Contributed by: Larry Jeffries Johnny was not a very popular boy at school, in fact you might say he wasn’t liked at all. It was not anything in particular, well you know the type (maybe even been one of these yourself).
Johnny loved Valentines Day and every year looked forward to it. He would start early and make his list, look for special valentines for each schoolmate on his list. But, it sems that all of this effort went astray because he never received a valentine from anyone at school. Another valentines day rolled around and he had his special cards ready to go that day. Off he went to school protecting his cards so they would be spotless upon his arrival at school. As he boarded the bus and was out of sight of his mother, tears filled her eyes and soon were cascading off her cheeks. Oh, how she dreaded his coming in that evening, knowing he probably would not get a single card in return. She prayed diligently for him all day and soon the bus rounded the curve and came to a stop in front of their house. Johnny came out of the bus and she heard him say as he came up the path, "not a one". Her heart broke. then again she heard him say, "not a single one." She didn’t know what she was going to say to him. as he approached her his expression changed to a great big smile and he shouted these words, "not a one, I didn’t forget a valentine for a single one."
1Jo 3:1 Behold, what manner of love the Father hath bestowed upon us, that we should be called the sons of God: therefore the world knoweth us not, because it knew him not.
1Jo 3:2 Beloved, now are we the sons of God, and it doth not yet appear what we shall be: but we know that, when he shall appear, we shall be like him; for we shall see him as he is.
1Jo 3:3 And every man that hath this hope in him purifieth himself, even as he is pure.
Introduction:
Michael McCarntney 1 John 3 reminds us about how great God’s love really is. We could ask the question “How great is it?” It is so great says John that we actually are called the children of God. We are family to God! We are God’s sons and daughters. We belong to his blood line his heritage. We are his heirs. With son-ship and daughter-ship comes family blessings and promising that go with this royal family. We are Sons and Daughters to the King of Kings, The Lord of Lords, The Great I Am, The Creator of the Universe, the Alpha and Omega, and all the other royal titles that go with God. This thought for many people today is not thought about very much. We have often ourselves forgotten who we are when we become the recipients of God’s Divine love and forgiveness. John reminds us we become the children of Almighty God! Wow what an honor!
1. We are Bestowed a Love vs. 1
2. We have Become sons of God vs. 2
3. We must Be unlike the world vs. 3
One day the reformer Martin Luther was feeling rather down. The Pope was after him. His colleagues were bickering among themselves. He felt the heavy pressure that came with being a professor, pastor, and father. And he was in excruciating pain from kidney stones. As he moped around the house muttering underneath his breath, his wife Katherine announced in a solemn voice, “God is dead.” Luther looked at his wife with puzzlement and replied, “God is not dead!” Katherine went on to say, “It sure seems like God is dead by the way you are acting.” Luther thanked his wife and etched a Latin word on his desk: vivit. Vivit means, “He lives.” Whenever things weren’t going well and Luther was tempted to complain about them, he looked at that one simple word and was invigorated. Because Jesus was alive Luther had every reason to be upbeat.
John tells us what Katherine told Luther: “Cheer up, Christian!” John urges us to cheer up no matter what our circumstances or our prospects because we are God’s children, and because we will soon exchange our cross for a crown.
1. We are Bestowed a Love vs. 1
1Jo 3:1 Behold, what manner of love the Father hath bestowed upon us, that we should be called the sons of God: therefore the world knoweth us not, because it knew him not.
Lewis Smedes put it this way, “It may be a very bad thing that I need God to die for me, but it is a wonderful thing that God thinks I’m worth dying for.”
Ortberg states it this way, “God doesn’t just love you because he has to, he loves you because he wants to.
Barnes - We are the sons of God, and this will explain the reason why the world does not appreciate our character, or understand the reasons of our conduct
ACC - Because it knew him not. The Jews did not acknowledge Jesus; they neither approved of him, his doctrine, nor his manner of life.
PNTC - Behold, what manner of love, etc. 1Jo 2:29 speaks of the saints as born of God. 1Jo 2:29 If ye know that he is righteous, ye know that every one that doeth righteousness is born of him. That thought suggests the wonderful love in allowing us to be born again and thus to become God’s children.
