“Some Things I want You to Know Before I’m Gone”
April 15, 2018
3 John 1-4
“Dear friend, I pray that you may enjoy good health and that all may go well with you, even as your soul is getting along well. It gave me great joy when some believers came and testified about your faithfulness to the truth, telling how you continue to walk in it. I have no greater joy than to hear that my children are walking in the truth.”
As I am winding down my Pastorial ministry, knowing I only have a couple of times to share with you as your pastor, there are a few things I want you to know; there are a few things I want you to get; there are a few things I want to leave with you.
First of all, I want you to know how much you are love. I want you to know – really KNOW – God loves you. I love you, too. I feel like we are family. I have been pastor here long enough, and have known many of you long enough, to see you grow in the Lord. Some I have seen pass from death to life; from sinner to saint. I feel like you are my children; my spiritual children or brothers and sisters. I couldn’t love you any more than if you were my own flesh and blood. And when you love someone like that – when they do well – you do well. When they hurt – you hurt. When someone you love is struggling – you struggle with them. On the other hand – when they are blessed – you are blessed. John wrote, “I have no greater joy than to hear that my children are walking in the truth.” I feel the same way. I am so proud of you when I see you growing spiritually and using your spiritual gifts for the Lord. My heart rejoices. That is one of the blessings of the ministry. Now, with four decades of ministry behind me, I see facebook posts of my spiritual children serving the Lord and I am a proud pastor. John wrote, “It gave me great joy when some believers came and testified about your faithfulness to the truth, telling how you continue to walk in it.” Well, I have facebook and emails and I experience great joy when I hear about your faithfulness to Jesus and how you continue to walk in the Truth – even in the midst of great trial. I want you to know you bring me great joy and I love you very much. As long as I live you will have a special place in my heart.
I want you to know I love you – but more importantly – I want you to know that God loves you. Sometimes God seems kind of distant. Sometimes we feel alone and unloved. Sometimes the ‘False Accuser” of the brethren (Satan) convinces us we are worthless, unimportant, and alone. Nothing could be further from the truth. God is doing some kind of mighty work that involves us and often we have to walk by faith. God wants us to become stronger spiritually and to grow in faith and to be committed to doing the right thing no matter what. And he will use pain, problems and passions to do it.
The other day I was going through some feelings of fears and insecurities when it dawned on me that when I feel that way I kind of disrespect God. In reality I am not believing His promises. In reality I am not trusting His word. I apologized and asked God to help me not doubt Him in any area. I choose to believe that He loves me. He said He did. Remember?
“For God so loved the world that he gave his one and only Son, that whoever believes in him shall not perish but have eternal life.” John 3:16
“As the Father has loved me, so have I loved you…” John 7:9
“But God demonstrates his own love for us in this: While we were still sinners, Christ died for us.” Romans 5:8
“No, in all these things we are more than conquerors through him who loved us. For I am sure that neither death nor life, nor angels nor rulers, nor things present nor things to come, nor powers, nor height nor depth, nor anything else in all creation, will be able to separate us from the love of God in Christ Jesus our Lord.” Romans 8:37-39
“See what great love the Father has lavished on us, that we should be called children of God! And that is what we are! Dear friends, now we are children of God, and what we will be has not yet been made known. But we know that when Christ appears, we shall be like him” 1 John 3:1-2
Do you get it? Do you see how much you are loved? God LAVISHES His love on us. I love that! He covers us with his love. He smears it all over us like sunscreen! And here’s something else. God’s love for you is not dependent on you and what you do any more than a parent’s love for his baby is dependent on what the baby does. God loves you so much He died for you; He provided a way in which your relationship with Him could be restored. God’s love for you is because of who HE is more than who you are. You are His child. You are His creation. He made you! That’s why He loves you just the way you are.
You can push Him away. He has created you with free will – but He will never pull back from you. You have the power to rebel and reject Him – but He will always love you. That is His nature. You are loved. You know how your heart warms when you hold a newborn baby? That’s how you make God feel.
