How great a love
Notes
Transcript
Handout
Who was your first hero?
Who was your first hero?
Stop, think about it for a minute. Or, maybe you don’t need to think about it at all, who was your first hero?
(Insert - Who is your hero picture here)
Ask the question, was it your Dad, your Mom, maybe a famous person, sports figure.
For the child of God we have many good examples, and One hero in three parts (Father, Son, and Holy Spirit).
Biblical example of hero
(insert Prodigal Son picture here)
The story is found in Lk15:11ff (summarize story very quickly) point to the fact that the picture of the Father is the picture of God.
(Insert- The Fathers Love picture here)
In our passage tonight we see the first time that John speaks of those “born of God” and uses the love of the Father throughout the passage, hence why the message tonight is entitled how great a love, or maybe call it a Fathers love!
The aim tonight is to show the results of the Fathers love in the life of the Christian.
So, here is how we are going to break this down tonight
As a child with the fathers love (1Jn2:28-29)
As a child, what we are in light of the fathers love (1Jn3:1)
What we shall be because of the Fathers love (1Jn3:2)
What we should be as a result of the Fathers love (1Jn3:3)
(Transition) so let’s turn together and look at our passage in context
28 Now, little children, abide in Him, so that when He appears, we may have confidence and not shrink away from Him in shame at His coming. 29 If you know that He is righteous, you know that everyone also who practices righteousness is born of Him.
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. 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.
3 And everyone who has this hope fixed on Him purifies himself, just as He is pure.
What do you see, what do you notice, what sticks out to you?
Pulling from the scripture
Who is John addressing and regarding whom (vv.28-29)?
Little children, these are children of God (believers)
Regarding Him (Jesus) who is righteous and His children practice righteousness are born of Him.
What has the Father bestowed on us and what are the results of that (v.1)?
His great love, so that we would be called children of God
What is the promise found in (v.2)?
We will be like Him when He returns.
What is the results of the hope fixed on Him (v.3)?
Everyone will purify himself as He is pure.
As a child with the Fathers love
As a child with the Fathers love
For most did you need to be told your father loved you, or was it demonstrated and seen? Then hopefully, prayerfully was followed with words too. John continues the appeals we had seen in chapter 2.
A child with the Father’s love knows
To abide in Him (Jn14:15, 15:1-6)
Jesus commands proof of your love, for us to abide in Him.
15 “If you love Me, you will keep My commandments.
In Jn15:1-6, Jesus tells the followers that He is the true vine and the Father is the vinedresser and to stay connected to Him, for without Him you can do nothing.
To have confidence (2The3:4; 1Tim3:13; Heb10:35, 4:16)
We are to have confidence in the Lord concerning us, because we keep His commands (consider 2The3:4)
Like any other servant of the Lord have confidence in our faith, faith in Christ Jesus (consider 1Tim3:13)
How about a couple other reminders?
Don’t throw away your confidence.
35 Therefore, do not throw away your confidence, which has a great reward.
and know we then can act confidently, boldly
16 Therefore let us draw near with confidence to the throne of grace, so that we may receive mercy and find grace to help in time of need.
John in the epistle speaks of confidence in 2:28, 3:21, 4:17 and 5:14, well worth you looking up, so just note those down in your notes.
To practice righteousness
Righteousness; correct moral behavior.
In the gospel John deals with coming to believe and experiencing the new birth
In the epistle John deals with the evidence of the new birth (righteousness)
Ask the question, what does practiced righteousness look like, or should look like, may look like?
I once read this years ago, not sure exactly where, but worth quoting anyways.
“For the child of God faith precedes behavior, but right behavior (righteous behavior) comes as a result of right belief.”
So the fathers love was poured out while we were yet sinners (see Rom5:8), and our spiritual life is a direct resold of the redemptive work of God (you may consider
12 having been buried with Him in baptism, in which you were also raised up with Him through faith in the working of God, who raised Him from the dead. 13 When you were dead in your transgressions and the uncircumcision of your flesh, He made you alive together with Him, having forgiven us all our transgressions,
No need to read the block below it is only for the outline, pick back up at the transition.
Other scriptures used or referenced in this section: Col2:12-13; Tit3:4-7)
(Transition) Another passage you maybe familiar with that you can look up is (Tit3:4-7). Because of the redemptive work on the cross we are born again and can be properly called Children of God and that is where we turn to now as children of God.
We we are as children of God
We we are as children of God
Think about this as we look at this verse, the word bestow, and the results of that in the life of the authentic Christian.
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.
It is a great love that He has bestowed on us
Many of the versions of this verse say “behold the manner of great love” - we are to stop, to try to grasp that.
It is through that love we are called children of God (Jn3:16; Rom5:8; 1Jn4:9-10; Tit3:3-7), Ps8:3-4)
We know God did not hold back, that he so loved the world (Jn3:16, just quote it)
Did not hold back while we were yet sinners (ref: Rom5:8)
9 By this the love of God was manifested in us, that God has sent His only begotten Son into the world so that we might live through Him. 10 In this is love, not that we loved God, but that He loved us and sent His Son to be the propitiation for our sins.
Oh I mentioned Titus earlier, but think I should bring it in, and in context so you can behold the manner of great love even more
3 For we also once were foolish ourselves, disobedient, deceived, enslaved to various lusts and pleasures, spending our life in malice and envy, hateful, hating one another. 4 But when the kindness of God our Savior and His love for mankind appeared,
5 He saved us, not on the basis of deeds which we have done in righteousness, but according to His mercy, by the washing of regeneration and renewing by the Holy Spirit, 6 whom He poured out upon us richly through Jesus Christ our Savior,
7 so that being justified by His grace we would be made heirs according to the hope of eternal life.
