Sermon Tone Analysis

*“Family Resemblance”*

*1 John 3.1-10*

 

How many times have we heard or told people say that a child has his mom’s eyes or dad’s nose?

Or as a parent, how have you noticed that your children have acquired your */personalities/* and */habits/* – good and bad?

We recognize that there are biological similarities within families.

People typically acquire height, hair color, freckles, baldness, intelligence, and susceptibility to some diseases or vision issues based on family genetics.

On the other hand, we also notice that there are learned behaviours that are largely attributed to proximity and association.

In these environments, people learn to deal with conflict in a positive way or negative way.

We can learn a biblical worldview or a secular one.

In these environments we learn to pull for good sports teams or for teams like the Maple Leafs.

Behavioural things such as these can be reconditioned.

So, all is not lost for Leafs’ fans.

Seriously, those who have learned racism, political bias, unhealthy responses in conflict or relationship issues, can change by learning and applying what we learn.

And behaviours change.

But how does the spiritual aspect factor into this?

The Bible speaks of human beings being made physical and immaterial, body and soul.

This is an interesting question because our spiritual condition will manifest itself a bit differently.

Our outward behaviour will demonstrate our family relationship.

John will argue this point in our current text.

Beyond that, our family relationship determines our ability or inability to change our behaviour.

Let’s have a look.

Please turn in your Bibles to 1 John 3.1-10.

We recall that John often speaks bluntly, clearly, and definitively in this letter.

He is out to counter the false teachers who have defected from among the believers and to ensure confidence in those who remain.

And to do so, he must speak boldly and with great clarity.

The false teachers that had left were trying to influence the believers.

At the outset of the letter, John had pointed out the inconsistency in what their lives reflected against what they were saying.

He will continue to point out this inconsistency in our text and also cause those who think they are Christian to do a reassessment of their condition before God.

Last week, John spoke of those who had the spirit of antichrist.

It was these who left that had shown themselves to not be genuine believers in Jesus.

It was those who truly believed in him that remained.

He exhorted them to cling to the gospel that they received in the beginning.

He then encouraged them by pointing out the work of the Holy Spirit in their lives.

John’s last thought from chapter 2 really serves as a transition into our text.

He reiterates their abiding in Christ and how it confirms their being a child of God.

As we enter chapter 3, John will elaborate on this family relationship.

Let’s read the text together.

*READ.*

Our first point is *Children of God.

*Quite similar to Paul’s writing, the previous thought must have prompted John to consider the almost inconceivable thought that believers in Jesus are children of God.

He says, “Look!” “Behold!” “What kind of love God the Father has!” “He has called us children of God.

And so we are.”

Have you stopped to ponder this?

That the Creator of the universe has made the believer in Jesus Christ his very child is an overwhelming thought!

However, it is only overwhelming when you understand the great chasm that exists between us and him.

We often make the mistake of elevating ourselves or bringing God closer to our level.

But when we consider that we are hopeless unless he intervenes, we have no choice but to be awestruck at the love that has called us his children.

John 1:12–13 “12 But to all who did receive him, who believed in his name, he gave the right to become children of God, 13 who were born, not of blood nor of the will of the flesh nor of the will of man, but of God.”

And the truth is we need to constantly be immersed in this because, when we are children of God, it puts us at odds with those who are not.

John continues his thought and says “the reason why the world does not know us is that it did not know him.”

John again uses the Greek word, kosmos, to communicate those who do not know us or him.

It is the word that is translated “world” here.

In this context, kosmos, refers to the unbelieving world – people who are opposed to God and believers, and who are under the power of the evil one.

He reiterates the point down in verse 13, when he tells his readers not to be surprised that the world hates them. 1 John 4:4–5 “4 Little children, you are from God and have overcome them, for he who is in you is greater than he who is in the world.

5 They are from the world; therefore they speak from the world, and the world listens to them.”

And in 1 John 5:19 “19 We know that we are from God, and the whole world lies in the power of the evil one.”

So John uses this concept quite frequently to distinguish between those who call on Jesus and those who are opposed to him.

Elsewhere, when the Bible speaks of Christians, it often uses language that indicates that our citizenship lies beyond this time and place.

In Hebrews 11, the author refers to them as strangers and exiles on the earth.

Peter writes his first letter to elect exiles and urges them as sojourners and exiles to abstain from the passions of the flesh.

From your experience you likely realize that this is true.

When the world that does not know Jesus looks at his followers, it is difficult to understand why Christians would live the way they do.

The world’s system tells us to look out for ourselves, promote ourselves, and to strive for stability and wealth.

Jesus calls us to die to ourselves, live selflessly and recklessly for him.

This is radical discipleship.

And this looks quite abnormal to the world.

Indeed this is often our best testimony and opportunity to speak of our Savior.

John continues in verse 2 to restate that presently his readers are God’s children.

And yet there is a future reality that will supersede our existence of the here and now.

John says that there is a time coming when we will more fully understand who we were created to be.

He refers to the time when Jesus will return and we will see him in person.

Remember Paul’s words in 1 Corinthians 15:49–53 “49 Just as we have borne the image of the man of dust, we shall also bear the image of the man of heaven.

50 I tell you this, brothers: flesh and blood cannot inherit the kingdom of God, nor does the perishable inherit the imperishable.

51 Behold!

I tell you a mystery.

We shall not all sleep, but we shall all be changed, 52 in a moment, in the twinkling of an eye, at the last trumpet.

For the trumpet will sound, and the dead will be raised imperishable, and we shall be changed.

53 For this perishable body must put on the imperishable, and this mortal body must put on immortality.”

It is the time when we will receive our glorified bodies.

It is interesting that John indicates that it will be in our seeing him that will allow us to be like him.

And yet this is consistent with the rest of the Bible.

Paul tells us in 1 Corinthians 13 that we see him dimly now, but then we will see him face to face.

He says in 2 Corinthians 3:18 “18 And we all, with unveiled face, beholding the glory of the Lord, are */being transformed into the same image/* from one degree of glory to another.

For this comes from the Lord who is the Spirit.”

Now trace this with me.

We often refer to a famous passage in Romans 8:28–30 that says “28 And we know that for those who love God all things work together for good, for those who are called according to his purpose.

29 For those whom he foreknew he also predestined */to be conformed to the image of his Son/*, in order that he might be the firstborn among many brothers.

30 And those whom he predestined he also called, and those whom he called he also justified, and those whom he justified he also glorified.”

So here is how this all works out.

We were created in the image of God.

And when Adam and Eve sinned in the Garden of Eden, they represented all of us and marred that image.

As we recently learned in our Doctrine class, we still maintain the image of God – albeit like a mirror that has been broken.

When Jesus returns, we will see and understand completely what it is that we were created for – what the image of God resembles when it is not distorted.

We will see the mirror without the cracks.

But this doesn’t mean that we resign ourselves to sitting around, waiting for Jesus at the end to set it right.

Look what he says in verse 3.

John says that those who hope in Jesus, purify themselves as Jesus is pure.

There is an active process that is our pursuit – those whose hope is in him.

John says that this pursuit involves purifying ourselves in the same way that Jesus is pure.

How do we do this?