I want each one of you to know you are loved – but here is something else I want you to know. 2, God has a plan for your life. Did you catch that important piece of information in 1 John 3? Let’s look at it again.
“See what great love the Father has lavished on us, that we should be called children of God! And that is what we are! Dear friends, now we are children of God, and what we will be has not yet been made known. But we know that when Christ appears, we shall be like him” 1 John 3:1-2
When Christ appears – we shall be like HIM! How great is that? We can’t even comprehend what it means! But we know this – it will be good. It will be powerful. God has a plan for us. This life is just a preparatory place for what we were really created for. Theologians call it a probationary state for eternity. Don’t get all caught up in this life – in squeezing as much fun and enjoyment out of it as you can. The early Christians understood this. Listen.
“And what more shall I say? I do not have time to tell about Gideon, Barak, Samson and Jephthah, about David and Samuel and the prophets, who through faith conquered kingdoms, administered justice, and gained what was promised; who shut the mouths of lions, quenched the fury of the flames, and escaped the edge of the sword; whose weakness was turned to strength; and who became powerful in battle and routed foreign armies.
Women received back their dead, raised to life again. There were others who were tortured, refusing to be released so that they might gain an even better resurrection. Some faced jeers and flogging, and even chains and imprisonment. They were put to death by stoning; they were sawed in two; they were killed by the sword. They went about in sheepskins and goatskins, destitute, persecuted and mistreated— the world was not worthy of them. They wandered in deserts and mountains, living in caves and in holes in the ground.
These were all commended for their faith, yet none of them received what had been promised, since God had planned something better for us so that only together with us would they be made perfect.” Hebrews 11:32-40
The key phrase there is “God had planned something better”. These people knew that – so they could put up with their persecution and poverty. They refused to be released so they could gain even more. That’s faith! They knew God had a plan. God said,
“For I know the plans I have for you,” declares the Lord, “plans to prosper you and not to harm you, plans to give you hope and a future.” Jeremiah 29:11
You have to believe in God’s plan for your life. You simply need to keep in step with Jesus. You simply need to walk with Him. Don’t get ahead of Him and don’t lag behind. Jesus said, “My sheep hear my voice and they follow me.” (John 10:27) We don’t need to know the whole plan. We don’t need to figure everything out. We just need to follow one step at a time; one day at a time; one moment at a time. Follow by faith. God has a plan for your life.
Lastly, I want you to know the destination. God has given us a little glimpse; He has given us just a little taste of heaven. The Scripture says,
“However, as it is written: “What no eye has seen, what no ear has heard,
and what no human mind has conceived”— the things God has prepared for those who love him— these are the things God has revealed to us by his Spirit.”
1 Corinthians 9-10
We can’t imagine what God has prepared for us but the Spirit has given us a little taste. Here are some of my favorites,
“‘He will wipe every tear from their eyes. There will be no more death’ or mourning or crying or pain, for the old order of things has passed away.”
Revelation 21:4
“And when the Chief Shepherd appears, you will receive the crown of glory that will never fade away.” 1 Peter 5:4
“I consider that our present sufferings are not worth comparing with the glory that will be revealed in us.” Romans 8:18
“For our light and momentary troubles are achieving for us an eternal glory that far outweighs them all.” 2 Corinthians 4:17
“Those who are victorious will inherit all this, and I will be their God and they will be my children.” Revelation 21:7
These are some of the promises of God I pull out from time to time to remind myself that it will be worth it. Romans 8:18 was one of the first Scriptures I ever memorized. It has been comforting me for 50 years now. I have learned that Scripture is the foundation for faith (Romans 15:4) and it is so important to put these in our heart and memory so we can pull them out when we get under attack. It is important for us to know where we are going. It is important to know our eternal destination. We need to believe it will be worth it. Put your faith in God’s Word.
If I could leave you with just three things it would be.
1. You are loved.
2. God has a plan for your life.
3. Your destination is Glory
May God bless you and strengthen you and encourage you all along the way – until that finial day when we will rejoice with Him in Glory.