It is an honor for God to even take notice of us, man!
3 When I consider Your heavens, the work of Your fingers, The moon and the stars, which You have ordained; 4 What is man that You take thought of him, And the son of man that You care for him?
Behold the great love a Father has bestowed on us (v.1). The world cannot grasp it, for we can barely do it. But let me expand on that a little more
. . . the world does not know us, because it did now know Him. (3:1b)
We are unknown by the world (1Cor4:9-13; Jn1:11, 3:19; Col3:3-4)
Paul says the apostles had become a spectacle to the world, to angels and to men (1Cor4:9)
Fools for Christ sake (v.10) and suffered many things as scum of the world (v.13)
See the world loved darkness vs. the Light.
11 He came to His own, and those who were His own did not receive Him.
now as for the darkness
19 “This is the judgment, that the Light has come into the world, and men loved the darkness rather than the Light, for their deeds were evil.
As for what we are we are hidden in God now because of the bestowed love.
3 For you have died and your life is hidden with Christ in God. 4 When Christ, who is our life, is revealed, then you also will be revealed with Him in glory.
(Transition) Known and loved by God with a great love bestowed on us, oftentimes despised by the world. One day, when Christ returns, when He is revealed we will be with Him in glory! John does not stop there. He goes on to speak on what we shall be.
What we shall be because of the Fathers love.
What we shall be because of the Fathers love.
What is faith? The substances of things hoped for the evidence of things not seen (see Heb11:1) and we have to live by faith for we do not know everything, not everything has been revealed to us.
2 Beloved, now we are children of God; and it has not yet been revealed what we shall be, but we know that when He is revealed, we shall be like Him, for we shall see Him as He is.
Not yet revealed what we shall be
Maybe there is no way for us to know at this time because of our finite minds, it is too much for us to grasp, to comprehend, to understand.
There are things we can know (1Cor15:42-44, 50-53)
We can know from the verse we will be like him (v.2)
Other things we can know.
42 So also is the resurrection of the dead. It is sown a perishable body, it is raised an imperishable body; 43 it is sown in dishonor, it is raised in glory; it is sown in weakness, it is raised in power;
44 it is sown a natural body, it is raised a spiritual body. If there is a natural body, there is also a spiritual body.
also
50 Now I say this, brethren, that flesh and blood cannot inherit the kingdom of God; nor does the perishable inherit the imperishable. 51 Behold, I tell you a mystery; we will not all sleep, but we will all be changed,
52 in a moment, in the twinkling of an eye, at the last trumpet; for the trumpet will sound, and the dead will be raised imperishable, and we will be changed. 53 For this perishable must put on the imperishable, and this mortal must put on immortality.
Our perishable will be raised imperishable
From sown in dishonor to raised in glory
From natural body to a spiritual body
We will be changed in twinkling of an eye, and our mortal body will put on immortality
(Transition) I mentioned we will be like him, let me give you a couple of things to think about.
We shall be like Him (Jesus) (v.2)
We will bear the image of the heavenly (1Cor15:49)
Our humble state will be conformed to a body of glory (Php3:20-21)
Consider (1Tim6:13-16) that you keep the commandment without stain or reproach until His return.
(Transition) What good is a message without an application? Nothing! So now our last point
What we should be like as a result of the Fathers love
What we should be like as a result of the Fathers love
John is writing all these words to prepare, to protect, to remind and to encourage the believers, let’s look at a few more words given tonight.
3 And everyone who has this hope fixed on Him purifies himself, just as He is pure.
We should be motivated, encouraged by the hope we have (v.3; Heb11:1; 1Tim1:1)
We have already mentioned faith and hope, and we can know the hope here is Jesus Christ as mentioned in 1Tim1:1 too.
We should be diligent in purifying ourselves (v.3; Php3:21; 1Jn1:9; Eph5:25-27; 2Cor6:16-7:1)
We looked at Php whereas the lowly body will be conformed to the glorious Body, so be diligent to work told purity, holiness as He himself is holy.
Consider this familiar verse
9 If we confess our sins, He is faithful and righteous to forgive us our sins and to cleanse us from all unrighteousness.
Be diligent, be encouraged to acknowledge and confess your sins!
Be cleansed by the washing of water with the word. Be sanctified by the Word.
We also have a responsibility to . . . well hold on let the Word speak.
16 Or what agreement has the temple of God with idols? For we are the temple of the living God; just as God said, “I will dwell in them and walk among them; And I will be their God, and they shall be My people. 17 “Therefore, come out from their midst and be separate,” says the Lord. “And do not touch what is unclean; And I will welcome you.
18 “And I will be a father to you, And you shall be sons and daughters to Me,” Says the Lord Almighty. 1 Therefore, having these promises, beloved, let us cleanse ourselves from all defilement of flesh and spirit, perfecting holiness in the fear of God.
So, are there truths we can know about how great a love the Father has for us? Can we be resolved in the Fathers love, His redemptive work completed so we can become His children?
Be careful to not fall away from the living God, and encourage one another (Heb3:12-14)
We have a promise in Him, may we walk in that promise by faith until the promise is fulfilled (Consider Heb4:1-2)
So, be diligent, be confident, endure, hold onto you faith
35 Therefore, do not throw away your confidence, which has a great reward. 36 For you have need of endurance, so that when you have done the will of God, you may receive what was promised.
37 For yet in a very little while, He who is coming will come, and will not delay. 38 But My righteous one shall live by faith; And if he shrinks back, My soul has no pleasure in him. 39 But we are not of those who shrink back to destruction, but of those who have faith to the preserving of the soul.
Jesus is coming, are you ready for Him, your little children qualified to be Children of God, so may we be ready, looking, longing and waiting for Him as we live as authentic Christians!
(Prayer) (Exit)