Seeing the Father's Magnificent Love for Us - 1 John 3:1-3

0:42And then in chapter 3 and verse 4, right after our passage, we read these words. Everyone who practices sin and practices lawlessness, practices lawlessness, and sin is lawlessness. So in verse 29, you have those practitioners of righteousness, and in verse 4, chapter 3, you have those practitioners of lawlessness. And in between, John magnifies the love that God has for his people. He pauses and he gives great emphasis upon this great love. Let's go ahead and read those words. Verse 1: See how great a love the Father has bestowed on us that we would be called children of God, and such we are. For this reason, the world does not know us because it did not know him. Beloved, now we are children of God, and it has not appeared as yet what we will be. We know that when he appears, we will be like him because we will see him just as he is. And everyone who has this hope fixed on him purifies himself just as he is pure.

2:06Remember in Genesis chapter 3, those first moments after Adam and Eve had eaten from the tree of the knowledge of good and evil. Some of the first words that God said to them were: Who told you you were naked? Who told you you were naked? Who told you you are uncovered? Who told you that you cannot come into my presence? Who told you? One of the very first manifestations of evil was running and hiding from God. And that's what evil does. It leaves us with the conviction that God despises us.

2:58Who told you you were naked? Testimony of Scripture from start to finish is about the covering of God's magnificent love. Covered in His love, we are loved. And I can look at this just seeing this very simply. God's love is seen for me in that He wanted me to exist. God wanted us to exist. There's an expression of His love for you, just the fact that He imagined you, brought you forward. Second, He provides for us. He provides. He wants us to continue to exist.

3:50That's an expression of His love. And He pardoned. He pardoned me. When I have offended Him, He pardoned me, and not on some arbitrary basis, but on a real, just basis. He pardoned me as an expression of His magnificent love for me. But His love for me goes beyond all that. He wants an internal relationship with me. Now, you got to love somebody if you want to spend eternity with Him. I can see all that just loudly, and any beginner to the scriptures can see these truths.

4:41And yet, in our text this morning, John wants his readers to see this love in a more magnificent light. He wants them to see this magnificent love that their heavenly Father has for them. Look back at verse 1. See how great a love the Father has bestowed on us. Y'all be seeing this. It's that see, that's the command here. It's like, stop the car. There's something to see here. Behold, something wonderful to see. Something wonderful to behold.

5:25How great a love. How great a love. That word, how great. It's hard to express what John's thought here. But it's the same word that speaks of the wonderful stones and the wonderful buildings. Remember in Mark 13, as he was going out of the temple, one of his disciples said to him, Teacher, behold what wonderful stones, what wonderful buildings. Same word. How great these stones, how great these buildings, how magnificent these stones. Josephus, that historian, writing, a Jewish historian writing at the first century, says this about the temple, temple there on the Mount Jerusalem before it was destroyed. He said this: Now, the outward face of the temple in its front lacked nothing that was likely to surprise either men's minds or their eyes, for it was covered all over with plates of gold of great weight, and at the first rising of the sun reflected back a very fiery splendor, and made those who forced themselves to look upon it to turn their eyes away just as they would have done at the sun's own rays. In other words, he was describing the beauty of the temple and the gold, and saying it reflected so brilliantly the light of the rising sun that one had to turn their eyes away just from the reflection because it was so bright.

7:18And then he goes on to the and says, But this temple appeared to strangers when they were at a distance like a mountain covered with snow. For as those parts Of it that were not covered in gold, they were exceedingly white. He goes on to describe the stones. Some of them were 45 cubits in length, 5 in height, 6 in breadth. And if you work that out to approximate measurements today, it'd be about like 70 feet wide, about 8 feet high, maybe 10 feet depth, deep.

7:59Put that in perspective, we're building a new worship center over here. We really are, and we really are going to move into it one day. But if you stood at the front of the worship center and you laid out one of these stones, it would cover up the whole front to the height of the stone columns. That's a pretty large stone, to the depth of the whole porch. So that's one. And if you put two upon top of each other, you would see just a little bit of the top part of the building. If you put three, it would totally eclipse the front.

8:37That's how massive, that's how big, that's how credible these stones and these buildings were. A later rabbi says this: he said, He who has not seen the temple in its full splendor has never seen a beautiful building. That was the most beautiful building ever, according to this. Rabbi. And so John applies this same term to the Father's love for his people. It's like he's saying, see how great, how magnificent the Father's love is for us. God's love for you is magnificent.

