There’s a fellow on Youtube who has a channel called, “Dad, how do I.” His name is Rob Kenny. And on his channel he explains how to do basic things. Like, how do I tie a tie. How do I change a flat tire. How do I shave. How do I make pumpkin bread. How do I fix a toilet and so on. Things that children need to be taught. And you might ask why? Why would he do that? Well, when he was 14 years old his own father looked him in the eye and told him that he didn’t want to be a father anymore. He left and never came back. And so this guy Rob vowed to never be like him. And just to help kids like himself he started his Youtube Channel. He’s called “The Internet’s Dad.” And today, he has over 2 million subscribers. People who watch him on a regular basis. Sometimes he’ll open his video, “Hey kids” Just like a father would talk to his own kids.
And that got me to thinking. I think God views us as His children in the same way Earthly Fathers view their children. You see, God is the One who established the family. He is the One who MODELED a Loving Father after Himself.
You might say, “Well, my father wasn’t always loving.” And I can say as a father I haven’t always been what God would have me to be. You see, sin came into the world and it literally messed up everything. Relationships between a husbands and wives, the relationships between children and parents and the relationship between a LOVING Heavenly Father and mankind.
But yet God has provided a way for that relationship to be restored. So let’s turn in our Bibles to 1 John 3. I’m going to be taking this a Verse at a time. We’ll start by reading Verses 1-10.
“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.
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.
3 And every man that hath this hope in him purifieth himself, even as he is pure.
4 Whosoever committeth sin transgresseth also the law: for sin is the transgression of the law.
5 And ye know that he was manifested to take away our sins; and in him is no sin.
6 Whosoever abideth in him sinneth not: whosoever sinneth hath not seen him, neither known him.
7 Little children, let no man deceive you: he that doeth righteousness is righteous, even as he is righteous.
8 He that committeth sin is of the devil; for the devil sinneth from the beginning. For this purpose the Son of God was manifested, that he might destroy the works of the devil.
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.
10 In this the children of God are manifest, and the children of the devil: whosoever doeth not righteousness is not of God, neither he that loveth not his brother.”
PRAY
Verse 1. This Chapter starts out with the word “BEHOLD.” To behold something means to see something. John wanted the people to SEE the Love of God. But more than SEE the Love of God, John wanted the people to SEE HOW the LOVE of GOD was poured down upon them. And it’s been SHOWERED down upon you and I. How? By becoming the Children of God.
ILLUS: John Chrysostom was an important early Church leader in the 3rd century. He is known for his preaching and public speaking.
This is what Chrysostom preached concerning ANGELS and MANKIND.
He said, “The saints shall be exalted above the angels, for the angels are ministers, but the saints are sons. Angels stand in the courts of God; the redeemed stand in the family of God.”
And because we’re part of the FAMILY of GOD, the world doesn’t understand WHY we do what we do. They don’t know or understand God, therefore they don’t know or understand you and I. Why we are the way we are.
The world doesn’t understand HOW or WHY we show GRACE, LOVE and MERCY to those who don’t deserve it. And they don’t understand why we stand against SIN, EVIL and WICKEDNESS when it might cost us something.
We may lose Friendships and Opportunities along the way for STANDING FOR THE RIGHT and AGAINST THE WRONG.
We may even face PERSECUTION for doing the RIGHT THING. And many will not KNOW US. They won’t understand us. BUT GOD DOES. He is our Father and that’s really all that matters.
Verse 2 is interesting in the way that it ties in to Verse 1.
It starts out by CONFIRMING Verse 1. The WORLD DOESN’T KNOW US BUT WE KNOW OURSELVES. Right?WE ARE THE SONS OF GOD. We’ve got that. We’re good.
And so our present standing is CLEAR, but our future destiny is KIND of CLOUDY. We can’t clearly see what the FUTURE WORLD is gonna be like. We don’t have the DETAILS like we would like.
ILLUS: I kind of think of it as traveling to a different land. You’ve read about it. You’ve looked at pictures. You may have even watched videos about it but you can’t really GRASP IT until you see it for yourself.
Paul also talks about this in 1 Corinthians 13, Verses 9-12,
“For we know in part, and we prophesy in part.
10 But when that which is perfect is come, then that which is in part shall be done away.
11 When I was a child, I spake as a child, I understood as a child, I thought as a child: but when I became a man, I put away childish things.
12 For now we see through a glass, darkly; but then face to face: now I know in part; but then shall I know even as also I am known.”
And so someday everything will be clear. It will all make sense. And so here in 1 John 3, we see some details the Bible has told us about seeing Jesus for the first time. Let’s also look at Philippians 3, Verses 20 and 21,
“For our conversation is in heaven; from whence also we look for the Saviour, the Lord Jesus Christ:
21 Who shall change our vile body, that it may be fashioned like unto his glorious body, according to the working whereby he is able even to subdue all things unto himself.”
Our BODIES will be GLORIFIED to be like the BODY of the Lord Jesus Christ.
When I was studying this yesterday morning I had just gotten the TEXT from Sister Linda about Roger going back to the hospital. And it just really struck me and made these Verses come alive for me. THESE VILE BODIES are gonna QUIT ON US. Do what you want. Exercise. Take your supplements. Your vitamins. Take medicine. Get medical treatment. Eat right. And so on. That’s great and I recommend it. Keep these VILE BODIES in as good a shape as you can but it WILL NOT STOP DEATH.
