John 3:31 - He who comes from above is above all, he who is of the earth is from the earth and speaks of the earth. He who comes from heaven is above all.
John 8:23-24 - And He was saying to them, “You are from below, I am from above; you are of this world, I am not of this world. Therefore I said to you that you will die in your sins; for unless you believe that I am He, you will die in your sins.”
John 1:12 - But as many as received Him, to them He gave the right to become children of God, even to those who believe in His name…
John 1:10 - He was in the world, and the world was made through Him, and the world did not know Him.
John 16:3 - These things they will do because they have not known the Father or Me.
1 John 1:8 - If we say that we have no sin, we are deceiving ourselves.
John 10:27 - My sheep hear My voice, and I know them, and they follow Me…
John 3:3-7 - Jesus answered and said to him, “Truly, truly, I say to you, unless one is born again he cannot see the kingdom of God.” Nicodemus said to Him, “How can a man be born when he is old? Do not be amazed that I said to you, ‘You must be born again.’”
John 13:34-35 - A new commandment I give to you, that you love one another, even as I have loved you, that you also love one another. By this all men will know that you are My disciples, if you have love for one another.
3 reasons why the gospel we have studied in the Gospel of John transforms the true believer now and eternally
I. Because God Has a Goal for His People
1 John 3:5 - You know that He appeared in order to take away sins…The Son of God appeared for this purpose, to destroy the works of the devil.
A. To take away sins (1 John 3:5)
B. To destroy the works of the devil (1 John 3:8) - John 8:44, Ephesians 2:1-2
1 John 2:16 - For all that is in the world, the lust of the flesh and the lust of the eyes and the boastful pride of life, is not from the Father, but is from the world.
Ephesians 2:1-3 - And you were dead in your trespasses and sins, in which you formerly walked according to the course of this world, according to the prince of the power of the air, among them we too all formerly lived in the lusts of our flesh, indulging the desires of the flesh.
James 3:14 - But if you have bitter jealousy and selfish ambition in your heart, do not be arrogant and so lie against the truth. This wisdom is not that which comes down from above, but is earthly, natural, demonic. For where jealousy and selfish ambition exist, there is disorder and every evil thing.
The works of the devil and our sin = the disposition of my self-exaltation with the resulting pursuit of my own glory over God and others.
“For the one principle of hell is—‘I am my own. I am my own king and my own subject…My own glory is, and ought to be, my chief care…My pleasure is my pleasure. My kingdom is—as many as I can bring to acknowledge my greatness over them. My judgment is the faultless rule of things. My right is—what I desire. The more I am all in all to myself, the greater I am …I will be free with the freedom that consists in doing whatever I am inclined to do, from whatever quarter may come the inclination. To do my own will so long as I feel anything to be my will, is to be free, is to live.’” (George McDonald, Unspoken Sermons; http://www.online-literature.com/george-macdonald/unspoken-sermons/30/)
II. Because God has Changed the Status and Nature of His people
A. Children of God (v. 1, 2, 10)
John 3:1, 2, 10 - 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, by this the children of God and the children of the devil are obvious: anyone who does not practice righteousness is not of God, nor the one who does not love his brother.
B. Born of God (v.9)
C. God’s seed in His children (v. 9)
1 John 3:9 - No one who is born of God practices sin, because His seed abides in him; and he cannot sin, because he is born of God.
III. Because God Causes His People to See His Son’s Love
A. Beholding Christ by faith in His first coming - His Love from Heaven for His people
B. Beholding Christ by sight in the second coming
1 John 3:2 - 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.
Christ, bringing His people into His unveiled majestic presence where they could have never gone before will bring the believer to a full understanding of the magnitude of His love and thus to full maturity.
In C.S. Lewis fantasy work, The Lion, the Witch, and the Wardrobe, Lewis’ plot tension centers around the traitorous actions of young Edmund Pevensie.
For the promise of scrumptious Turkish Delight and the allure of being a prince of Narnia, Edmund succumbs to the deception of the white witch.
In the beginning as siblings Susan and Peter Pevensie were just learning about the land of Narnia that Edmund and Lucy had discovered, Edmund tries to deny Lucy’s claim of Narnia that he knew to be true.
