We are a miracle of love! There are many things in life that cannot be explained apart from a loving creative God. One day, while walking around your beautiful, landscaped yard you observe something. First, you discover that something has been eating on some of your plants. Then you stand in curious amazement as you observe something unique. You watch a caterpillar, probably the one that has destroyed your beautiful plant, hanging upside down spinning a silky cocoon around itself. Each day you come to this spot in your yard. You sit and watch as the transformed caterpillar begins to exit the cocoon as a butterfly. In amazement you realize that God can transform everyone; he has created each to be transformed into his image.
13 For you created my inmost being; you knit me together in my mother's womb.
14 I praise you because I am fearfully and wonderfully made; your works are wonderful, I know that full well. Psalm 139:13-14
John, the beloved pastor, understood something else unique about the believers. Those who had professed Jesus as Savior and Lord were born again; we would say they had had a life changing experience.
Therefore, I urge you, brothers and sisters, in view of God’s mercy, to offer your bodies as a living sacrifice, holy and pleasing to God—this is your true and proper worship. 2 Do not conform to the pattern of this world, but be transformed by the renewing of your mind. Then you will be able to test and approve what God’s will is—his good, pleasing and perfect will. Romans 12:1-2
Yes, John’s letter contains instructions, warnings, assurances and promises; however, the greatest thing he does is to affirm Christians’ uniqueness in Jesus. Listen to the words of Jesus as he prayed for the disciples.
20 "My prayer is not for them alone. I pray also for those who will believe in me through their message,
21 that all of them may be one, Father, just as you are in me and I am in you. May they also be in us so that the world may believe that you have sent me.
22 I have given them the glory that you gave me, that they may be one as we are one:
23 I in them and you in me. May they be brought to complete unity to let the world know that you sent me and have loved them even as you have loved me.
24 "Father, I want those you have given me to be with me where I am, and to see my glory, the glory you have given me because you loved me before the creation of the world.
25 "Righteous Father, though the world does not know you, I know you, and they know that you have sent me.
26 I have made you known to them, and will continue to make you known in order that the love you have for me may be in them and that I myself may be in them." John 17:20-26
In I John the Spirit of God leads John to write in such a way that the confidence of God’s children is affirmed. He sensed that the situations they were facing, both in their secular environment and in the church, could be used by Satan to intimidate them.
John has highlighted several confidence builders in his letter:
1. We are to walk in the light, the path of forgiveness.
2. We know Him by keeping his commandments.
3. Love God’s standard for living life—instead of purely humanistic standards.
4. Avoid teachings that lead persons away from Scripture and Christ.
5. Abide in Christ–A term that appears 23 times in his letter.
6. Let the Word live in you.
7. Draw strength from the church.
John writes so the believers will glory in their status as children of God. He will call their attention to the fact that they will never reach ultimate maturity on earth. They will in the future.
What is our life to be like in this “last hour”? Let us look at scripture.
1 John 3:1-18 (The Message)
I. CHILDREN OF GOD HAVE CLOSE COMMUNION WITH GOD
The rich language of “abiding in Christ” makes it clear that believers are privileged in their ability to communion with God. John draws a contrast; he has set the Christians apart from the world. How easy it would be for them to feel forgotten and alone during their time of uncertainty.
A small boy is playing in a village in Rwanda. Suddenly he hears screams and sees people running. Frantically, he turns, looking for a familiar face. All he sees is angry, shouting men, running toward him wildly waving machetes. He begins to run and hides under a basket his mother has just finished.
Finally, the screaming and all other noise is gone. He lifts the basket to discover that everyone in the village is gone or dead. His mother is dead. His father is dead. His brothers and sisters are dead.
He sobs himself to sleep on the body of his mother as the sun goes down. In the early hours of morning, he awakens to the fear the angry men may return. He is hungry, but there is no one to take care of him–no one to protect him from the angry men or the wild animals that will soon come. Thoughts of dying begin to capture his thoughts.
Suddenly he hears a sound that spins him around. His heart flutters as he sees a tall man standing in the dirt square. He calls out to the boy, “Don’t be afraid. I want to help you.” The man gives the boy bread to eat and water to drink.
The man tells how he attempted to discourage people from his village from carrying out the raid. The laceration from his struggles with his people are still bleeding. Yet, he now encourages the boy to go home with him. The boy learns about the ongoing tension between the warring villages–even that his dad had participated in the same kind of raids. Yet, the sense of being loved becomes stronger. Hope begins to stir in the broken heart of the young boy.
