Picture Perfect Family

PICTURE PERFECT FAMILY

OPENING PRAYER:

Our Father and our God, We pray that you would be gracious to us as we gather again to sit under your Word. Bless your people. Cause us to submit to all that you have to teach us. Grant us repentance from our sins and help us in our unbelief. Give to us increased grace and joy in Jesus Christ, our Savior. It is in His name that we pray. Amen

SCRIPTURE TEXT: (Reading 2:28-3:10)

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.

THIS IS THE WORD OF THE LORD.

INTRO:

As we look at our passage today, we see that John marvels at this salvation. He says [See/ Look / Behold/ Pay Close Attention] to the Father’s love. John’s amazement shows us that this love is something extraordinary.

We understand what John is doing here. We stand awe-struck at so many things in this world. I remember going to the Grand Canyon and just being amazed. So much of my family vacation was spent saying, “LOOK, LOOK! CHECK THIS OUT! OVER HERE! HURRY! COME HERE! YOU HAVE TO SEE THIS!”

This is exactly the attitude that John has when pondering the Father's love. In our passage today God is calling us to examine. God is calling us to behold His love with much more amazement than anything the Grand Canyon can offer.

Yet we also have seen how quickly our senses can become dull to the things of this world. The Grand Canyon can actually become quite boring for someone who lives there. A tour guide can see the same thing so many times that she may lose all interest in the beauty that is before her. BUT this is not the case with John and his reflection upon the Father’s love. Many commentators believe that John would have been a believer now for at least 60 years when writing this. Yet we find that his heart has only grown with increasing amazement.

SO this raises the question. What makes this love so special? What is it about the Father’s love that causes John to be amazed?

Well it has rightly been said that before we can know how amazing our salvation is, we must know what we have been saved from. This is an important aspect to John as we see in verse 1. He says, “See what kind of love the Father has given to US, that WE should be called children of God.”

So to delight in the Father’s love, to stand amazed as John did, we must understand and reflect upon who we once were. Brothers and sisters, John shows us how God’s love forms the Picture Perfect Family.

Who We Were:

Well the Bible is not shy about addressing things as they really are. We often use this as evidence to demonstrate the truthfulness of the bible. If scripture was written only by man, surely the authors would have excluded a lot of the sinful details. We don’t like to incriminate ourselves. But as we see, God’s revelation of Himself reveals not only a lot about who God is, but also a lot about who we are.

As I have said, it is the object of God’s love that causes John to be amazed. Therefore this demands that we see who we are in light of scripture.

But before we do that our children’s catechism is also quite helpful in seeing who we are. God made us and all things for his glory. God created Adam and Eve after his own image. And they were happy and holy. WHAT a wonderful condition to be in.

Yet it doesn’t take long for us to see that this is not the condition that we are in anymore. The catechism goes on to explain that our first parents, Adam and Eve, sinned against God. They did not obey God perfectly but rather ate the forbidden fruit. And because of sin, instead of being happy and holy, they became sinful and miserable. This is what sin does to us. “For the wages of sin is death”… not happiness and holiness. And brothers and sisters this is the condition that we are in apart from Christ.

“For the wrath of God is revealed from heaven against all ungodliness and unrighteousness of men, who by their unrighteousness suppress the truth. For what can be known about God is plain to them, because God has shown it to them. For his invisible attributes, namely, his eternal power and divine nature, have been clearly perceived, ever since the creation of the world, in the things that have been made. So they are without excuse. For although they knew God, they did not honor him as God or give thanks to him, but they became futile in their thinking, and their foolish hearts were darkened. Claiming to be wise, they became fools”

: “And you were dead in the trespasses and sins in which you once walked, following the course of this world, following the prince of the power of the air, the spirit that is now at work in the sons of disobedience— among whom we all once lived in the passions of our flesh, carrying out the desires of the body and the mind, and were by nature children of wrath, like the rest of mankind.”

:“The Pharisees said to him, “Abraham is our father.” Jesus said to them, “If you were Abraham's children, you would be doing the works Abraham did, but now you seek to kill me, a man who has told you the truth that I heard from God. This is not what Abraham did. You are doing the works your father did.” They said to him, “We were not born of sexual immorality. We have one Father—even God.” Jesus said to them, “If God were your Father, you would love me, for I came from God and I am here. I came not of my own accord, but he sent me. Why do you not understand what I say? It is because you cannot bear to hear my word. You are of your father the devil,”

`Now, in contrast to that, look what John celebrates here. He is amazed that God would show His love to us. US, those who are dead in our sin, we who are children of wrath, fools, ungodly, unrighteous, children of the devil. This is who we are apart from Christ. We do not deserve God’s love but His wrath. We do not deserve to be happy and holy but destroyed. We have sinned against God, rejected Him to His face, and raised our fist in rebellion. This is what John finds shocking. How are WE recipients of God’s love and are now called children of God, when all we have done is despised Him. OH may that sink deep into our hearts brothers and sisters. May our God show us the sinfulness of our sin.

