Who We Are (Part 2)
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E. V. Hill, the great African-American preacher, once hired a young girl to be his secretary. He did not know who she was other than her name. One day one of his friends came by and said, “Do you know who your secretary is?” Hill responded, “Of course. That’s Natalie Cole.” He said, “But do you know who Natalie Cole is?” Hill said, “Of course. She’s a very nice young lady who works very well, and I pay her $2 an hour.” The friend said, “That’s Nat King Cole’s daughter.” Hill was stunned. He asked Natalie to come into his office and asked her if she was indeed Nat King Cole’s daughter. “Yes,” she said. “Why didn’t you tell me?” asked Hill. She said, “I didn’t know it was required. I just wanted a job. My daddy left me something, but I haven’t come into it yet. It won’t be mine until I am twenty-one.”
Preaching the Word: 1–3 John—Fellowship in God’s Family Children of God Now and Forever (vv. 1–3)
E. V. Hill, the great African-American preacher, once hired a young girl to be his secretary. He did not know who she was other than her name. One day one of his friends came by and said, “Do you know who your secretary is?” Hill responded, “Of course. That’s Natalie Cole.” He said, “But do you know who Natalie Cole is?” Hill said, “Of course. She’s a very nice young lady who works very well, and I pay her $2 an hour.” The friend said, “That’s Nat King Cole’s daughter.” Hill was stunned. He asked Natalie to come into his office and asked her if she was indeed Nat King Cole’s daughter. “Yes,” she said. “Why didn’t you tell me?” asked Hill. She said, “I didn’t know it was required. I just wanted a job. My daddy left me something, but I haven’t come into it yet. It won’t be mine until I am twenty-one.” That is the way it is with all of us who are Christians. We are children of King Jesus, but we have not yet come into our full inheritance. It is ours now, but we don’t come into it until we get to Heaven! To the world we Christians are an odd lot of people from many different walks of life. Our earthly vocations may be humble, but we are children of the King! Harriett Buell wrote the words for “I’m A Child of the King” as she walked home from church one Sunday:
E. V. Hill, the great African-American preacher, once hired a young girl to be his secretary. He did not know who she was other than her name. One day one of his friends came by and said, “Do you know who your secretary is?” Hill responded, “Of course. That’s Natalie Cole.” He said, “But do you know who Natalie Cole is?” Hill said, “Of course. She’s a very nice young lady who works very well, and I pay her $2 an hour.” The friend said, “That’s Nat King Cole’s daughter.” Hill was stunned. He asked Natalie to come into his office and asked her if she was indeed Nat King Cole’s daughter. “Yes,” she said. “Why didn’t you tell me?” asked Hill. She said, “I didn’t know it was required. I just wanted a job. My daddy left me something, but I haven’t come into it yet. It won’t be mine until I am twenty-one.” That is the way it is with all of us who are Christians. We are children of King Jesus, but we have not yet come into our full inheritance. It is ours now, but we don’t come into it until we get to Heaven! To the world we Christians are an odd lot of people from many different walks of life. Our earthly vocations may be humble, but we are children of the King! Harriett Buell wrote the words for “I’m A Child of the King” as she walked home from church one Sunday:
That is the way it is with all of us who are Christians. We are children of King Jesus, but we have not yet come into our full inheritance. It is ours now, but we don’t come into it until we get to Heaven! But because of worldly deceptions and weakness in faith, we who have such wonderful promises tend to have an identity crisis. Sometimes when we are overly concerned with the impression we make, or we feel a core aspect of ourselves not being expressed, can struggle acutely with our identity. Reflecting on the discrepancy between who one is and who one wants to be can be a powerful catalyst. For many, the fact is, that external factors decide who we are.
But today family, we got it backwards. We need to see that who we are decide the external factors. Yet again we see the philosophy of Existentialism penetrating the church. Our identity does not come from what we do. What we do does not define us, sorry batman… we are what the Lord decrees. We do good, not to be a christian, but we do good because we are christians. And it gets even better.
Allen, D. L. (2013). 1–3 John: Fellowship in God’s Family. (R. K. Hughes, Ed.) (p. 139). Wheaton, IL: Crossway.
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. 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. And all who have this eager expectation will keep themselves pure, just as he is pure.
The grass withers the flower fades but the word of our God stands forever.
Destined for Glory
The Gospel of Glory
Remember from last week, every Christian should always live in three arenas: 1) what we are, 2) what we shall be, and 3) what we should be. We find this in our scripture today. We looked at the first part last week, today we will look at the second. So the first thing we will look at today is how our journey does not end here, we should always remember who we are and what we will become. Second, we will close by looking at the very reason why this wonderful hope is before us.
Thesis: Though sin and the pattern if this world cause us to fall into a place of a crisis of identity, it is the love of the Father, work of the Son, and the power of the Holy Spirit that brings us to the greatest of identities and that is to be a child of God, destined for glory, through Christ and Christ alone.