He betrays Lucy. Later he would betray all of the Pevensie children.
Peter Pevensie says to Edmund at one point, “You’ve always like being beastly to anyone smaller than yourself.”
Edmund Pevensie is the beast-like whiny bully who we long to see the circumstances turn to deliver upon him what he deserves.
But in the course of events, as Edmund has essentially sold his soul to the white witch who lays claim to Edmund’s life, the Christ figure in C.S. Lewis’ story, A lion and true King of Narnia Aslan, strikes a deal that Aslan’s life will be offered in place of the beastly boy.
In the most intense, disturbing scenes of the story, the white witch and her demonic creatures anticipate their soon victory over the ruler of Narnia, humiliate Aslan, shave him, muzzle him, and bind him to the Stone Table. And then the white witch thrusts a knife into Aslan’s body and he dies in place of Edmund.
What the white witch did not know, however, is that the Stone Table’s deep magic would raise to life any innocent soul that was sacrificed upon it.
At dawn, when the reality of Aslan’s death settles in the minds’ of Susan and Lucy, a loud thunderous crack rings out. The Stone Table on which Aslan was sacrificed is broken and Aslan stands in His glory— resurrected.
The undeserved love of the innocence greater one was poured out upon the guilty.
Later Aslan would have a private conversation with Edmund of which C.S. Lewis ensured that nobody knew about and is pictured in the movie.
But what was known is that Edmund was restored, forgiven, and Edmund was now changed…...
Faith Church, we have spent now the majority of this year taking a deep dive into the love of the true ruler of the universe, the innocent one pouring out His love upon the guilty—-us—in the Gospel of John.
Last week we concluded the book of John.
Here is the question I am asking you now… what should be the intended impact upon us as we have beheld so great of love that the Father has bestowed upon us?
- Before we check off the box of having read and studied John
- Before we move on…
- Before we forget the marvels that we have gazed upon for a good portion of the last year
I think it would be good for us to see what impact this Gospel had upon the author of the book that we have studied—the apostle John.
And you say, Brent, how can we know that?
Well, we can know because the author of the Gospel we have just finished studying, wrote to a group of believers and we have his additional writings
This group of believers was facing difficulty at the hands of other false teachers who were not characterized by genuine love and they denied aspects of the Gospel.
John the apostle writes so that the church, and you and I would know what the true effects of the Gospel really are
Turn in your bibles to the 1st epistle of John chapter 3 verse 1
That is on page 186 in the back section, the NT, of the bible under the chair in front of you.
We are going to jump into the middle of John the apostle’s writing
As we read, I will also be drawing your attention to some of the same themes we saw in the Gospel of John…so get ready to push the pause button several times as we walk through the text.
And as we start in 3:1, we find John breaking out into an exclamation of praise, something that is overflowing in His heart as He is writing...
- See how great (or Behold what manner, or what sort of, “how great” or “what sort of” is actually, a Greek cultural idiom than can be hard to translate, originally, it meant out of what country…from where did this come from…..John is overwhelmed as he contemplates something here…there is nothing like it on earth…And what does he contemplate?
Behold out of what country is
this ) love the Father has bestowed on us
John is overwhelmed by this reality!
From what country did this love come from?
Remember what the Gospel of John continually said when Jesus was introduced to us….
John 3:31 “He who comes from above is above all, he who is of the earth is from the earth and speaks of the earth. He who comes from heaven is above all.
John 8:23–24 And He was saying to them, “You are from below, I am from above; you are of this world, I am not of this world. 24 Therefore I said to you that you will die in your sins; for unless you believe that I am He, you will die in your sins.”
Let’s continue reading in verse 1….the love from heaven that the Father would bestow upon us …..
that we would be called children of God; and (not that we are just called that! But ) such we are (!).
John is overwhelmed with this status!!!! Can you believe this?
We are children of God!
When you become a child of someone else…when you are adopted…that changes everything!
And do you remember how John started the Gospel of John?
