“Children of God”
June 5, 2005
1 John 3:1-3
[Note to Readers: Today in our worship celebration, we dedicated Minhao Lynn-Yan Belko to the Lord. "Min" is a three year old Chinese boy that Amy Jo Belko just brought into her home. Min has an older brother, Miles, who is Amy Jo's by birth and two other sisters, Meili and Meizhen, who are also adopted from China.]
It is quite a thing that Amy Jo has done, isn’t it? In adopting Min?
Amy Jo has shouldered a great expense. She’s traveled a great distance. She’s committed herself to a great responsibility for this little boy.
She didn’t have to do it. There were no outside forces compelling her to hop a plane to China and bring home this precious little guy. She didn’t have to do it. Nobody was holding a gun to her head!
But there was something inside of Amy Jo that did move her to adopt Min. It was a love. A love, first for God, and then a love for this little boy.
And it moved her to act. To shoulder a great expense, to travel a great distance, and to commit herself to a great responsibility–that will require God’s grace to keep.
Amy Jo’s choice to adopt Min prompted me to take a break from the book of Exodus, this week, and instead to think about the biblical category of adoption–being made a child of God.
Adoption.
Because, to make me His child, God shouldered a great expense, traveled a great distance, and committed Himself to a great responsibility–all for me.
Adoption.
Today, I want us to think about what a great privilege and responsibility it is to be called the “Children of God.”
You understand, don’t you, that we are not, by birth [in Adam!], naturally the “Children of God?” The Bible says, instead, that we are naturally: children of wrath, children of the devil, children of this world.
And God had to choose to do something to make us His children.
The Bible says, “In love he predestined us to be adopted as his sons through Jesus Christ...” (Ephesians 1:5).
He didn’t have to do it. There were no outside forces compelling God to do what it took to adopt us. But He did–in love.
And I want us think about what that means for us today–to be “Children of God.”
Our text will be 1 John 3:1-3. Invite you to turn there with me in your Bible. 1 John 3:1-3. Pew Bible Page #1208. 1 John 3:1-3.
1 John 3, verse 1 is very familiar to all of us. We know it from the song. Since beginning to work on this message, I haven’t been able to get it out of my mind!
Behold What Manner of Love The Father Has Given Unto Us
Behold What Manner of Love The Father Has Given Unto Us
That We Should Be Called the Sons of God
That We Should Be Called the Sons of God
1 John chapter 3, verse 1.
“How great is the 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. Dear friends, now we are children of God, and what we will be has not yet been made known. But we know that when he appears, we shall be like him, for we shall see him as he is. Everyone who has this hope in him purifies himself, just as he is pure.” (NIV)
Point #1 (of 3). CHILDREN OF GOD, REJOICE IN THE LAVISH LOVE OF YOUR ADOPTIVE FATHER. V.1 again.
“How great is the love the Father has lavished on us, that we should be called children of God!”
It takes the Apostle John’s breath away!
We sang it, “How Great Is Your Love, O Lord!”
The old King James says, “Behold! What a manner of love?!” This is an amazing love. And unheard of love. A love unlike any other.
It’s worth repeating and repeating and thinking about and thinking about.
“How great is the love the Father has lavished on us, that we should be called children of God!”
What did it take for us to become the “Children of God?”
It took the death of God’s only “natural” Son. His only begotten Son.
It the took the expense of His precious blood. That we will be meditating on in a few moments around the Lord’s Table.
- It took the imputation of my sin to His shoulders.
- It took the Cross.
- It took the crucifixion of the Prince of Glory.
And, at that time, I couldn’t have cared less.
Paul says, “God demonstrates His own love in this, while we were still sinners Christ died for us.”
“How great is the love the Father has lavished on us, that we should be called children of God!”
In a few weeks, Lloyd Riehl and Tom Hampton are going to start a study for men in the book of Ephesians during Sunday School. The men are going to be blown away by the lavishness of the love of God in Ephesians chapter 1.
The list of blessings that come with being God’s child is breath-taking.
