Truth That Empowers Living. -Who You Really Are.
1 John 3:1-2NLT
Hear this powerful testimony, “I’m not who I once was. I’m a new person.” Those simple words from my son, spoken to students at a school assembly, describe the change God made in his life. States Godfrey’s dad, reverend, James Banks.
Once addicted to heroin, Godfrey previously saw himself through his sins and mistakes. But now he sees himself as a child of God.
I wonder if I can be honest, “Do you see yourself through your sins?’ ‘Through your previous mistakes?”
“If you love Jesus there is only one way to see yourself, and that is through Jesus’ finished work.” P.H
In other words, “Do you identify yourself to your previous, or do you see yourself as a child of God?”
I want to take for a text, 1 John 3:1-2, we will look at verse 1. -1 John 3:1 ”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.
The 3 greatest words in the world, God loves you. However, these 4 come back.
-I already know that.
The apostle John was called, Jesus’ beloved, John gives the believer a powerful secret.
Here’s the secret, those who belong to this world cannot discern that we are God’s children. “Don’t be too hard on them, they’re blind.” P.H
2 Corinthians 4:4NLT Satan, who is the god of this world, has blinded the minds of those who don’t believe. They are unable to see the glorious light of the Good News. They don’t understand this message about the glory of Christ, who is the exact likeness of God.
Before we go to verse 2, Remember ‘you' could be the ‘blinds’ only hope!
Vs.4, They don’t understand...
Back to the text, 1 John 3:2 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.“
I wonder if we can see Jesus as our Elder Brother, I wonder if we can see the Father?
And If we are Gods children, His offspring, and if we truly understand our inheritance, in return, we begin to think, we say, we act and we do things differently! PH
Again verse 2, John, the beloved writes, “Friends, dear believers, dear Saint of God.” Please understand, that you are now children of God.
Listen, this is not a cliché, “I am a child of God.”
However, at this time, just as the apostle John writes in verse 2, “We are unsure what we’re going to be like, but when Jesus appears we’re gonna be like Him!”
Can you picture Jesus? Can you see Jesus for Who He really is? He’s Creator, He’s judge, He’s love, He’s forgiveness, He’s joy, He’s peace, He’s grace, He’s wisdom, He’s fruit, He’s gifts, and He is eternal!
Hear me, “And He’s coming back again!”
Scripture is clear, believers who die by the grave will be coming back with Jesus at this time.
-Then they will receive their new body and those on earth will be caught away and changed!
Sound far fetched? “Jesus will not allow His bride to go through the tribulation."
The imagery and symbolism of marriage is applied to Christ and the body of believers known as the church.
The church is comprised of those who have trusted in Jesus Christ as their personal Savior and have received eternal life.
Jesus Christ, the Bridegroom, has sacrificially and lovingly chosen the church to be His bride.
Ephesians 5:25–27NLT For husbands, this means love your wives, just as Christ loved the church. He gave up his life for her 26 to make her holy and clean, washed by the cleansing of God’s word. 27 He did this to present her to himself as a glorious church without a spot or wrinkle or any other blemish. Instead, she will be holy and without fault.
Hear this word, “Just as there was a betrothal period in biblical times during which the bride and groom were separated until the wedding, so is the bride of Christ separate from her Bridegroom during the church age.”
The Brides responsibility during the betrothal period is to be faithful her groom.
That’s why God’s Word points to this same fact time and time again.
Habakkuk 2:4. The just shall live by faith...
There is no single text in the Old Testament that play a more vital role in the doctrinal discussions of the New Testament.
Again, Romans 1:17 For in it the righteousness of God is revealed from faith to faith; as it is written, “The just shall live by faith.”
Galatians 3:11 But that no one is justified by the law in the sight of God is evident, for “the just shall live by faith.”
Hebrews 10:38 Now the just shall live by faith;?But if anyone draws back, My soul has no pleasure in him.”
Again the text, 1 John 3:1TPT ”Look with wonder at the depth of the Father’s marvelous love that he has lavished on us! He has called us and made us his very own beloved children. The reason the world doesn’t recognize who we are is that they didn’t recognize him.
The Bible encourages us with this promise, If anyone is in Christ, he or she is a new person, 2 Corinthians 5:17.
“Listen, it doesn’t matter what we've done in the past, when we trust Jesus for our salvation, and receive the forgiveness offered through His cross, we become someone new.” P.H
1John 3:2TPT Beloved, we are God’s children right now; however, it is not yet apparent what we will become. But we do know that when it is finally made visible, we will be just like him, for we will see him as he truly is.“
As a believer you have to know you are a child of God. Vs 2b...“We do not know what we will become, but we do know we will be like Him...”