John 1:12 But as many as received Him, to them He gave the right to become children of God, even to those who believe in His name,
Look at the next phrase in verse 1
For this reason the world does not know us, because it did not know Him
When the love that comes from a different world, changes your status and your reality… the world that you are currently a part of doesn’t get it…..
Do you remember again these verses from the Gospel of John
John 1:10 He was in the world, and the world was made through Him, and the world did not know Him.
John 16:3 “These things they will do (to you) because they have not known the Father or Me.
God is intending to make a radical distinction between those who know Him and those who don’t.
Let’s continue
2Beloved, 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 (notice that the end goal here is that there is a change in us), because we will see Him just as He is. (notice also what makes the final transformation…beholding him not by faith any more but by sight)_
Verse 3And everyone (say “everyone”) who has this hope fixed on Him purifies himself, just as He is pure.
4Everyone (say “everyone” ) who practices sin also practices lawlessness; and sin is lawlessness.
5You know that He appeared in order to take away sins; and in Him there is no sin.
6No one (say “no one”) who abides in Him sins (we need to pause right here and just clarify something. This statement clearly says, No one who abides in Him sins. However, John in the very same book earlier says,
1 John 1:8, If we say that we have no sin, we are deceiving ourselves.
Either John is a very poor thinker and cannot keep a consistent thought or we might suspect we have misinterpreted John.
John is not teaching that a believer will be sinlessly perfect now. He is teaching about the ongoing impact of the Gospel in the life of the believer---we can see that from verse 3 “purifies himself” in an ongoing sense, in verse 4, practices lawlessness and verse 5 “practices righteousness.” So we are talking about the ongoing trajectory of your life.
So, No one who abides in Him (practices) sins…no one who (practices) sins has seen Him or knows Him.
Do you remember this from John 10:27:
John 10: 27 “My sheep hear My voice, and I know them, and they follow Me;
7Little children, make sure no one deceives you; the one who practices righteousness is righteous, just as He is righteous;
8the one who practices sin is of the devil; for the devil has sinned from the beginning. The Son of God appeared for this purpose, to destroy the works of the devil.
9No one who is born of God practices sin, because His seed abides in him; and he cannot sin, because he is born of God.
Remember this from our study in the book of John…
John 3:3–7Jesus answered and said to him, “Truly, truly, I say to you, unless one is born again (from above) he cannot see the kingdom of God.”4 Nicodemus *said to Him, “How can a man be born when he is old? …7 (Jesus said) “Do not be amazed that I said to you, ‘You must be born again (from above).’
10By this the children of God and the children of the devil are obvious: anyone who does not practice righteousness is not of God, nor the one who does not love his brother.
11For this is the message which you have heard from the beginning, that we should love one another;
Finally, remember this from our time in John regarding the new commandment, based upon Jesus’ pending sacrifice, that he gave to his disciples
John 13:34–35 “A new commandment I give to you, that you love one another, even as I have loved you, that you also love one another. 35“By this all men will know that you are My disciples, if you have love for one another.”
After all of this year of studying the Gospel of John, friends, the Gospel received…
- cannot,
- must not,
- will not leave those who are truly believers unchanged!
Something of this magnitude, if we behold it, see it, understand it does not leave the beholder unchanged!
We instinctively know this.
Why didn’t C.S. Lewis write the Lion, the Witch, and the Wardrobe, with an ending that Edmund Pevensie stayed among the ranks of the White witch’s armies….
It would be a totally lame story.
Or, it would have been labeled as a tragedy and probably have never become a best seller!
You want another example?
When the last petal of the rose fell, in Beauty and the Beast, What if , Belle, gets up and says, never mind, I agree, who could ever love a beast…and the beast stays dead….
Would you go and pay to watch that?
The impact of the Gospel truly believed and understood will have you engage in the process of become a different person than you were.
The clear thrust of this text is change and transformation is natural, expected, demanded
“anyone” who has this hope “purifies” himself
In fact, John says, “Its obvious” —anyone who does not practice righteousness is not of God
Nor is the one who does not love….meaning….if you have only ever lived for self and that has not changed in your encounter with Jesus…John says…its obvious….there is a distinction between the children of God and the devil. ….