John has this kind of love in mind when he reminds the believers of their heavenly father.
1See what great 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 Christ appears,[a] we shall be like him, for we shall see him as he is. 3 All who have this hope in him purify themselves, just as he is pure. 1 John 3:1-3. NIV
In chapter 5:1 John puts it this way:
Whoever believes that Jesus is the Christ (has been) born of God; and whoever loves the Father loves the child born of Him.
Salvation is based upon the love our heavenly father has for us and the way he desires close communion with us.
A group of students were together one evening when it was suggested they go to a party and have a good time.
Jan: “I’d rather you take me home; my parents don’t approve of that place.”
Girl, sarcastically: Afraid your father will hurt you.”
Jan: “No, I’m not afraid my father will hurt me, but I am afraid I will hurt him.”
The greatest experience in life is to have the kind of relationship with Jesus that we would rather spend time with Jesus than anything else. I know what it means to me to know that my family wants to spend time with me. Thank God, I am a child of God and can have close communion with Jesus.
Romans 8:14 For all who are being led by the Spirit of God, these are the Sons of God.
This is what it means to be a child of God: We are so united to God by his Spirit that we are sensitive to . . .
How he leads us,
How he transforms us,
How he renews our minds.
This kind of communion inspires us to value and assess things the way He does and “prove what is the will of God, what is good and acceptable and perfect.” (Rom. 12:1-2)
What is our life to be like in these “last hours”?
1st CHILDREN OF GOD HAVE CLOSE COMMUNION WITH GOD
II. CHILDREN OF GOD BRING LIGHT TO THE WORLD
The kind of relationship we enjoy with Jesus makes us different enough that we are viewed as a shining light. We resemble a little fragment of God’s bright character of truth and righteousness and love. Scripture reminds us that true believers are . . .
Children of God...in the midst of a crooked and perverse generation, among whom you appear as lights in the world. (Phil. 2:15)
If we are a true believer, our values and priorities have been radically changed. The way they conform to Jesus means that we do not make sense to the world.
This does not mean we delight in the polarization that may result from the differences between us; however, it does mean we take great pride knowing the light is desperately needed. We are inspired to believe that by grace some will see and give glory to our father in heaven.
Bearing witness to the Light of the World that abides in us and us in Him is a mark of a true believer. Those who take seriously the call to serve take great pride in the way Jesus is made known in their thoughts, words, and actions. They are radiant lights pointing the way to the source of light.
In verses 4-18 John deals more specifically with what the abiding presence of Jesus does in the life of a believer. We will reserve that text. The focus of verses 1-3 is about living in the presence and power of the Holy Spirit.
CONCLUSION
How do you know if you are a part of the family of God? John would say those that abide in Christ will seek to live pure, holy, lives, “just as He is pure.”
The journey begins by recognizing and responding to the love of God–a love that draws us into an intimate relationship with Him. It is amazing how God can work through the ordinary events of life to bring us to himself.
God had given a minister the vision to reopen a church in urban Brooklyn–it was his first ministry. It was October and they planned to have their first service on Christmas eve. Along with a few volunteers they worked to restore the facility (e.g., repairing the pews, plastering walls, painting, etc.) They were ahead of schedule. On December 19, a terrible rainstorm hit the area. On December 21, the pastor went to the church. His heart sank when he saw the damage to the front wall of the sanctuary, caused by a leak.
He cleaned up the mess and thought seriously about postponing the opening service. On the way home he passed a flea market for charity. He saw a beautiful, hand-made, ivory colored, crocheted tablecloth with exquisite work, fine colors, and a cross embroidered right in the center. He purchased it, thinking it would serve to cover up the hole in the wall at the front of the church.
He headed toward the church–now it was snowing. An older woman coming in the opposite way missed her bus. The pastor invited her in to wait in the warm church for the next bus. He got a ladder and began hanging the tablecloth as a wall tapestry. When finished he was delighted.
He turned to see the old lady walking down the aisle of the church–her face was ashen. After asking him where he had gotten the tablecloth, she asked him to look to see if the initials EBG were in the corner of the handywork. Yes–they were her initials and she had made the tablecloth 35 years before in Austria.