Let me read them to you:
He] has blessed us in the heavenly realms with every spiritual blessing in Christ. For he chose us in him before the creation of the world to be holy and blameless in his sight. In love he predestined us to be adopted as his sons through Jesus Christ, in accordance with his pleasure and will–to the praise of his glorious grace, which he has freely given us in the One he loves. In him we have redemption through his blood, the forgiveness of sins, in accordance with the riches of God's grace that he lavished on us with all wisdom and understanding. And he made known to us the mystery of his will according to his good pleasure, which he purposed in Christ, to be put into effect when the times will have reached their fulfillment–to bring all things in heaven and on earth together under one head, even Christ. In him we were also chosen, having been predestined according to the plan of him who works out everything in conformity with the purpose of his will, in order that we, who were the first to hope in Christ, might be for the praise of his glory. And you also were included in Christ when you heard the word of truth, the gospel of your salvation. Having believed, you were marked in him with a seal, the promised Holy Spirit, who is a deposit guaranteeing our inheritance until the redemption of those who are God's possession–to the praise of his glory. Ephesians 1:4-14 (NIV)And that’s all just “theological shorthand” for the blessings tied up with becoming a child of God!
“How great is the love the Father has lavished on us, that we should be called children of God!”
John goes on to say (v.1 still), “And that is what we are!” Exclamation mark!
John rejoices in, relishes, revels in this lavish love God. He almost can’t believe it!
“That’s what we are!” Can you believe that?
That we [you and me!] should be called [should have the status of] the children of God! And that’s what we are! By His grace.
Do you rejoice that you are child of God?
That assumes, of course, that you are one. If you are not yet a child of God, the Bible invites you to put your trust in Jesus Christ as your Rescuer and your Master.
John said in chapter one of his gospel, “to all who received [Christ], to those who believed in his name, he gave the right to become children of God...” (V.12)
So, if you want to be a child of God, your part is to receive Christ and believe in His name. Believe that He is Who He said He is. Believe that He died on the Cross for your sins and came back to life to give you life and to adopt you as a child of God.
He invites you to put your faith in Him today.
And if you are child of God, do you rejoice in it?
Do you rejoice in this lavish love?
We can get to taking this for granted. And when we do, we need to be reminded of Min (and Meili and Meizhen for that matter!).
That’s what God did for us! He went to all that trouble for us.
[In fact, our adoption goes one step further in that not only does He change our status (like Min became a Belko), but He also changes our nature. He gives us new birth into our adoptive family! That’s truly amazing!]
“How great is the love the Father has lavished on us, that we should be called children of God! And that is what we are!”
Of course, it doesn’t look it, really.
If I am a son of God, why doesn’t it seem like it? I’m certainly not glorious to look at! Where is the family resemblance?
I don’t yet look like Jesus looks–either in body or soul.
A little bit. I look like my big brother, Jesus, a little bit by His grace. But I’m not there yet. That’s the point of the next few sentences. Still in v.1:
“The reason the world does not know us is that it did not know him.”
The first reason that the world does not recognize that we are the Children of God is that they didn’t recognize the real Child of God the first time.
But we are. V.2
“Dear friends, now we are children of God, and what we will be has not yet been made known [or has not yet appeared].” That is to say, we don’t yet look like Jesus in full.
We can’t grasp what that will be like [what will a glorified body be like? What will a sinless nature be like? What will a perfect love of God feel like?].
And we certainly don’t look like that now! V.2
“But we [do] know that when he appears, we shall be like him, for we shall see him as he is.”
Point #2. CHILDREN OF GOD, ANTICIPATE THE COMING OF YOUR FULL ADOPTION.
Are we the children of God now? Yes, we are. Very truly the Children of God.
But there is coming a day when we will fully come into our inheritance. And the Bible is comfortable with using the word “adoption” for that which has not yet fully come.