This morning we are speaking about
Enjoying Life in His Name
Through Purifying Yourself Now
Three reasons why the Gospel we have studied in the Gospel of John transforms the true believer now and eternally
A True Believer cannot stay the same….
1. Because God Has Goal for His people
We are coming upon what many in our church would say is their favorite time of the year—the Holiday season
After a COVID holiday season last year, we are anxiously looking forward to more gatherings, possibly more time with family than maybe we have had in quite a while as the pandemic subsides.
The holidays climax with our celebration of Christmas where we get the joy of the Living Nativity,
Christmas for Everyone,
the Christmas musical,
Christmas Eve service.
Every time we celebrate the culmination of the holidays—Christmas—is the moment you are celebrating the reality that the Gospel means change and transformation.
You may say, “Pastor Brent, how is that?”
“Christmas is the time when we celebrate Christ’s birth not my behavior or thinking or conduct! I don’t get it”
I say, “absolutely, but why did Christ appear?”
Did you know this passage right here is probably one of the greatest Christmas passage explanations!
This passage should rise above the ranks of Luke chapter 2….for Christmas passages…
This passage is all about Christmas!—when Christ appeared!
John makes two similar statements about Christmas
I John 3:5You know that He appeared in order to take away sins…8 The Son of God appeared for this purpose, to destroy the works of the devil.
There is a purpose to Christmas….that involves you and your transformation.
It is inconceivable (and I use that word knowing exactly what it means—Princess Bride fans) that Christ’s appearing would not have its intended impact to
A. To take away sins (1 John 3:5)
B. To destroy the works of the devil (I John 3:8)—John 8:44, Eph 2:1-2
These two statements are meant to be somewhat redundant
John has a writing style that tends to repeat a concept with a bit more meaning or elaboration.
We saw this in the Gospel of John when John wrote the beautiful 14 verse prologue of the Gospel of John and through the rest of the book, he developed the themes that he had introduced to us in the prologue.
He does that in 1 John as well.
So here “Sins” and the “Works of the Devil” are meant to reinforce each other
That is…our sins are precisely devilish
For just a moment let’s ask the question, “What are the works of the devil?”
Early, John, himself would define the works of the devil in the world. In I John 2:16
1 John 2:16 For all that is in the world, the lust of the flesh and the lust of the eyes and the boastful pride of life, is not from the Father, but is from the world.
Notice how John is consistent with other biblical authors like Paul…
Eph 2:1–3And you were dead in your trespasses and sins,2in which you formerly walked according to the course of this world, according to the prince of the power of the air, ….3 Among them we too all formerly lived in the lusts of our flesh, indulging the desires of the flesh.
And like James,
James 3:14 But if you have bitter jealousy and selfish ambition in your heart, do not be arrogant and so lie against the truth. 15 This wisdom is not that which comes down from above, but is earthly, natural, demonic.16 For where jealousy and selfish ambition exist, there is disorder and every evil thing.
So what is sin, what are the works of the devil….?
The devil is the one who ultimately exalted himself above God in his rebellion
So,
The works of the devil/and our sin = the disposition of my self-exaltation with the resulting pursuit of my own glory over God and others.
George McDonald, C. S. Lewis’ mentor said,
For the one principle of hell is—‘I am my own. I am my own king and my own subject…My own glory is, and ought to be, my chief care…My pleasure is my pleasure. My kingdom is—as many as I can bring to acknowledge my greatness over them. My judgment is the faultless rule of things. My right is—what I desire. The more I am all in all to myself, the greater I am …I will be free with the freedom that consists in doing whatever I am inclined to do, from whatever quarter may come the inclination. To do my own will so long as I feel anything to be my will, is to be free, is to live. George McDonald (Unspoken Sermons; http://www.online-literature.com/george-macdonald/unspoken-sermons/30/)
Friends, Christmas occurred, Christ appeared, to destroy THAT….in His people…..
The disposition of my self-exaltation with the resulting pursuit of my own glory over God and others
The one who came and said about the cross to the Father, not my will by thine, came to destroy, “MY WILL BE DONE”
It is inconceivable, that Christ’s appearing will not have its intended effect among His followers who were the saving beneficiary of the One who saved them by “Thy will be done!”
