God is Pure

In a world of no absolutes we serve an absolute God. God is the same, yesterday, today and forever. He has given us a 6000 year history of himself through the Bible so that we can know the nature, attributes, and character of the God we trust. I have spent my life reading God’s Word and observing God in action to continually discover who He is. I stand in awe of God. I can’t figure Him out nor will I every complete understand Him. I only can know what he has reveals about himself, and therefore what he wants me to know.

I grew up under an expository preacher. A man of God that took great pride in expounding the Word of God and discovering the truth of the gospel. His name is John Gross and is still serving the Lord to This day. Brother Gross would preach through a book of the Bible, much like I do today, letting the Bible speak for itself about who and what God is. I would listen and learn all the while forming my opinions about God from the words of my preacher. Some of it I got right and some of it I got wrong. It was only when I started studying the Bible for myself that some of my misconceptions were corrects.

In my day there were no podcasts and no internet. There were a few TV evangelist and pastors but not many. So unless you were a reader, which I wasn’t until college, you had one main source of teaching and would put your trust in that teaching. Today we have all kinds of input of thought and understanding and we realize there are many different opinions so we choose who and what to believe. I think this is good as long as you are grounded in the Word of God and can pick out the fact from fiction.

I think this ”God Is” series is so important to understand from a biblical perspective who God is and what God is not. As always, I am still leaning into the scripture to discover what God has revealed about himself in order to represent Him properly to you. I never ask you to take what I say as gospel. I‘m always flattered when people begin to dig in the Bible for themselves to see if what I’m saying is true. I don’t say things for dramatic effect, but there are some things catch people off guard because it’s not what they have heard in the past or maybe from the preacher you grew up under (which seems to be grandpa in many cases).

As we get into 1 John 3 this morning. I going to freak some of you out. I caution you not to turn me off when you hear something that sounds unfamiliar. Let it sit for a minute and let the Spirit identify the truth in your heart. And you might need to study for yourself to see if what I‘m saying is true. I have no issue or problem with that.

In this passage John gives us 5 evidences of a Child of God.

A love relationship with God.

Hope in Christ’s Return.

Purification of the Saints.

The Practice of Righteousness.

Abiding in Christ.

1. A love relationship with God.

Known and accepted by God

Every person desires to be known and accepted. We call this unconditional love.

Unconditional love is defined as being fully known and accepted no matter what the circumstance.

God’s love is unconditional for his Son, Jesus Christ the Righteous.

God does not have unconditional love for this world.

If so, He would accept everyone no matter their circumstance. All would be saved and Christ would have died in vain.

Many will say that “agape” means unconditional love but that is incorrect. “Agape” mean charitable or benevolent.

John 3:16 ESV

16 “For God so loved the world, that he gave his only Son, that whoever believes in him should not perish but have eternal life.

God was benevolent to humanity by giving us His Son as an appeasement for our Sin.

He then extends his unconditional love to those that receive and accept His Son.

Those that are in Christ are unconditionally loved by God.

Our adoption cost is the priceless blood of Jesus.

1 John 3:1 ESV

1 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.

2. Hope in Christ’s Return.

The promise of his appearing.

1 John 2:28 ESV

28 And now, little children, abide in him, so that when he appears we may have confidence and not shrink from him in shame at his coming.

The promise of being like Him.

1 John 3:2 ESV

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.

3. Purification of the Saints.

1 John 3:3 ESV

3 And everyone who thus hopes in him purifies himself as he is pure.

Purification begins with the renewing of your mind.

The Spirit guides you in all truth dispelling the lies of this world.

The Word of God is the purifying water Jesus uses to cleans his bride.

Ephesians 5:25–26 ESV

25 Husbands, love your wives, as Christ loved the church and gave himself up for her, 26 that he might sanctify her, having cleansed her by the washing of water with the word,

The Word exposes you to the law of righteousness.

Romans 7:7–8 ESV

7 What then shall we say? That the law is sin? By no means! Yet if it had not been for the law, I would not have known sin. For I would not have known what it is to covet if the law had not said, “You shall not covet.” 8 But sin, seizing an opportunity through the commandment, produced in me all kinds of covetousness. For apart from the law, sin lies dead.

Once you are exposed to the law of righteousness you are obligated to keep it.

4. The Practice of Righteousness

1 John 3:4–6 ESV

4 Everyone who makes a practice of sinning also practices lawlessness; sin is lawlessness. 5 You know that he appeared in order to take away sins, and in him there is no sin. 6 No one who abides in him keeps on sinning; no one who keeps on sinning has either seen him or known him.

Sin is the willful disobedience to God’s character and nature.

What is the intent of your heart? Sin or Righteousness

Hebrews 4:12–13 ESV

12 For the word of God is living and active, sharper than any two-edged sword, piercing to the division of soul and of spirit, of joints and of marrow, and discerning the thoughts and intentions of the heart. 13 And no creature is hidden from his sight, but all are naked and exposed to the eyes of him to whom we must give account.

Willful intent is a predisposition.

Illustration: The Degrees of Murder

1st degree Murder: willful and premeditated

2nd degree Murder: willful but no premeditated.

3rd degree Murder: emotionally charged or mentally disturbed.

Involuntary Manslaughter: reckless behavior that causes death to someone else.

The intention of every child of God is to walk in righteousness.

If your intention is to continue in your sin you are not a child of God.

Righteousness following the ways of Christ.

1 John 3:7–8 ESV

7 Little children, let no one deceive you. Whoever practices righteousness is righteous, as he is righteous. 8 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.

5. Abiding in Christ

1 John 2:27 (ESV)

27 But the anointing that you received from him abides in you, and you have no need that anyone should teach you. But as his anointing teaches you about everything, and is true, and is no lie—just as it has taught you, abide in him.

1 John 2:28 (ESV)

28 And now, little children, abide in him, ...

1 John 3:6 (ESV)

6 No one who abides in him keeps on sinning...

1 John 3:9 (ESV)

9 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.

“Sin is overcome by abiding in Christ.”

You will never overcome sin by your will power for your flesh is weak.

When you abide in Christ, you walk in the Spirit, and you will not fulfil the lust of the flesh.

Abiding is living in constant relationship with the Father, through the Son, by the Spirit.

Jesus ceases to become an external object of worship and becomes an internal dwelling.

You in Christ and Christ in you.

Galatians 2:20 ESV

20 I have been crucified with Christ. It is no longer I who live, but Christ who lives in me. And the life I now live in the flesh I live by faith in the Son of God, who loved me and gave himself for me.

1 John 3:10 ESV

10 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.

Closing Thoughts:

So, how does the evidence stack up in your life. The problem is this is a pass or fail test. A child of God will not be hitting 3 out of 5. That would mean you’re almost a Child of God. These are what a Child of God does.

John is not giving you expectations but evidence.

So what do you do if the evidence is stacked against you?

Quit trying to know more about God and come into a relationship with God.

Receive Jesus as your Lord and Savior and God will receive you.

Check the intent of your heart. Do you want to sin or do you want to walk in Righteousness?

Humble yourself and repent.

James 4:8 ESV

8 Draw near to God, and he will draw near to you. Cleanse your hands, you sinners, and purify your hearts, you double-minded.