I. Destined for Glory
- My knowledge of that life is small, the eye of faith is dim; But ’tis enough that Christ knows all, and I shall be like Him! - Richard Baxter
My knowledge of that life is small,
A. What we are going to be has not yet been revealed to us, but we know that we are destined for it.
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.
The eye of faith is dim;
But ’tis enough that Christ knows all,
B. Not only is it important for us to remember that we are children of God, but it is important that we remember what is in store in the future. Just as we are to have confidence and assurance that we are forgiven of our sins and justified before the Father, we should also be certain of what is coming and it will be so. John want us to see this truth here just as Paul wants us to see it.
And I am convinced that nothing can ever separate us from God’s love. Neither death nor life, neither angels nor demons, neither our fears for today nor our worries about tomorrow—not even the powers of hell can separate us from God’s love. No power in the sky above or in the earth below—indeed, nothing in all creation will ever be able to separate us from the love of God that is revealed in Christ Jesus our Lord.
And I shall be like Him!
Allen, D. L. (2013). 1–3 John: Fellowship in God’s Family. (R. K. Hughes, Ed.) (p. 139). Wheaton, IL: Crossway.
C. John wants us to be certain of this. One day we will be glorified with Christ just as He is now. Are we certain of this today? The scriptures will tell us why we should be.
D. First of all, we should be certain because it is the purpose of the Lord. So we know that He will.
For God knew his people in advance, and he chose them to become like his Son, so that his Son would be the firstborn among many brothers and sisters.
E. It is the purpose of the Lord in His plan for our salvation. He not only desired that we would not be condemned, but that we be made like Christ. It is and always has been His plan to see it through. If there is one thing we see in all the scriptures is that God’s plans are always fulfilled. His promises will be fulfilled because the promises are based on His character and God cannot because He is God lie. He has also given us an oath.
God also bound himself with an oath, so that those who received the promise could be perfectly sure that he would never change his mind.
His promises are Yes and Amen. So we know that He will. Still need more convincing?
F. Not only do we have the purpose of God, but we also have the power of God to make us certain. So not only do we know that He will, we know He is able.
Can anything ever separate us from Christ’s love? Does it mean he no longer loves us if we have trouble or calamity, or are persecuted, or hungry, or destitute, or in danger, or threatened with death? (As the Scriptures say, “For your sake we are killed every day; we are being slaughtered like sheep.”) No, despite all these things, overwhelming victory is ours through Christ, who loved us.
Can anything ever separate us from Christ’s love? Does it mean he no longer loves us if we have trouble or calamity, or are persecuted, or hungry, or destitute, or in danger, or threatened with death?
G. Can anything separate us. The answer is no. Our almighty God is all powerful and one cannot fathom the extent of His ability. The creator of heaven and earth. Who can separate us from Him? Who can twart the plans of the Living God? My glorification in Christ will absolutely happen, not only does he will it, he is able to do it.
H. We might lose heart today with promises people make. People make a lot of promises but many do not have the ability to do it. We can lose heart in this that even when there is a contract, the promises are still able to be broken. But again this is not the case with the Lord. Not only is He willing, He is able. Still need more convincing? Not only is He willing, not only is He able, but He never fails. His purpose. His power. His performance.
I. Ahhh what do you all think our the Lords performance record? Impeccable? I would agree. But this is an even more beautiful thing to ponder. Not only has the Lord given us the promise that He will make us like Christ, the promise has already begun. Salvation for us, His children has already started from the day we were changed, when we were born again, when He gave us new life. His promises are already being fulfilled and we are waiting for its final fulfillment when we are glorified like Christ. And we are confident that He will perform and he will not fail the work that began
And I am certain that God, who began the good work within you, will continue his work until it is finally finished on the day when Christ Jesus returns.
J. Many time in life we are plagued with the reality are starting things and not finishing them. Books that are unfinished. Projects in the home that are started but not finished. Projects at work that need to be completed. Our Lord does not suffer from failure. What the Lord begins, He will continue to progress, and finally bring it to absolute perfect completion.
K. John is saying that “we know this.” Which means… it is the intention of our Lord for us to be sure of not only what we are, but what we will be. We know this… we know that when He appears we will be like Him. And what is this picture? It is a picture of the Second Coming of Christ.
L. Today we are not going into all the theories of how and when it will happen, but I want us to dwell on the fact that Christ is coming back. Unless you are a full preterist…maybe not.
M. But what of this glorious coming day? Christ will return and when he does, there will be judgement, all evil will be thrown into the lake of fire for all eternity, and there will be a new heavens and a new earth filled with righteousness.
But we are looking forward to the new heavens and new earth he has promised, a world filled with God’s righteousness.
