WEBVTT 00:00:06.669 --> 00:00:10.449 So, today's message is the kind of love that 00:00:10.449 --> 00:00:14.160 only God can give. We will read three verses. 00:00:14.279 --> 00:00:23.660 I was going to do more, but honestly, to do justice 00:00:23.660 --> 00:00:27.859 and rightness to the Word of God, these three 00:00:27.859 --> 00:00:32.439 verses. should impact us in a very deep way. 00:00:32.840 --> 00:00:35.140 And so we're going to focus on these three verses, 00:00:35.200 --> 00:00:38.520 and then we'll pick up in verse 4 through 10 00:00:38.520 --> 00:00:40.920 next week, and then we'll deal with verses 11 00:00:40.920 --> 00:00:45.600 through the end of the chapter the week after 00:00:45.600 --> 00:00:47.299 that. So we're going to take a little bit longer 00:00:47.299 --> 00:00:50.439 in chapter 3, only because of this one verse. 00:00:50.479 --> 00:00:56.210 So let us read chapter 3, verse 1, 1 John. It 00:00:56.210 --> 00:01:02.969 says, that we should be called children of God. 00:01:03.009 --> 00:01:06.349 And so we are. The reason why the world does 00:01:06.349 --> 00:01:11.829 not know us is that it did not know him. Beloved, 00:01:11.829 --> 00:01:14.989 we are God's children now. And what we will be 00:01:14.989 --> 00:01:20.049 has not yet appeared. But we know that when he 00:01:20.049 --> 00:01:23.390 appears, we shall be like him because we shall 00:01:23.390 --> 00:01:27.450 see him as he is. And everyone who thus hopes. 00:01:27.959 --> 00:01:31.840 In him purifies himself as he is pure. May the 00:01:31.840 --> 00:01:35.010 Lord bless the reading of his word. So this is 00:01:35.010 --> 00:01:37.390 going to be a topic I think we have a tendency 00:01:37.390 --> 00:01:40.250 to look at. But we really, we read this verse 00:01:40.250 --> 00:01:41.909 and it's like one of those verses you want to 00:01:41.909 --> 00:01:45.609 put on your computer as a wallpaper. Or on your 00:01:45.609 --> 00:01:50.390 phone as part of your screen. Because it's one 00:01:50.390 --> 00:01:55.769 of those Bible verses everybody loves. But do 00:01:55.769 --> 00:02:00.849 they understand why? Why is... Verse 1, so important. 00:02:01.510 --> 00:02:03.590 And so we're going to be talking about that now. 00:02:04.310 --> 00:02:07.030 Because I want us to walk away understanding 00:02:07.030 --> 00:02:11.449 how the love of God should move us to live rightly. 00:02:13.439 --> 00:02:15.580 So in order to do that, we need to understand 00:02:15.580 --> 00:02:17.780 the manner, the means, the matter, and the method 00:02:17.780 --> 00:02:22.250 of God's love, which is his son. Because of his 00:02:22.250 --> 00:02:24.909 work of salvation, those who believe are given 00:02:24.909 --> 00:02:29.259 the right to be called children of God. Because 00:02:29.259 --> 00:02:32.259 of Christ, you've been given the right through 00:02:32.259 --> 00:02:37.729 adoption to be called children. It's a right 00:02:37.729 --> 00:02:40.129 given to you. It's not something you can earn. 00:02:40.270 --> 00:02:43.189 It's not something that you have because you're 00:02:43.189 --> 00:02:46.250 in the right line of the right bloodline. It 00:02:46.250 --> 00:02:50.819 is specifically given by God to his people. I 00:02:50.819 --> 00:02:53.849 want you to think about that. In John chapter 00:02:53.849 --> 00:02:56.289 1, verse 12 through 13, this is what he says. 00:02:57.659 --> 00:03:00.580 did receive him who believed in his name. He 00:03:00.580 --> 00:03:04.340 gave the right to become children of God who 00:03:04.340 --> 00:03:06.639 were born not of blood nor of the will of the 00:03:06.639 --> 00:03:12.539 flesh nor of the will of man but of God. I want 00:03:12.539 --> 00:03:17.139 us to grasp that. This is something that no man 00:03:17.139 --> 00:03:21.139 can give. It is God alone and he has bestowed 00:03:21.139 --> 00:03:27.370 upon you the right as his child. So in 1 John 00:03:27.370 --> 00:03:31.849 3, 1, we see this bestowment of the reality of 00:03:31.849 --> 00:03:35.270 us being children of God and his love for us. 00:03:35.310 --> 00:03:40.289 See what kind of love the Father has given, what 00:03:40.289 --> 00:03:44.770 means of love, what manner in some translations. 