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2008-09-21 (am) 1 John 2:28-3:10 We’re God’s Children!
Each time I read this passage, I’m blown away by the words.
Does it have the same effect on you? Have you really considered the words that John writes here?
Listen again to chapter 3:1.
“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 love the Father lavished on us is so incredibly great!
So incredibly great, that through the death and resurrection of His Son, he counts us as his children.
We are called God’s children.
That is what we are.
That’s our identity.
Try that on the next person you meet.
The fellow comes up to you and says, “Hi, I’m so and so.”
You say, “Pleased to meet you, I’m so and so, child of God.
You can tell them that you’re God’s child!
That God, the creator of all things visible and invisible adopted you as his chid!
God is your father!
Do you remember when you were growing up, kids saying to one another, “Oh yeah?
My Dad’s bigger than your Dad!”
Last year, I overheard a couple of children saying essentially the same thing.
There’s this built in pride that kids have for their Dads.
Do we have the same pride for our heavenly Father?
We should, because I can tell you this, He is bigger than anyone else’s Dad!
Our God is our Father.
We’re His children.
We belong.
We’re not merely individuals, with our own faith, our own ways of doing things, we’re family.
You truly are my brothers and sisters in Christ.
It is totally amazing!
What a privilege we have to be known as God’s children.
Now, in our passage this morning, John talks about being able to recognize God’s children by how they act.
That is true, and we’re going to look at that in a little bit.
But first, we need to look at another passage in scripture.
There’s something that we all need reminding about.
First let me ask this, who here really feels up to the reality that we’re God’s children, and as such, we should act like His children.
Do you feel like your life is a fair representation of a child of God? Do you think your life honours your Father in heaven?
How does your life compare to your big brother, Jesus?
Yeah, that’s how I feel too.
So let’s listen to a story our big brother Jesus told.
Luke 15:11-24.
“There was a man who had two sons.
The younger one said to his father, ‘Father, give me my share of the estate.’
So he divided his property between them.
“Not long after that, the younger son got together all he had, set off for a distant country and there squandered his wealth in wild living.
After he had spent everything, there was a severe famine in that whole country, and he began to be in need.
So he went and hired himself out to a citizen of that country, who sent him to his fields to feed pigs.
He longed to fill his stomach with the pods that the pigs were eating, but no one gave him anything.
“When he came to his senses, he said, ‘How many of my father’s hired men have food to spare, and here I am starving to death!
I will set out and go back to my father and say to him: Father, I have sinned against heaven and against you.
I am no longer worthy to be called your son; make me like one of your hired men.’
So he got up and went to his father.
“But while he was still a long way off, his father saw him and was filled with compassion for him; he ran to his son, threw his arms around him and kissed him.
“The son said to him, ‘Father, I have sinned against heaven and against you.
I am no longer worthy to be called your son.’
“But the father said to his servants, ‘Quick!
Bring the best robe and put it on him.
Put a ring on his finger and sandals on his feet.
Bring the fattened calf and kill it.
Let’s have a feast and celebrate.
For this son of mine was dead and is alive again; he was lost and is found.’
So they began to celebrate.”
When we come to the realisation that our actions, our deeds, our thoughts, have been less than worthy of someone who is God’s child, we simply need to do what the prodigal son did.
We need to come to our senses and turn to God.
The son realised that it was a better life simply as God’s servant, than living apart from God.
The son didn’t listen to the voices of darkness, condemning him, telling him he was worthless, telling him that his father wouldn’t want him back.
The son trusted in his Father.
He knew his father was gracious.
And, what happened is the best part of the story.
The father was eagerly waiting for his son’s return.
When we sin, when we turn away from God for a time, God our Father eagerly waits for our return, he eagerly waits for our confession.
He runs up to us, gathers us in his arms, and forgives us, no matter how big a sin it is, no matter how insignificant a sin it is.
God is loving and gracious.
He so loves us in fact that he sent His Son to die for us.
That’s amazing love!
So you see, once you are God’s child, you will always remain God’s child.
Our hearts go out to our loved ones who might not come to church anymore.
Our hearts are troubled for those who have turned away from God, who by their actions are demonstrating more of a hatred for God than a love for God.
We mustn’t worry.
Jesus was giving us a true picture of the love God has lavished on us.
God is ever willing to receive anyone who confesses his or her sins to him.
He will always welcome the repentant.
So let us not despair for ourselves, or for others!
Let us pray for ourselves, through prayers of confession, but also let us pray for those who are living like the prodigal son before his conversion.
Let us pray for them, that God would open their hearts.
Let us speak words of encouragement to them.
Let us remind them of the gracious, amazing love that God is so willing to lavish upon them.
Now, I’d like to read another story Jesus told.
This is also about a Father who had two sons.
Listen to what Jesus has to say: “What do you think?
There was a man who had two sons.
He went to the first and said, ‘Son, go and work today in the vineyard.’
‘I will not,’ he answered, but later he changed his mind and went.
“Then the father went to the other son and said the same thing.
He answered, ‘I will, sir,’ but he did not go.
“Which of the two did what his father wanted?”
“The first,” they answered.
Jesus said to them, “I tell you the truth, the tax collectors and the prostitutes are entering the kingdom of God ahead of you.
For John came to you to show you the way of righteousness, and you did not believe him, but the tax collectors and the prostitutes did.
And even after you saw this, you did not repent and believe him” (Matt.
28:21-32).
Again, the story has some similarities.
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