free.

Now, we practice open communion here, which means if you are on Team Jesus by faith, you are welcome at this table. It's for players who are tired from practice, for those who feel like they've fumbled the ball this week. It's for the weak, not the perfect.

But if you’re here today and you know you haven't yet put on the jersey, we would ask you to simply reflect during this time. Let this be a moment of decision for you.

For those of us who are on the team, let's turn our attention to these elements.

The Bible tells us that on the night He was betrayed, Jesus took bread, and after giving thanks, He broke it.

(Hold up the bread)

This bread represents His body, broken to pay the signing bonus you could never afford. This is how the Father lavished his love on you. When you take this bread, remember the fuel of your identity. You've been bought, you've been chosen, you are on the team for good.

Let's eat together.

(Take the bread)

After the meal, Jesus took the cup.

(Hold up the cup)

This cup represents His blood. If the bread reminds us of our identity, the cup reminds us of our constant cleansing. It’s what washes our jerseys when we get them muddy. It's a ultimate proof that our fumbles don't get us kicked off the team. The old song we’re about to sing says it so well: “Sin had left a crimson stain, He washed it white as snow.” This cup proclaims that the price has been paid in full.

In that song, we sing, "'Thy strength indeed is small; child of weakness, watch and pray, find in Me thine all.'" This cup is our confession of that truth. Our strength is small. But in Him, we find our all.

Let's drink together.

(Take the cup)

Church, Jesus paid it all. All to Him we owe. Because of what this table represents, by faith, we are on His team forever. Let's stand and respond to this incredible grace by singing these truths together.

(Transition to "Jesus Paid It All")