Think about it. John says that we are children of God. How can we possible be children of God when Jesus says that we once were children of the devil. How can we as sinners be forgiven? How can we be adopted into God’s family when we have despised and rejected God?

And let us be honest, what kind of Father is going to pursue and adopt those who are his enemies? Well John would say again… Behold, See, Stand amazed at the Father’s love.

For God has sent his only Son, the one who was not his enemy, the one whom He loved, to die for and save those who are rebels. Unlike Adam and Eve, Christ obeyed God perfectly. But if Adam and Eve, were to be in a condition of happiness and holiness it sure doesn’t look like Christ was in his life. We see that in His incarnation, life, and ministry Jesus was under the estate of humiliation not of exultation. He underwent misery in His life. He took upon Himself the wrath of God, the torture of the cross and was put to death. Far from happy… But as we have heard, the wages of sin is death. Jesus was without sin, how could He possible die?

Jesus Christ came into the world to save sinners. Jesus came on a rescue mission. He came to live the life we could not, to restore all that Adam lost. He died, taking upon Himself, our punishment, so we may not face God’s wrath. His humiliation is for our exultation… Believers, Behold the Father’s love.

Who We Are

Because of the work of Christ, we who were once rebels, once children of the devil, have been forgiven and cleansed. As John says in verse 2, because of the Father’s love “we should be called children of God, and so we are… we are God’s children now.” God is no longer against us, but is for us. Jesus has made us right with God. Brothers and sister, we who are in Christ, ARE children of God.

Do you marvel at this? Do you think about the fact that the God who created all things, is your father. Truly we can now say, “If God is for us, who can be against us!” If God is my Father what great privileges we have. And Scripture is full of these privileges. It is my desire that we walk away encouraged today by who we are as children of God.

1.) John says that we now obtain a new name. We are now called Children of God. When someone is adopted into a family, that family name is given to them. What a precious thing it is to be called children of God.

2.) John, later on in his letter says that as children of God we have access to the throne of grace with boldness. : “And this is the confidence that we have toward him, if we ask anything according to his will he hears us.” We are children of God and our Father turns His ears to us when we speak to Him. What joy it should bring us to know that God delights to hear from us.

3.) We also receive the Spirit of adoption. “For all who are led by the Spirit of God are sons of God. For you did not receive the spirit of slavery to fall back into fear, but you received the Spirit of adoption as sons, by whom we cry, ‘Abba! Father!’ The Spirit himself bears witness with our spirit that we are children of God.

4.) We are under God’s Fatherly care. : The psalmist writes

As a father shows compassion to his children, so the LORD shows compassion to those who fear him. For he knows our frame; he remembers that we are dust.”

Believers as children of God, we may never fear God’s wrath against us. He is compassionate with us. He loves us and is merciful and gracious to His children.

5.) Our Father will provide for us. : “Therefore I tell you, do not be anxious about your life, what you will eat or what you will drink, nor about your body, what you will put on. Is not life more than food, and the body more than clothing? Look at the birds of the air: they neither sow nor reap nor gather into barns, and yet your heavenly Father feeds them. Are you not of more value than they? And which of you by being anxious can add a single hour to his span of life? And why are you anxious about clothing? Consider the lilies of the field, how they grow: they neither toil nor spin, yet I tell you, even Solomon in all his glory was not arrayed like one of these. But if God so clothes the grass of the field, which today is alive and tomorrow is thrown into the oven, will he not much more clothe you, O you of little faith? Therefore do not be anxious, saying, ‘What shall we eat?’ or ‘What shall we drink?’ or ‘What shall we wear?’ For the Gentiles seek after all these things, and your heavenly Father knows that you need them all.

We now have no need to fear or be anxious for our Father knows our needs and will provide for us.

Brothers and sisters, John calls you to rejoice in God’s goodness towards you. Our Father did not spare His own son but gave Him up for us; surely He will not withhold any other good gift from us. Find your joy in the love that the Father has given to you. Rest in Him. Drink deeply of His love. Be amazed!

But today you may be thinking. “David you just don’t understand my life. What you are saying sounds nice but you’re not talking about me. If I am a child of God, if God loves me and desires to provide for me, to comfort me, to care for me, why does my life look the way it does?” If God is sovereign over all things and desires to care for His children why are our lives so difficult at times? John understands this problem and gives us great encouragement.

John is not content with us simply having head knowledge of our adoption. He surely wants that but also wants our hearts to be comforted with the fact that God is our loving Father. He strangely repeats Himself saying in affect, “not only are we called Children of God, WE ARE GOD’S CHILDREN.” John understands the struggles and doubts that we face in this world. He says in verse 2 “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.”