9:24And John gives us a glimpse of it in our passage this morning. We are not naked, but we are covered in the most magnificent love of our Heavenly Father, and that shows up throughout history. And if you do not know him today, his magnificent love for you is displayed in his invitation for you to genuinely come into a relationship with him this morning. But this is a message for the church. I want you, Christian. I want you, believer. I want you to leave here this morning with a deep sense of God's wonderful love for you. I know of no greater message that God's people need to hear than this: God loves you. Sometimes we trivialize it, we hear that, we let that go in. And one out and know, God loves you. I can say it three different ways and emphasizing this reality: God loves you.

10:41Or I could say it like this: God loves you. Or I could say it like this: God loves you. Paul communicate the truth that John is communicating in this passage this morning. And so I want you to see the Father's magnificent love for you. First of all, the Father's magnificent love for you and for me is seen in our lofty title, in the title that He has given us. You see, titles say a lot about how a person is viewed or how we view ourselves, right?

11:26If you're turn on the news, you know that the royal family is in the news again. In my day, it was always Diana, Diana, Diana, right? Remember, the world just had an infatuation with Princess Diana, and now her family, children, now in the news again. What's interesting is, you know, America really doesn't have a caste system like that, like they do in England. We kind of Down on aristocratic society. And yet, at the same time, we are very infatuated with it. Right? We don't like the cast, but then all of our fairy tales are about the caste, right? We love the idea of ladies, and lords, and dukes, and duchesses, and the stories of Cinderella. Where do you think that one came from? Beauty and the Beast, Snow White, Sleeping Beauty, Frozen, just on down, right? It's all about this titles, kings, queens.

12:45But when you look at all the titles that could possibly be put upon an individual, whether they're titles, titles of nobility or titles of royalty, there's one title that excels them all. Children. Our title, Children of God. It's first in rank. It's first in importance. It's first in esteem. It's first in inheritance. It's first in affection. It is the title that surpasses them all. Look back at verse 1. See how great a love. The Father has bestowed on us that we would be called the children of God. Look at how great the Father's love is, how magnificent it is that He has set upon us, that He has set upon you and me, that He would give us such a lofty title as being called children of God.

13:51It's important to look at this and ask the question: who calls us by such title? Well, certainly it's not the world. Look at what he says in the latter part of verse one: For this reason, the world does not know us. The world doesn't even know us, so they're certainly not calling us children of God. But it's also clear that we're not calling ourselves the children of God, certainly not in our own right, because it's in a passive voice. Somebody is calling us the children of God.

14:24If we were actively calling ourselves the children of God, it might read something like this: How great the Father's love that we can take the prerogative to call ourselves children of God. No, the authority isn't in what we call each other. In fact, I would say if we were to call ourselves the children of God outside of biblical authority, or if we sought to do that on our own authority, we'd be elevating ourselves to the height of God, much like they did at the Tower of Babel, trying to erect an edifice to take. Them into the very height of God.

15:05No, it is not the world, it is not ourselves that are calling us children of God. Then, who is it? Look back, it is the Father. See how great a love the Father has given us that we would be called children of God. It is God the Father that has put such a lofty title upon his people, upon you and me. You are in him. But what does such a title imply? There are three things, there's many things, but I want to point out three. Number one, such a title implies legitimacy. Why does the Father call us children of God? Look back, and such we are. He calls us children of God because we are.

16:00The moment we believe in the Lord Jesus Christ, we receive a legal and permanent adoption as his children. And you know what he does? You know what? He gives his spirit. In fact, Galatians 4:6 says, He gives us the spirit of his son into our hearts, crying, Abba, Father. Guess what a son cries out, Father. If the Spirit of His Son is in you, guess what? You relate to God as your Father. Legitimacy. The Father has legitimized us as His children.

16:49Second thing such a title implies is belonging, not only legitimacy, but belonging. We belong to Him. We are part of His family. And you know what a good Father does for His family? He assumes all responsibilities and all obligations of a good father. You know, when our children sin or cause damage to others, guess what we do? We make it right. That's what a good Father does. When His children sin, He made a way for them to be cleansed, to deal with it justly and rightly. It's what He sent His Son for.