Her story unfolded. Prior to the war she and her husband were well-to-do people in Austria. Upon the arrival of the Nazis, she was forced to leave. Her husband had planned to follow her the next week; however, he was captured and sent to prison. She had never seen her husband or her home again.
The pastor’s heart was touched. He wanted to give her the tablecloth. No, she wanted the church to have it. She agreed to let him give her a ride home to Staten Island.
The new church had a wonderful service on Christmas Eve. At the end of the service, while the pastor and his wife greeted everyone, they noticed one older man, whom the pastor had often seen, sitting in the pew, staring at the tablecloth. The man asked the pastor where he had gotten the tablecloth. He went on to tell him that he and his wife had one identical many years ago when they lived in Austria. He was amazed that there could be one so much like the one his wife had labored over in their home.
He told his story, how he forced his wife, out of his great love for her, to flee for her safety. He had never again seen his dear wife.
The pastor asked the man to take a little ride with him. They drove to Staten Island to the same house where the pastor had taken the woman three days earlier. He helped the old man climb the three flights of stairs, he knocked on the door, and he saw the greatest reunion he could ever imagine.
Only in the creative and redeeming love of God can such reunions become possible. How is he working in your life to move you toward his redeeming love? With Him? With your family? With fellow Christians? With people who have a different value system? Those who have never known genuine Christian love? When will we realize nothing is impossible for God? Do we believe that God wants to and can transform people.
Jesus taught his disciples about the end of this age:
9 “Then you will be handed over to be persecuted and put to death, and you will be hated by all nations because of me. 10 At that time many will turn away from the faith and will betray and hate each other, 11 and many false prophets will appear and deceive many people. 12 Because of the increase of wickedness, the love of most will grow cold, 13 but the one who stands firm to the end will be saved. Matthew 24
36 “Teacher, which is the greatest commandment in the Law?”
37 Jesus replied: “‘Love the Lord your God with all your heart and with all your soul and with all your mind.’” Matthew 22
Interestingly, John has focused on loving God and strengthening the fellowship of believers.
Do we run the risk of giving unconditional love to this world by using attack and destroy tactics? Look in the mirror? What do you see? What are you doing? Are you serving Jesus with all your heart and soul? What do you hear yourself talking about? The problems of the world? Trying to fix a broken world? Attempting to build heaven down here?
John, nor any other New Testament writer, does not put the emphasis on “fixing” the world. In Acts 17 Paul did not criticize the people’s belief system; he simply told them about the unknown God. Interestingly, John has focused on loving God, keeping our hearts pure, letting the world observe us by our godly living—compassion in action, and strengthening the fellowship of believers.
Too many spend precious time and energy criticizing and attempting to legislate the Christian life, while failing to practice the lifestyle we read about in the Bible.
What would your approach be like if you lived in China? Iran? Would you criticize and you are your Facebook posts with antigovernment language? Would you bury yourself in isolation, refusing to witness?
The Gospel is flourishing in countries such as China, Iran, etc. Iran has over 500,000 believers, one of the fastest growing religion in that country? Wes Granberg-Michaelson wrote about the changing landscape.
“The religious landscape is particularly changing for the world’s Christians. A century ago, 80 percent lived in North America and Europe, compared with just 40 percent today.
In 1980, more Christians were found in the global South than the North for the first time in 1,000 years. Today, the Christian community in Latin America and Africa, alone, account for 1 billion people.
Even today, demographers estimate that more Christian believers are found worshipping in China on any given Sunday than in the United States. Future trends, while difficult to predict because so much is below the religious radar, could dramatically drive down the world’s religious ‘nones.’” (Washington Post 2015)
In the Christianity Daily (2020) Alex Best wrote an article about the growth of Christianity in China, The Growth of Protestant Christianity in China Continues to Increase Despite Communist Oversight
How do you explain the rise of Christianity in countries where Christianity is at least discouraged, and Christians are often persecuted? To make it simple, I would suggest as Christianity in America has taken on a political agenda, we began to see a decline. Our churches become focused on socio-political agendas (e.g., social justice, attempts to “bring our Nation back to God”, etc.). Christians in other countries do that which they can do, even in the face of persecution, share the love of Christ and meet the needs of the people.
Here is your parkour. Stop talking about liberals, fundamentalist, Muslims, politicians and talk about God’s transforming love—share your story.