The world, the flesh, and the devil are whispering and at times shouting, “Where is your God?” “If you’re a child of God, where is your Father?” We face all sorts of occasions that will cause us to doubt our adoption. Look at Japan at the moment. Our missionaries are going to have to answer these questions. As wind and waves destroy cities, Christian’s there are going to tempted to doubt their adoption. Yet we don’t have to look across the world to face these doubts. We battle these questions in so many different areas in our life.

If I am a child of God why do I struggle to make growth in holiness? Why am I still losing the same fight against the same sin? If I am a child of God, why is it so difficult to find a job so I can provide for my family? If I am a child of God, why is my marriage a mess? Why will God not give us children? Why did my mother die? Why? Why? WHY?

John did not live in a dream-world, free from sin, doubts, and struggle. John gives us hope, in a world full of WHYS. Again he says, “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.”

Who We Will Be

John understands our difficulties and doubts. We should never be afraid to honestly confess our hearts to God and one another. Our adoption as children into the family of the Living and True God means that we have a Father that will not give up on us. John says, “what we will be has not yet appeared”.

While we are declared and promised that we are children of God now, this is still being worked in us. The church here on Earth is still a work in progress. But praise God we are not left to our own.

For we know that “Christ loved the church and have himself up for her, that he might sanctify her, having cleansed her by the washing of water with the word, so that he might present the church to himself in splendor, without spot or wrinkle or any such thing, that she might be holy and without blemish.”

: “For those whom he foreknew he also predestined to be conformed to the image of his Son, in order that he might be the firstborn among many brothers. And those whom he predestined he also called, and those whom he called he also justified, and those whom he justified he also glorified.”

Brothers and Sisters there is coming a day, when we will see Christ face to face. John says that when that day comes we are going to be free from our indwelling sin. We will be free from our weaknesses. We will be sanctified, cleansed, holy and without blemish.

We will be conformed to His image. All of our tears will be wiped away. All wrongs will be made right. There is coming a day when we will never be faced with our doubts. We will not have to face the WHY questions anymore.

But this still challenges us tonight. John’s promise of seeing Christ face to face and being conformed to His image still provokes us in issues we are not comfortable with. What does our fight against sin look like now? If it is God’s will for His people to be sanctified and cleansed, shouldn’t that also be ours? Do our hearts long for the day when we will be free from sin? May our God fill us with such yearning to be pure!

As John Murray has said, “We can have no peace with any defilement until the Father’s love that adopted and the Father’s love that perfects will find in us the full response of perfect love.”

This shows us that our Christian walk is not done in slumber. We must put to death our sins. We must wage war against the greatest enemy of our soul. Verse 2-3 says, “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.” Often times we are disturbed at just how little we do fight against our sin. But this verse helps us to see that all of our working is established and accomplished in God’s working. Our fight against sin finds its hope in God. Therefore we must look to Him as we seek to put to death all of our sinful desires knowing that when we see Him we will finally be made like Him.

This is why it is crucial that we look to Him and the means He has provided for our growth. We must rejoice in Christ and avail ourselves to His means of grace. God does not leave us alone in this fight. He has promised to work in and through us. Christ says that “Apart from me, you can do nothing.” Oh how true this is. Therefore we need to be reminded, again and again, what we are doing here on the Lord’s Day. Why do we come to worship?

Brothers and sisters, it is through the preaching of the word, sacraments, and prayer that our Lord promises to specially meet with and bless His people. We gather here each and every Lord’s Day not to hear from a pastor, no matter how talented he may be. In preaching, God Himself speaks to us through His word. In worship we gather together to meet with God. It is hear where we have the clearest picture of what we will one day be.

So let us come with great expectation each and every Lord’s day, that through the preaching of God’s Word we can come to see with John the Father’s amazing love towards us. For it is this amazing love that cause those who were children of the devil to be brought into the family of God. Through His love we are children of God now and it is His love that gives us the hope for His coming. The Father’s love alone conforms us into His picture perfect family. LET US PRAY

Let’s Pray:

Our Father, We rejoice in your love towards us. We who were once children of wrath have been brought near to God through Jesus Christ, your Son and our Savior. Open our hearts that we may treasure Him above all things, above all doubts, above all suffering. Help our unbelief. Grant us repentance from our sins and give us strength to fight daily against the world, our flesh, and the devil. Fill us with the longing to see Christ face to face. For it is then when we will be free from sin forever. Please give us minds that are set on Heaven. That we may truly see your kindness towards us in the means of grace. Let us hold fast to the truth that you will not forsake us. That you delight to bless your people through the preaching of your Word. Give our hearts no peace until we rest in Jesus Christ. Allow our eyes to see in faith, that through his work and atonement we are now Children of God. May we forever be amazed. AMENBibliography

Joel Beeke “Heirs with Christ: The Puritans on Adoption”

Joel Beeke “The Epistles of John”

James Boice “The Epistles of John”

Martyn Lloyd-Jones “Life in Christ: Studies in 1 John”

Howard Marshall “Epistles of John (NICNT)”

John Murray “Collected Writings Vol 2”