Since the garden of Eden, the guilt of our sin has separated us from God, but he has now reconciled us to himself through Jesus Christ, not counting our sins against us.
Listen to what happens as you live in Him.
2 Corinthians 5:18-19NLT And all of this is a gift from God, who brought us back to himself through Christ. And God has given us this task of reconciling people to him. 19 For God was in Christ, reconciling the world to himself, no longer counting people’s sins against them. And he gave us this wonderful message of reconciliation.
Hear this good news. “If you love Jesus, He no longer, in fact, He refuses to count your sins against you!”
Here's some good gospel truth, if we are in Jesus, and if we are His dearly loved children, Then we are washed clean, made new, and in the likeness of His Son.
So many good folk go throughout their entire lives not knowing who they really are.
Here’s the truth: If we only find identity in our job, that’s sad. -If we only find identity in our spouse, hobby, or thousands of other things. -Maybe a football team. -That’s heartbreaking. P.H
The last chapter in, 1 John 5, Little children keeps yourself free from idol.
One man stated, “If we're not intentionally being disciple by Jesus, then we are unintentionally being disciple by the world.”
2 Corinthians 5:20-21NLT So we are Christ’s ambassadors; God is making his appeal through us. We speak for Christ when we plead,“Come back to God!” 21 For God made Christ, who never sinned, to be the offering for our sin, so that we could be made right with God through Christ.
Here’s a Fact, Jesus died and He forever lives to make you right! When you become Jesus’, He makes you right! P.H
Jesus is the Master restorer. He takes messed up pieces of trash and makes them whole. -Makes them new!
2 Corinthians 5:15NLT He died for everyone so that those who receive his new life will no longer live for themselves. Instead, they will live for Christ, who died and was raised for them.
3 points I want to leave you with:
You are greatly loved by God.
This truth on its own has the ability to empower you!
Illustration: If I write Cliff a check for a thousand dollars, and he doesn’t cash the check because he doesn’t believe I’m that generous, he will not benefit from my generosity. P.H
Likewise, if you do not believe what God has done for you out of His love, you will not benefit now or in eternity from God’s love.
Psalm 36:7 How precious is your unfailing love, O God! All humanity finds shelter in the shadow of your wings.
Romans 5:8 But God showed his great love for us by sending Christ to die for us while we were still sinners.
Steve Brown tells of his friend whose husband walked out of the marriage for another woman. The wife vowed that if she ever married again, she would marry the ugliest man in town. This way no one would tempt him away. Two years later, she did just that. He was ugly on ugly, but he would sometimes sit around and just smile, because he couldn’t believe that she would marry him.
The Lord spoke this truth to me this week. “Each of us ought to sometimes sit around and just smile, because of the great love God lavished on us, changing ugly sinners into children of God.” P.H
2. You’e not only loved, but You are God’s beloved children, 1 John 3:1a.
Do you know your inheritance? Do you have knowledge of your net worth?
Ephesians 1:3TPT Every spiritual blessing in the heavenly realm has already been lavished upon us as a love gift from our wonderful heavenly Father, the Father of our Lord Jesus—all because he sees us wrapped into Christ. This is why we celebrate him with all our hearts!
Again, do you realize your net worth?
Romans 8:17NIV Now if we are children, then we are heirs—heirs of God and co-heirs with Christ, if indeed we share in his sufferings in order that we may also share in his glory.
Can I tell you there is gold all up in CECC pew-chairs!
3. You might not know what you will become, but you shall be like Him!
Paul writes in, Roman’s 8:29 "For those God foreknew He also predestined us to be conformed to the likeness of his Son....”
A tombstone that read, "Pause, stranger, when you pass me by. As you are now, so once was I. As I am now, so you will be. So prepare for death and follow me.” And someone hand-wrote under the epitaph, "To follow you I am not content, until I know which way you went.”
Listen Saints, Jesus Christ said, John 14:6 ”I am the way and the truth and the life. No one comes to the Father [God] except through me."
“When you come to God through Jesus Christ, you will have power for living and peace for dying.”
And as you become like Him, you will develop full knowledge, and ability to do, live and act like Him!
Going into this New Year let us remember Jesus’ transforming love, and let us also be aware that He is always willing to transform others.
What does it mean to you that a new beginning is possible with God? How can you live in His new creation?
Who are you?
You are loved by God.
You are a child of God.
You are destined to be like Jesus.
Benediction.