It may not be REAL CLEAR RIGHT NOW BUT... we’re gonna have a GLORIFIED BODY LIKE JESUS. And you know what? That’s enough for me to know right now.
And listen folks. This Verse ends by saying, WITH OUR GLORIFIED BODIES we will SEE HIS GLORIFIED BODY when He appears in the CLOUDS. Matthew 24:30,
“And then shall appear the sign of the Son of man in heaven: and then shall all the tribes of the earth mourn, and they shall see the Son of man coming in the clouds of heaven with power and great glory.”
Once again, I don’t clearly understand what this is gonna be like but I trust my Father that it’s going to be wonderful.
And then looking at Verses 3-5, it tells us what we do because of this HOPE that he described earlier. The HOPE of seeing Jesus. The HOPE of having our own glorified body.
“And every man that hath this hope in him purifieth himself, even as he is pure.
4 Whosoever committeth sin transgresseth also the law: for sin is the transgression of the law.
5 And ye know that he was manifested to take away our sins; and in him is no sin.”
Listen, because of what Jesus did for us, we LIVE a LIFE that is pleasing to Him. This is NOT preached very often. This is NOT real popular. Because Jesus DIED for us we LIVE for HIM. And that means we LIVE a life that is DIFFERENT. We live a LIFE FREE from SIN.
Now people say, that’s impossible. And ... it is. According to Romans 3:23, we’ve all sinned. I know that.
But there’s a difference in living a life of CONSTANT, HABITUAL SIN and LIVING a LIFE that’s NOT PERFECT but GLORIFIES GOD. That’s why John told us earlier in Chapter 1 of this book, Verses 7-10,
“But if we walk in the light, as he is in the light, we have fellowship one with another, and the blood of Jesus Christ his Son cleanseth us from all sin.
8 If we say that we have no sin, we deceive ourselves, and the truth is not in us.
9 If we confess our sins, he is faithful and just to forgive us our sins, and to cleanse us from all unrighteousness.
10 If we say that we have not sinned, we make him a liar, and his word is not in us.”
Listen, we have a Heavenly Father who made a way for us to RECONCILE with Him. He loved us enough to send Jesus to die for us. And so He teaches us the things we need to know through His word. That’s what He’s doing here. He’s teaching us. “Father, how do I reconcile with you?” “How do I turn this life around?” “How do I please you?” And He teaches us how.
We’re gonna make mistakes. We’re gonna SIN. But then He’s going to CONVICT our hearts of that SIN and we’re going to REPENT, TURN AROUND, and go on LIVING for HIM.
We’re not going to be LIVING A LIFE of CONSTANT HABITUAL SIN. And that’s what Verses 6-10 are talking about.
“Whosoever abideth in him sinneth not: whosoever sinneth hath not seen him, neither known him.
7 Little children, let no man deceive you: he that doeth righteousness is righteous, even as he is righteous.
8 He that committeth sin is of the devil; for the devil sinneth from the beginning. For this purpose the Son of God was manifested, that he might destroy the works of the devil.
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.
10 In this the children of God are manifest, and the children of the devil: whosoever doeth not righteousness is not of God, neither he that loveth not his brother.”
Verse 7 tells us, “he that doeth righteousness is righteous, even as he is righteous.”
Old John didn’t allow us to separate a RELIGIOUS RIGHTEOUSNESS from a LIFE of RIGHTEOUSNESS. “I know I live a wicked life but I’m made RIGHTEOUS THROUGH JESUS. NO WAY!!! If we are made righteous by our faith in Jesus Christ, you’ll see it in the way that we LIVE. We will live a RIGHTEOUS LIFE.
And Verse 8 goes on to tell us that it’s the same for the person who COMMITS SIN. He or she is of the DEVIL. By following the ways of the devil we will be like the devil.
It all ties right in with what Jesus told us in Matthew 7. You can tell a person’s relationship with God BY THEIR FRUITS. PLAIN and SIMPLE. And so God sent His Son Jesus to DESTROY the WORKS of the DEVIL.
How does the DEVIL WORK? Through the LIVES of PEOPLE. Let’s not let him have his way with us.
Now in closing, let’s finish up with Verses 9 and 10.
Verse 9 has an interesting part there.
“Whosoever is born of God doth not commit sin; for his seed remaineth in him: and he cannot sin”
“His seed remaineth in Him.” In other words the Spirit of God is in each one of us and we CANNOT HABITUALLY SIN.
A. Now some would say that means that if a person who claims to be a Follower of Jesus continues in SIN they were never a TRUE FOLLOWER. And I can see that and there may be times that that is true.
B. Others will say that God simply won’t allow one of His followers to continue to SIN. I don’t agree with that. I believe each one of us has a FREE WILL to live the way we wish.
C. And the third thought is this. A person who is truly a FOLLOWER of JESUS and begins to LIVE in SIN, not listening and heeding the CONVICTION of the SPIRIT of GOD, will no longer be a child of God. God’s SEED will not remain in Him.
So Verse 10 basically tells us that we can know WHO is a CHILD of GOD and WHO is a child of the Devil by the way a person lives their life.
So we ask, “How do I ... Live for God?” And He tells us.