17:42And He gives them instruction how not to walk in the ways of sin. I think about a newborn. It's really neat. They open their eyes, they start learning how to relate to the world around them and take their first steps. Well, that's what the Heavenly Father. Father does is he calls us out of the darkness so that we no longer walk in the ways of sin, but we start learning to take those steps of righteousness. And do we fall? Yes, we fall. But guess what? He has made a provision for our sins that we would deal with it rightly, that we would confess them on the basis of his sacrifice in Christ, and that we would confess them and receive forgiveness and go on. In fact, after I preached this this morning, the first service, someone came and asked me a question. In fact, some of the most profound questions come from some of the young minds among us. And the question was: why, if God knew we were going to sin, would he create us anyway?

18:47Well, I knew my children were going to sin. Nancy and I still wanted to have kids. Why? Because we love them, right? Well, think about our Heavenly Father. In fact, you can take this a step further. Did God know humanity was going to sin? Yes. Don't reduce God to someone who doesn't know the future. He knew. He knew. Did he know that there would be the price that it would cost to absolve his children of their sin? Yes. Think about the agonies of the cross.

19:24He knew all that was coming. Did he also know that countless Billions would spend eternity in hell who would refuse his love. That's a huge. When you do a cost-benefit analysis, it's almost like all that cost, that doesn't pencil. Why go forward with it? Well, it doesn't pencil if you don't understand his magnificent love. All that. And what does he get? Children conform to the image. That value outweighed the cost. See how magnificent the father's love is for you.

20:14It's deep. It's rich. You know, a good father in olden times would teach his son his occupation or his trade. You know what God's occupation or trade is? Doing what's right, doing what's good, doing what's noble, doing what's gracious, doing what's beautiful. Which brings up the third implication of our title. Not only does it imply legitimacy, not only does it imply belonging, but it also implies likeness. Look back at verse. 2:29, as I read it a minute ago. If you know that he is righteous, you know that everyone who practices righteousness is born of him. And here, John is introducing that new birth: born of him, born of him. Why are we like him? Because we are born of him. You know, physical paternity involves likeness. Just look at my poor children. You see, they show poor kids. You know, we recognize that physical paternity involves a likeness, right?

21:37So does spiritual paternity. When you're born of God, you begin to look like him. Jesus spoke of the certainty of the new birth. You remember that whole conversation with Nicodemus? You must be born again. Nicodemus is like, How in the world can these things be? Jesus is like, Well, you're a teacher of Israel and you do not even understand these things. And then he tells him, I'll tell you the way a person is born again. He says in John 3, verses 14 and 15, or let me just start in 13: no one has ascended into heaven but he who descended from heaven, the Son of Man. As Moses lifted up the serpent in the wilderness, even so must the Son of Man be lifted up, so that whoever believes in him Will have eternal life.

22:33That's how one is born again. Because one descended from heaven, the Son of Man, he went to the cross, the King, the Lord, Creator, went to the cross, lifted up, crucified. And whoever gazes, thinks upon, takes that in have eternal life. They are born again. Jesus spoke of the reality of the new birth. John speaks of the reality of the new birth. Look over at 1 John 5, verse 1. Whoever believes that Jesus is the Christ is born of God. What does believing in the Christ mean? Well, it involves submission to him as such.

23:25If you say you believe that Jesus is the Christ, God's anointed over humanity, the pattern for all, and you do not seek to conform him, guess what? You really don't believe he's the Christ. If you do believe he is the Christ, your life begins to reflect that. And then you are in union with him. That title and the highest title, that rank of being a child of God. Is given the highest title in rank, the highest title in dignity. There isn't a higher one in affection, inheritance, affection, inheritance, honor.

24:15Why has he given us such? Because we bear his likeness. Likeness, implications, legitimacy, belonging, and likeness. So then the question becomes: why does the world not see it? Look back at verse 1. For this reason, the world does not know us because it did not know him. What we are has not yet appeared to them. Why? Well, because it didn't know him. If the world had known him, they wouldn't know us. And one day they will see Jesus for who he is. He will appear. He will be revealed. Then they will understand him, and then they will understand us.

