A Child Of God Series

A Child of God

1 John 2:28-3:10

Children of God have hope

Hope that Abides in Him brings confidence

Hope that Abides in Yourself brings shame

Children of God are loved

Children of God face reality in the present

Children of God look forward to the future

Slide

Intro

It was in the news a couple of weeks ago that Prince Harry, the youngest son of Prince Charles and the Late Princess Diana was serving in the military in Afghanistan.

He had to come home after it was disclosed that he was there for his and the troops he was with safety. Because he was a prince, he became a target when it was discovered.

Have you ever thought about being a prince, a child of Royalty?

I am sure many of us have as a child.

Little Girls often dream of being a princess and being swept off their feet by Prince Charming.

Little boys dream of being a prince and slaying the dragon and saving the town and the beautiful young woman.

Ah to be royalty.

Well the fact of the matter is you are royalty if you are a child of God.

And being a Child of God, just like being in the royal family of England, brings with it certain things.

That is what we are going to talk about today as we continue in 1 John.

Turn with me to

1 John 2:28-3:10

Slide

If you remember from last week, John was talking about the antichrists that were teaching false doctrines about Jesus and what it means to be the Christ. John was refuting that teaching and encouraging those in the church to remain true to the teaching of the apostles.

Now he encourages them with the fact that those who receive Christ are children of God and he talks about some of the blessings as well as responsibilities that brings with it.

Read with me starting in

1 John 2:28

28 And now, dear children, continue in him, so that when he appears we may be confident and unashamed before him at his coming.

29 If you know that he is righteous, you know that everyone who does what is right has been born of him.

3:1 How great is the love the Father has lavished on us, that we should be called children of God! And that is what we are! The reason the world does not know us is that it did not know him. 2 Dear friends, now we are children of God, and what we will be has not yet been made known. But we know that when he appears, we shall be like him, for we shall see him as he is. 3 Everyone who has this hope in him purifies himself, just as he is pure.

4 Everyone who sins breaks the law; in fact, sin is lawlessness. 5 But you know that he appeared so that he might take away our sins. And in him is no sin. 6 No one who lives in him keeps on sinning. No one who continues to sin has either seen him or known him.

7 Dear children, do not let anyone lead you astray. He who does what is right is righteous, just as he is righteous. 8 He who does what is sinful is of the devil, because the devil has been sinning from the beginning. The reason the Son of God appeared was to destroy the devil’s work. 9 No one who is born of God will continue to sin, because God’s seed remains in him; he cannot go on sinning, because he has been born of God. 10 This is how we know who the children of God are and who the children of the devil are: Anyone who does not do what is right is not a child of God; nor is anyone who does not love his brother.

Wow, there is a whole lot there.

I want to start with what John speaks about in the beginning of this section and the first thing we will see is that

A Child of God has Hope

Slide

In verse 28, John writes,

28 And now, dear children, continue in him, so that when he appears

When he appears.

When Jesus Christ appears again

The second coming of Jesus Christ is the great hope for the child of God.

Paul when he writes to Titus, says in

Titus 2:13

we wait for the blessed hope-the glorious appearing of our great God and Savior, Jesus Christ

Why is this a hope for the child of God?

It is the great hope because Christ is coming to bring the fulfillment of our salvation.

Hebrews 9:28

28 so Christ was sacrificed once to take away the sins of many people; and he will appear a second time, not to bear sin, but to bring salvation to those who are waiting for him.