David Guzik - Bestowed on us speaks many things. First, it speaks of the measure of God’s love to us; it could more literally be translated lavished on us. Second, it speaks of the manner of God’s giving of love; bestowed has the idea of a one-sided giving, instead of a return for something earned.
2. We have Become sons of God vs. 2
1Jo 3:2 Beloved, now are we the sons of God, and it doth not yet appear what we shall be: but we know that, when he shall appear, we shall be like him; for we shall see him as he is.
A little boy constantly fell out of bed. No matter what his parents did, the boy couldn’t sleep without rolling out of bed. An uncle came to visit and in the middle of the night the usual thump and cry was heard. In the morning the uncle teased the boy and asked him why he fell out so often. The little fellow thought for a moment and then said, “I don’t know, unless its because I stay too close to the place where I get in.”
Bruce Howell - That’s why so many Christians fall away from the Lord. They fail to move on in their growth experience. Someone has said that conversion is only 5% of the Christian life. The other 95% is going on with Christ.
Ro 8:15 For ye have not received the spirit of bondage again to fear; but ye have received the Spirit of adoption, whereby we cry, Abba, Father.
(Weymouths New Testament)
1Jo 3:2 Dear friends, we are now God’s children, but what we are to be in the future has not yet been fully revealed. We know that if Christ reappears we shall be like Him, because we shall see Him as He is.
Torrey - This is referring to the second coming.
Chuck Smith - v. 3 Watching for the return of Christ is a purifying force in the Church.
Dana Chau - John wants us to know that not only does our actions matters to God, but our actions should give evidence to a life that knows God.
David Guzik - If we are truly children of God, then it should show in our likeness to our Father, and in our love for our “siblings.”
Dana Chau John goes as far to say that what you do reflects who you belong to, because a child is like his or her father. The reason the cliché, "Like father, like child," is often repeated is because a father has great influence over his child.
3. We must Be unlike the world vs. 3
1Jo 3:3 And every man that hath this hope in him purifieth himself, even as he is pure.
Barnes - Verse 3. And every man that hath this hope in him. This hope of seeing the Saviour, and of being made like him; that is, every true Christian.
Purifieth himself - That is, under the influence of this hope of being like the Saviour, he puts forth those efforts in struggling against sin, and in overcoming his evil propensities, which are necessary to make him pure.
PNTC - Every man that hath this hope. To have a hope of being like Christ leads us to try to be like Christ; hence, to be pure as he is pure.
David Guzik - Having the anticipation of being with Jesus, of the soon coming of Jesus Christ, can have a marvelous purifying effect in our lives. It makes us want to be ready, to be serving Him now, to be pleasing Him now.
1Jo 3:9 Whosoever is born of God doth not commit sin; for his seed remaineth in him: and he cannot sin, because he is born of God. {is born: or, has been born}
Barnes - The word seed (sperma) means properly seed sown, as of grain, plants, trees; then anything that resembles it, anything which germinates, or which springs up, or is produced
The proper idea, according to this, is that the seed referred to is truth, which God has implanted or sown in the heart, from which it may be expected that the fruits of righteousness will grow.
PNTC - Whosoever is born of God doth not commit sin - The spirit born of God, the new creation, does not sin, and cannot sin and remain God’s child
FBN - His seed; God’s seed; that is, the new moral nature which he has received from God
He cannot sin; not for want of power, but disposition; he does not desire or consent to live in sin. The reason is, he loves those things which please God, and hates those which displease him.
Michael McCartney - Is it really possible to be in love with God? Gloria Gather answers this question for us by noting:
His Love ... Reaching
Right from the beginning God’s love has reached, and from the beginning man has refused to understand. But love went on reaching, offering itself.
Love offered the eternal ... we wanted the immediate.
Love offered deep joy ... we wanted the thrills.
Love offered freedom ...we wanted license.
Love offered communion with God Himself ... we wanted to worship at the shrine of our own minds.
Love offered peace ... we wanted approval for our wars
Even yet, love went on reaching. And still today, after two thousand years, patiently, lovingly, Christ is reaching out to us today. Right through the chaos of our world, through the confusion of our minds. He is reaching ... longing to share with us ... the very being of God.
His love still is longing, His love still is reaching, right past the shackles of my mind.
And the Word of the Father became Mary’s little Son. And His love reached all the way to where I was! --Gloria Gaither