25:05But until then, do not be surprised that the world doesn't recognize your lofty status, but it is no less real because God the Father Himself calls you one of his children. So the Father's magnificent love for you and for me is seen in the lofty title. He's given us, but it's also seen in our glorious future, the glorious future that awaits us. Look at verse 2: Beloved, now we are children of God, and it has not yet appeared as yet what we will be. We know that when he appears, we will be like him because we will see him just as he is.

25:55There's something that has not been revealed, and there is something that has been revealed. Look back at verse 2. Beloved, now we are children of God. He reiterates our current glorious status. But then he's telling these churches that a much more glorious future awaits them. Although much has not been revealed, enough has been revealed that it is glorious beyond our ability to grasp. It has not yet appeared to us, probably for our own sake, right? I mean, you look at a little Olympiad, seems very humble. You know, they go to the Olympics, they win a gold medal, and all of a sudden, pow, their head can get pretty large, right? Any bit of success, guess what happens? We can just really explode in pride. For some reason, it has not appeared. It has not been revealed. We probably couldn't take it in anyway, but it's a revealing with him at the end of the day. The appearance of his coming. That is, but this much, there has been something that has been revealed. It's not yet appeared as yet what we will be, but look back at verse 2. We know that when he appears, we will be like him because we will see him just as he is. We know that we will be like him. That we do know. That is of the same nature. That's the we will be like him. We will resemble. We will reflect. We will be like him.

27:34When does this happen? Well, when he appears, when he shall be revealed in his glory. And yes, the peasant from Galilee who died on the Roman cross is the one coming again. He is the greatest geopolitical power that this world has ever seen on a scale so far above that it is mind-numbing. And he is returning in great glory. And we will be like him when he appears. Why will we be like him? Look back at the text. Because we will see him just as he is. We will see him. That's why we're going to be like him.

28:29You remember? Some of his disciples saw his glory on the Mount of Transfiguration. Matthew 17:2 says, and he was transfigured before them, and his face shone like the sun, and his garments became as white as light. God gave the disciples a little glimpse of Jesus coming in power, and he was transfigured before them in all his glory. That was Jesus' transfiguration. But you know, seeing Jesus transfigures us. We don't often use that term, but that's exactly what it transforms us, transfigures us. 2 Corinthians 3:18 says this: But we all, with unveiled face, beholding as in a mirror the glory of the Lord, are being transformed into the same image from glory to glory, just as from the Lord the Spirit. Paul is talking about even now as we reflect upon Scripture, we see the Christ to Scripture and His impact on us right now is transforming us, transfiguring us even now as we see Him by faith through the words of Scripture. How much more when we stand before Him and we see Him in all His glory, undimmed, it will transform. Transfigure us. It will transform us.

30:05And, you know, seeing his glory is the completion of our sanctification. And it was his desire, Jesus's desire for his disciples. In John 17, 24, he said, This: Father, I desire that they also whom you have given me be with me where I am, so that they may see my glory, which you have given me, for you loved me before the foundation of the world. Jesus is saying, I want my disciples to see my glory, so that they may be transformed into that which the heavenly Father desires the most.

30:51You see, the great love for us is the gift of being like his son. That is our glorious future. God gives us what he delights in the most, and that is his son's likeness. It's about character, not possessions. You know, we often think of the father's gift as about having something. No, it's the father's greatest gift is being somebody noble. And who is the noblest of all? His son. See, the father. Gift is to you is to make you a person of great nobility, great character. That's the gift, and then he's pleased to give all things to those who have the character to handle them. The reason we don't get so much is we would pilfer the crown for ourselves and say, Oh, look at all this great stuff. It's all of our doing, right? No, how do we be humble and yet so highly exalted? It's the work of the Spirit of God making us like Christ, who possesses all things, yet He's humble. And we're being made like Him. Listen, I think that we're still in creation mode in some sense. Yes, we have our existence, but I think this time on earth is much like a great molding or shaping process, and we're still very much engaged in it.

32:37What we will be has not yet been fully revealed because God's not through working in us. Humanity, the whole of it, is still being molded. Some are being molded into the likeness of fallen Adam. Some are growing and being molded into the likeness of Christ. Two very different people. In fact, John's going to go on to talk about those who are going the way of Cain. Now, there's a but you, you, which trajectory are you on? Are you being molded into Christ's image, or are you being molded after the pattern of this world?