Our adoption now is a down-payment on the adoption to come. The Apostle Paul writes in Romans chapter 8:
“[We] received the Spirit of sonship. And by him we cry, ‘Abba, Father.’ [God is our Daddy.] The Spirit himself testifies with our spirit that we are God's children. Now if we are children, then we are heirs–heirs of God and co-heirs with Christ, if indeed we share in his sufferings in order that we may also share in his glory....We ourselves, who have the firstfruits of the Spirit, groan inwardly as we wait eagerly for our adoption as sons, the redemption of our bodies. For in this hope we were saved” [Romans 8:15-17, 23-24a].There is an adoption coming that we are supposed to anticipate.
The full inheritance is coming! V.2 again.
“Dear friends, now we are children of God, and what we will be has not yet been made known. But we know that when he appears, we shall be like him, for we shall see him as he is.”
When we behold Him, we shall become like Him.
Seeing means becoming.
Our adoption will become our glorification.
We will be like Him.
A body like His. A heart like His. A sinless soul like His. A glory like His. We wil be an unbroken mirror of His glory. We will be like sponges that absorb the glory of Christ and soak in it and take up its properties. We will be little-Christs. Still finite. Still creatures. Still small in comparison to His greatness.
But like Him. Because we will see Him.
Do you anticipate that day?
Do you long for that day?
Do you look for its appearing?
We need to live today in view of that Day.
Children of God, Anticipate the Coming of Your Full Adoption!
This not all there is. This isn’t even a fraction of what is coming. Don’t settle for this. Don’t live for this.
As I told the graduates on Thursday night, “Don’t Waste Your Life!”
Live it for then. Live it for Him. Live it for Him whom you will be like.
“For we will see Him as He is.”
And #3. CHILDREN OF GOD, PURIFY YOURSELF IN THE FAMILY RESEMBLANCE. V.3
“Everyone who has this hope in him purifies himself, just as he is pure.”
Everyone who has this hope in him [everyone who is a child of God through faith in Christ Jesus] purifies himself, just as Christ is pure.
If you are going to, one day, look like Christ, then get started today.
Purify Yourself in the Family Resemblance.
Whatever is in you that is not like Christ needs to go.
Whatever is in you that brings shame on the family needs to be rooted out.
Whatever is in your heart that doesn’t look like Jesus’ heart needs to be changed.
Purify Yourself in the Family Resemblance.
We have been adopted through no merit of our own. We have been brought into God’s family and accepted just the way we are.
But we have been adopted to change.
We have been accepted to be altered.
We have been saved to be sanctified.
We have been made a child of God to look like children of God.
We are, one day, going to look like Jesus, and we need to get started right now.
Purify Yourself in the Family Resemblance.
“Everyone who has this hope in him purifies himself, just as he is pure.”
Don’t trample the lavish love of God by deciding to take it for granted and not be conformed to the image of Christ.
Paul says, “[T]hose God foreknew he also predestined to be conformed to the likeness of his Son, that he might be the firstborn among many brothers.”
God went to a lot of trouble to adopt us. And He has a plan for us. To make us like Christ. We need to cooperate with that plan and purify ourselves.
Take a spiritual inventory.
What in your heart and life looks like Christ? Keep that.
What in your heart and life does not look like Christ? You need to go to war (in faith) against that.
Purify Yourself in the Family Resemblance.
One day, I hope that we can see that Min has become like his Mom. That he has developed a heart for those are helpless and without Christ. And that Min will reach out in love like his Mom did in adopting Him.
The same is true for us. Ephesians chapter 5, verse 1 says, “Be imitators of God, therefore, as dearly loved children and live a life of love, just as Christ loved us and gave himself up for us as a fragrant offering and sacrifice to God” (vv. 1-2).
Purify Yourself in the Family Resemblance and Live and Love Like Christ.
“Everyone who has this hope in him purifies himself, just as he is pure.”
Children of God,
Rejoice in the Lavish Love of Your Adoptive Father.
Anticipate the Coming of Your Full Adoption.
And Purify Yourself in the Family Resemblance.
Be like Christ. “[Who] loved us and gave himself up for us as a fragrant offering and sacrifice to God.”
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