N. The glory of the Lord will fill the earth. The first time he came as a baby in a manger in Bethlehem and now...
Then I saw heaven opened, and a white horse was standing there. Its rider was named Faithful and True, for he judges fairly and wages a righteous war. His eyes were like flames of fire, and on his head were many crowns. A name was written on him that no one understood except himself. He wore a robe dipped in blood, and his title was the Word of God. The armies of heaven, dressed in the finest of pure white linen, followed him on white horses. From his mouth came a sharp sword to strike down the nations. He will rule them with an iron rod. He will release the fierce wrath of God, the Almighty, like juice flowing from a winepress. On his robe at his thigh was written this title: King of all kings and Lord of all lords.
Revelation 19:11-
O. And when the Lord comes we will see him as He is.
Now we see things imperfectly, like puzzling reflections in a mirror, but then we will see everything with perfect clarity. All that I know now is partial and incomplete, but then I will know everything completely, just as God now knows me completely.
P. We will see him face to face and we will enjoy the presence of the Lord forever. And we will be like Him.
Q. Man we will be part of the great resurrection. This is the ultimate glorification of the people of God. We will be like Him.
He will take our weak mortal bodies and change them into glorious bodies like his own, using the same power with which he will bring everything under his control.
R. And what an amazing thing. We we see him face to face.
- I think about our men and women in uniform who have served in Iraq and Afghanistan over the past several years. Many of them have been deployed for a year or longer, and some have seen multiple deployments. Some military fathers in Iraq and Afghanistan have had a child born back home, and they have only seen pictures or videos or live video on Skype of their child. They have not yet had the joy of looking into the face of their own child. Imagine that daddy when he finally gets to come home and for the first time see and hold his own child. The face of his own child moves him to tears of joy.
I think about our men and women in uniform who have served in Iraq and Afghanistan over the past several years. Many of them have been deployed for a year or longer, and some have seen multiple deployments. Some military fathers in Iraq and Afghanistan have had a child born back home, and they have only seen pictures or videos or live video on Skype of their child. They have not yet had the joy of looking into the face of their own child. Imagine that daddy when he finally gets to come home and for the first time see and hold his own child. The face of his own child moves him to tears of joy.
S. The songwriter had it right when he said, “It will be worth it all when we see Jesus; life’s trials will seem so small when we see Christ. One glimpse of His dear face all sorrows will erase, so bravely run the race till we see Christ.”
Allen, D. L. (2013). 1–3 John: Fellowship in God’s Family. (R. K. Hughes, Ed.) (p. 143). Wheaton, IL: Crossway.
The songwriter had it right when he said, “It will be worth it all when we see Jesus; life’s trials will seem so small when we see Christ. One glimpse of His dear face all sorrows will erase, so bravely run the race till we see Christ.”
T. What a glorious day it will be when is fulfilled:
Now we see things imperfectly, like puzzling reflections in a mirror, but then we will see everything with perfect clarity. All that I know now is partial and incomplete, but then I will know everything completely, just as God now knows me completely.
1 Corinthians 13:12
What a glorious day it will be when is fulfilled:
II. The Gospel of Glory
II. The Gospel of Glory
- “Changed from glory to glory. Till in heaven we take our place. Till we cast our crowns before Him. Lost in wonder, love, and praise” - Charles Wesley
A. It is when we meditate upon the scriptures such as these that I tend to feel ashamed. With all that we have now and all that we have in store for us we should be ashamed of all the times we spend grumbling and complaining about life. Shame on us for all the times we say the life of a Christian is just too hard to handle. Shame on us for all the times we have objected to the demands of the glorious gospel. Shame on us for all the times we worshipped the Lord half heartedly. Shame on us for the half hearted lip service to the praise and love of His honor and glory.
B. Our destiny is grand. As grand as it could ever be for any of us. But it is sin and our lack of faith that causes us to lose sight of all that we have in Christ. The flesh is weak, especially when it comes to our identity in our current cultural constructs. We lose sight of what we are and what we will become. But this is the reality of sin.
C. But recognizing the problem of sin is not a bad thing. We are recognizing that there is something wrong. Something desperately wrong with us. And this is what is revealed in the scriptures.
For everyone has sinned; we all fall short of God’s glorious standard.
Not a single person on earth is always good and never sins.
As the Scriptures say,
“No one is righteous—
not even one.
Remember, it is sin to know what you ought to do and then not do it.
Jmaes 4:17
D. But how in the world are we who are sinners destined for such a wonder future? It is called the glorious Gospel of Jesus. Our sins are real but...
E. Jesus died for our sins according to the scriptures… The saying is trustworthy and deserving of full acceptance… Jesus came into this world to seek and save that which was lost. He became sin who knew no sin that we might become ...
F. If you confess with your mouth that Jesus is Lord and believe in your heart… All who call upon the name of the Lord shall be saved.
G.