33:23You know, there's a prevailing victim mentality in our day, isn't it? We see it all around us. And the mentality says something like this: I am the way that I am because of what somebody else has done to me. You've heard it, keep hearing it. You are what you are because of what somebody else did to you, or because of what society did to you. That's why you are the way you are. Blame them. Well, the Bible doesn't let us get away with that.

34:03The Bible emphatically tells us you're not somebody else's fault. You're not somebody else's fault. We like to tell ourselves we are products of our environment. No, we're not simply products of our environment. Our environment has a role, no doubt. But I'd like to modify that a little bit. We're not simply products of our environment. Environment, we are more products of our response to our environment. That's what molds us. We are more products of our response to the environment than we are the products of our environment. See, the way we respond to our world takes us down two paths. And listen, this does not minimize that, yes, there are those who have been victimized, there are those who have been wrong, there are those who have very different circumstances. Some, even as I speak, I grieve in my heart because there are things that are off in this world, even among us. Our circumstances, our situation, our health, all are different circumstances. And there's a way we can go down life. And the way we respond to these circumstances says all about who you are and who you are becoming. You can go down and respond in a worldly manner. If somebody wrongs you, well, then you despise them, you get even, you outdo them, right?

35:45Make them pay. Are you going to be a monster at the end of that road? You never will know peace. But there's another path, that of Christ-likeness. And the thing. Things that come at us in life help to shape and help to mold us. They do, but it is our response. And a glorious future awaits those who delight in what God delights in the most, his Son. Listen, if there is ever a victim, it was Christ. If there's ever anybody that's been wrong, it was Christ. If there is anybody who had reason not to be kind or not to be gracious, it was him, and he could do it justly.

36:36Be like him. That's your glorious future. And what an encouragement, what a blessing. That is an expression of your heavenly Father's magnificent love for you. It's not only in the lofty title, but it's also in the glorious future. Third, the Father's magnificent love for us is seen in our lofty title, our glorious future, and finally, our present hope, our present hope. Look at verse three. And everyone who has this hope fixed on him purifies himself just as he is pure. What does everyone mean?

37:24Everyone. Everyone who has this hope. Is doing something, purifying themselves. It's a purifying hope. What hope are we talking about? The hope just mentioned, the hope that turns Judgment Day into a day of joyful excitement. And John says two things about everyone who has this hope. Number one, they are purifying themselves. That is, they are cleansing themselves. The one who has this hope, the one who possesses this hope, the one who has really embraced this hope is purifying, is in the habit of purifying themselves. He's not talking about just taking a bath, he's talking about changing themselves from the inside out morally, responding the way Christ, they are actively purging the old patterns of sin and putting on the new ways of Christ, just like a little child begins to learn to walk and putting on new ways. This is what your heavenly Father is doing. He is bringing forth children of God who will walk and look like his son.

38:54And notice the standard. It's a purifying help. They are purifying themselves to what? To the standard of Christ. Look at that at the end of verse 3, just as he is pure. They are purifying, he is purifying himself just as he is pure. And this verse reiterates what John's been saying. All along. In chapter 2, verse 1, he refers to Jesus Christ as Jesus Christ, the righteous. In verse 6 of chapter 2, he says, the one who says he abides in him ought to walk in the way in the same manner as he walked. Speaking of a righteousness, a pattern. In verse 29, if you know that he is righteous, you know that everyone also who practiced righteousness is born of him. That's the standard. Practicing righteousness.

39:47And righteousness means the one doing what is right. The one who keeps on doing what is right is the one who possesses the hope of someday joyfully standing before him. Do you possess this hope? Well, it shows up in what you're doing. Dressed in his righteousness. That's what dressed in his righteousness is about. First it is granted, and then it is practiced. Dressed in his righteousness. But there's something very important about hope. I want to make sure that at this Situation, we look at the context of what's happening in John's world at this time. There's a problem of not having hope. Okay, we die, we don't have hope, nothing to live for, we despise life.

40:50So there's a real problem in not having hope. Well, consider what's happening to the churches whom John is writing to. First of all, they were experiencing societal hostility, they were experiencing persecution from the outside, hostility, and persecution from the outside. But they were also experiencing mass defection from the truth on the inside. Mass defection. And that's largely what happens in times of persecution. Let's redefine Christ. Something that's going to get us out of trouble. Mass defection from the truth. And he's writing to these churches to encourage them to stand firm. Because at times like this, there's a temptation just to give up.