Friends, so let me ask you…If Christ came to destroy “My will be done” may I ask you…
Do you see less of “my will be done”
As you pursue your earthly existence?
As you are in relationship with your spouse?
As you are under the authority of your boss?
If the works of the devil/sin, the one principle of hell, is the disposition of self-exaltation that pursues my own glory….my own will, then the one principle of heaven, that disposition which is from above that the world doesn’t know is “Thy will be done in pursuit of the benefit of others.”
That’s why John says, this is the message you have heard from the beginning that you love one another…
A true believer cannot stay the same because God’s purpose is to destroy the sins/the works of the devil in the believers’ life and that means you are
- Recognizing more and more “My will be done” is of the devil
- Repenting and manifesting more and more, “Thy will be done…and seeking the benefit of others in love.”
The Gospel must impact you that way…This is the essence of the gospel
Secondly, a true believer cannot stay the same…
2. Because God has Changed the Status and Nature of His people
How is it that you can tell a true biological child of a parent?
I suppose you can do a DNA test but most of the time there is something a bit more obvious.
How do you tell?
- The child looks like the parent!
- The child has the same demeanor as the parent!
For our biblical counseling conference last year, I did a lecture on developing a repentance plan.
For that lecture I was doing a case study and I called the man in the case study, John.
John was actually me!
At the end of the case study, I made the point that this repentance plan was actually something that was daily helpful to me because John was me.
Well fast forward, I have our seminary students watch the video for their counseling class.
My son, Josh, watches the video.
As he watches, he is thinking, “man, I can relate to John.”
Man, that sounds like me.
I’m going to use that repentance plan because John sounds exactly like me.
At the end my son Josh, hears dad say, “John is me”
Then it all makes sense to Josh…
Why does Dad’s struggles resonate with son’s—because Dad and Son are from the same stock
It’s obvious!
Dad and Son look alike
Dad and Son act similarly
The older my wife and I get, the more we see and have compassion on our children for what we gave them as part of our DNA. 😊
Why is it impossible for believers not to stay the same as their previous father the devil?
Because now…they are
Children of God (v. 1, 2, 10)
1See 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.2 Beloved, now we are children of God,…10 By this the children of God and the children of the devil are obvious: anyone who does not practice righteousness is not of God, nor the one who does not love his brother.
Its not that we simply have a title of “children of God.”
Its more than that—you actually ARE a child of God
John can not get over this reality….!!
How did we not just inherit a title but become a child of God?
Because you were
Born of God (v.9)
This was the entire point of John 3…a new birth that imparts a new nature to the individual
That which was born of flesh was flesh…but now that which is born of Spirit is Spirit
God is Spirit and you born of God means you are indeed His child not just in title only!
Thus, that spiritual birth plants…
God’s Seed in His children (v. 9)
I John 3:9 No one who is born of God practices sin, because His seed abides in him; and he cannot sin, because he is born of God
Do you see, a true believer cannot stay the same…..!?
A seed is just that a seed.
It takes time to see what a seed will grow into.
But when you received the Gospel…if you did, God’s seed of divine glory has been planted in you.
And though growth of that seed may occur in fits and starts…nevertheless growth occurs as a child grows into the image of his parent over time.
A true believer cannot stay the same…because of God’s goal to destroy the works of the devil in His people…and because of God has changed the status and nature of the believer.
Finally, a true believer can not stay the same.
3. Because God Causes His People to See His Son’s Love
Right here is the ultimate transforming agent—God’s Love
It is what the apostle John can not contain His excitement regarding.
John has told us about the theological reality of being his children
John has told us about the theological reality of having the divine seed that regenerates us
But he did not break out into a mini-praise session regarding all that like he did regarding God’s Love
He starts this chapter with “Behold Look!”
He exclaims “from what country” is this kind of love…the earth has no match for this kind of love….
He uses the term “bestow” as if God gives a gift that forever changes the status and nature of someone.
As a groom chooses a lowly destitute widow to marry and forever changes her destiny (like the story of Boaz and Ruth).
Fix your gaze right here, and see how great of love this is…. from which all of the other theologically realties flow.