41:47I mean, why bother to keep on doing what is right? Why bother to keep on proclaiming truth? What difference does it really make? It just gets me in trouble. I'm hated for it. And even people of our own. Ranks have departed from it. Sounds familiar to our day, doesn't it? What was familiar in John's day? It's been familiar. It's just part of church life. You see, it's very easy for us bringing it to our level. You know, it's easy for us to look at the sorry state of the world that we're living in and get discouraged. It's easy to fixate on our own sorry state, start looking at yourself, and then that can really depress you, right? To the point of giving up, and why bother? Why keep going on? I mean, where does the strength to go forward come from?

42:42Where does it come from? It's hope. Hope. John wants to instill a real hope, wants them to open their eyes to the magnificent love that the Father has given to them. And part of that is a present hope, a present reason to go on living and not just getting by, but to live. We're not just talking about the power of positive thinking here. You can hope in the wrong things. We're talking about the power of a future reality that we accept by faith. And let it shape our present. This is why we study eschatology, study the end times, right? John gives us a glimpse forward because he gives us these pictures of the future to encourage us in our presence, in our present.

43:48Hope motivates us to keep going. It motivates us to action. And so, what John does is he writes to encourage these churches to keep on doing what is right. Keep on doing right, doing what is right, and you do this by fixating upon the magnificent love that your heavenly Father has for you. This is the truth. This is the truth that all are going to be seeing one day. Some are going to shrink when he returns, some are going to rejoice.

44:30But even though many defect from the truth, don't let this be you. Don't be ashamed of the truth. These truths, you are children of God. He is going to be revealed, and you revealed in him. Hello, Christians, believers here today. Let this lofty title. Let this glorious future be your present hope. It's like John is telling them: behold this magnificent gift of love which the Father has bestowed upon you. You are called a child of God.

45:27Hear what John is saying to the church. Hear what the Spirit of God is saying through this word to the church to you today. Behold this magnificent magnificent love that the Father has for you, that you, you, you would be called a child of God. Lofty is that rank you now possess, and loftier still you will rise. High is the dignity you have, and higher still you will rise. Why would you be afraid to live? O child of the king, O child of the living God, why would you be slow to get out of bed?

46:25Lofty is the rank you possess. You will bear his image brilliantly and beautifully, like the gold reflected the sun on the temple, the SUN, so you will reflect the sun, the SON, in undiminished beauty. Take these truths for what they are. They are reality, a future reality, but a reality nonetheless. Go forth in these truths. They will equip you to endure the trials of life that you are sure to face, and they will motivate you to purge yourself from every vestige of sin as Christ Himself is pure.

47:27We're not naked. We're clothed in a magnificent love, a royal love. The Father's love is seen in the lofty title He has given us, in the glorious future He has planned for us, and the present hope He has given us. Now, you can do one of two things right now. Do you believe this to be true? Do you really? Do you really believe that the Father has given such magnificent love for you? You name the name Christ. This is yours.

48:19There's another alternative that the scripture leaves us: make God out to be a liar. You either believe this wonderful truth or you call him a liar. Which are you going to do? The scripture gives us no in-between, and many of us like to say, well, I kind of believe that sounds pretty good. No, do you believe it? That's what John, you're not naked, you're covered with a magnificent and beautiful love that surpasses anything and any title, any rank, any affection of any monarch, any dynasty of any time, forever and ever. Do you believe that?

49:04If not, you think he's a liar. Don't you love it how the Bible just doesn't give us. Well, I don't want to be a liar, but that's too good to be true. You see where the Bible's taking us? And if you do not know him today, this doesn't speak of you. You don't have this title. You don't have this glorious future. And you don't have this present hope. But God's love for you. Displayed in that he genuinely invites you to be his child today. You become his child by repenting of your sin and asking him to come into your heart. And he does it in a second.

49:45Jesus is the Christ. Come to him as such. Let's pray. Heavenly Father, help us to see this magnificent love which we have in you. Thank you for what this says about us, what this says about you, what this says about our future, and what this says about what we are to do in our present. Thank you for the truth. Transform us, transfigure us, that you may be exalted in all that we say and do. In Jesus' name.