Behold what manner of love the Father has given to us…
A. Beholding Christ by faith in His first coming—His Love from Heaven for His people
John the aged apostle now at the writing of this book has not gotten over, nor should he have, what he observed the night of the upper room discourse where he loved his disciples to the end and ultimately the hour of Christ’s being lit up or glorified on the cross that MAGNIFIED GOD’s LOVE..
- This was not a fictional Lion giving his life for a character in a book
- This was not a beautiful princess loving the beast and transforming the beast.
This was the reality from which all the fairy tales got their inspiration narrative!
This was the Real Creator God from Heaven having a divine love from heaven give his life for the benefit of beast like creatures—Son of Thunder, John, you and me…..
John the eyewitness apostle, had seen Jesus with his own eyes…and he wrote His Gospel so that we could see Jesus by faith and have the same impact upon believing.
Our Theme verse this year has been but these have been written so that you may believe that Jesus is the Christ, the Son of God; and that believing you may have life in His name.
But John anticipates more…
B. Beholding Christ by sight in the second coming
1 John 3:2 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.
The arc of the believer’s transformation that began when we saw Jesus by faith at the initial reception of the Gospel will not complete until we see Jesus face to face.
What will happen then?
Friends, I do think this glorious event is beyond our imagination but let’s try to imagine for a moment.
We have seen by faith in the Gospel of John
- Jesus heal the sick,
- Jesus raise the dead
- Jesus miraculously feed the 5000
- Jesus calm the storms
- Jesus die on the cross and be raised again for you and me
- We have gained a glimpse of veiled power and glory
But what we have not seen is
- His full glory as the God who dwells in unapproachable light
- Whose brilliant presence is itself the fullness of joy
- Whose majesty is beyond any’s comprehension
- Whose power spins galaxies in His hands
- Whose incomparability is so vast that the only word we have to describe Him is “HOLY”
And at the moment of you standing before Christ, this the only Holy majestic One arrayed in HIS MAJESTIC GLORY at the same time is the gentle and lowly one with the scars in his hands says…says, I have loved you from the foundation of the world and all that I am I have made available to you in my presence is yours….you will behold Him and wonder HOW COULD THIS INFINITE BEING LOVE ME
And at the recognition of the full LOVE OF GOD THE SEED OF God’s GLORY IN YOU WILL SPOUT TO MATURITY TO
so in that instant you will know and only every again want to delight in Christ and no longer will you every desire or struggle with “my will be done.”
What is it that will have transformed you to what you will be…seeing the infinite one who love you.
Christ, bringing His people into His unveiled majestic presence where they could have never gone before will bring the believer to a full understanding of the magnitude of His love and thus to full maturity.
So, everyone who has this hope fixed on Him purifies himself, just as He is pure.
The arc of your transformation ends with you seeing Jesus by sight…
Friends that has implications now to your transformation…
How are you seeing and cultivating seeing Jesus by faith so that you are participating in destroying the works of the devil now in you
So you are participating in cultivating God’s seed in you?
In the Voyage of the Dawn Treader King Edmund who had been saved and transformed by Aslan’s love has been on an adventure with another beastly boy….Eustace who also had to be transformed by Aslan.
After Eustace’s transformation from a dragon to a boy again,
Edmund surmises…
“I think you've seen Aslan," said Edmund.
"Aslan!" said Eustace. "I've heard that name mentioned several times since we joined the Dawn Treader. And I felt - I don't know what - I hated it. But I was hating everything then. And by the way, I'd like to apologize. I'm afraid I've been pretty beastly."
"That's all right," said Edmund. "Between ourselves, you haven't been as bad as I was on my first trip to Narnia. You were only an ass, but I was a traitor."
Eustace says, "But who is Aslan? Do you know him?"
"Well - he knows me," said Edmund. "He is the great Lion, the son of the Emperor-beyond-the-Sea, who saved me and saved Narnia. We've all seen him. Lucy sees him most often. And it may be Aslan's country we are sailing to.”
The Gospel will not leave as we were
Because of God’s Goal for His People
Because of God’s changing of the status and nature of His people
And Because of God’s causing us to look upon Jesus.
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