00:03:46.930 --> 00:03:51.020 But the means of his love is, this word means, 00:03:51.099 --> 00:03:53.259 as we're going to learn in a minute, means something 00:03:53.259 --> 00:03:57.120 much more deeper than... Figuring out, is it 00:03:57.120 --> 00:04:04.199 gentle and is it kind and is it humble? It's 00:04:04.199 --> 00:04:09.419 more than that. So much more than that. See what 00:04:09.419 --> 00:04:13.280 kind of love the means the Father has given the 00:04:13.280 --> 00:04:17.230 manner to us. So that we should be called children 00:04:17.230 --> 00:04:22.399 of God. The matter, the direct result of his 00:04:22.399 --> 00:04:26.509 means and his manner of his love. And so we are. 00:04:27.069 --> 00:04:29.529 Now, I like that statement that John puts here. 00:04:30.089 --> 00:04:35.420 He emphasizes what you are now, not where you're 00:04:35.420 --> 00:04:37.910 going to be when you get to heaven. It's what 00:04:37.910 --> 00:04:44.649 you are now, a child of God, a son and daughter. 00:04:46.410 --> 00:04:48.889 The reason why the world does not know us, it 00:04:48.889 --> 00:04:54.589 did not know him. It's absolutely true. How can 00:04:54.589 --> 00:04:59.589 the world know us if it does not know him? Who 00:04:59.589 --> 00:05:01.170 is the creator of all things? They don't want 00:05:01.170 --> 00:05:03.449 to know him. They don't want to know about him. 00:05:04.110 --> 00:05:08.069 It doesn't matter if they have an inkling of 00:05:08.069 --> 00:05:11.860 that there must be a God. The question is, do 00:05:11.860 --> 00:05:17.540 you know him? Do you personally know him like 00:05:17.540 --> 00:05:22.089 we know him? No, you don't. And so if they don't 00:05:22.089 --> 00:05:26.459 know him, how are they going to know us? To us, 00:05:26.459 --> 00:05:30.199 we are aliens. We are strangers. We are strange. 00:05:30.399 --> 00:05:34.500 We are different. We are weird. What in the world 00:05:34.500 --> 00:05:39.639 would cause a government, a state government, 00:05:39.779 --> 00:05:45.639 to keep people from praying outside of a clinic? 00:05:47.699 --> 00:05:50.000 They're not burning any clinics like they just 00:05:50.000 --> 00:05:53.500 did in Stroudsburg. We're not a bunch of teenage 00:05:53.500 --> 00:05:56.839 mobs burning and destroying things. You know 00:05:56.839 --> 00:06:00.620 why? Because they don't know us. That is a hatred 00:06:00.620 --> 00:06:05.910 toward God. They don't know us because they don't 00:06:05.910 --> 00:06:12.660 know him. So what kind of love? It's not a question 00:06:12.660 --> 00:06:15.600 used to make us think of what God's love is like. 00:06:16.740 --> 00:06:20.540 It's actually a question that is telling us the 00:06:20.540 --> 00:06:25.319 quality of God's love. What is the quality of 00:06:25.319 --> 00:06:30.610 God's love? Think about that. So when we read 00:06:30.610 --> 00:06:34.170 what kind of love the Father has given, to us. 00:06:34.189 --> 00:06:36.810 It's the quality of love the father has given 00:06:36.810 --> 00:06:41.329 to us. Have you thought about that? Like the 00:06:41.329 --> 00:06:46.350 quality, like it's the purest of love. If you 00:06:46.350 --> 00:06:50.009 were to take a diamond and the purest of diamonds, 00:06:50.310 --> 00:06:55.189 like with almost zero speck of coal or black 00:06:55.189 --> 00:07:00.550 inside of the diamond, that kind of purity, it's 00:07:00.550 --> 00:07:06.990 like no mistakes. So what's the quality of God's 00:07:06.990 --> 00:07:09.029 love? The manner, the means, the matter, and 00:07:09.029 --> 00:07:11.709 the method of his love, which is Christ, the 00:07:11.709 --> 00:07:14.529 complete and perfect expression of the Father's 00:07:14.529 --> 00:07:20.100 love. He is the quality of his love. And we're 00:07:20.100 --> 00:07:25.079 going to learn today what the manner, the means, 00:07:25.160 --> 00:07:29.189 the matter, and the method are. In Hebrews 1 00:07:29.189 --> 00:07:32.610 .3, he says it this way. How do we know the perfect 00:07:32.610 --> 00:07:36.649 quality of God's love? Expressed in his son, 00:07:36.790 --> 00:07:39.490 he is the radiance of the glory of God in the 00:07:39.490 --> 00:07:46.379 exact imprint of his nature. He is love. And 00:07:46.379 --> 00:07:48.740 he upholds the universe by the words of his power. 00:07:50.279 --> 00:07:54.100 Oh, what kind of love the Father has given to 00:07:54.100 --> 00:07:57.790 us. The manner of God's love. The manner, the 00:07:57.790 --> 00:08:00.970 way, the style, or the method in which something 00:08:00.970 --> 00:08:09.170 is done or happens. Think about that. How do 00:08:09.170 --> 00:08:12.889 we know the manner of God's love? But God showed 00:08:12.889 --> 00:08:15.110 his love for us in that while we were still sinners, 00:08:15.149 --> 00:08:21.069 Christ died for us. That's the manner. He has 00:08:21.069 --> 00:08:29.259 openly shown his love by killing his son. And 00:08:29.259 --> 00:08:31.399 not only that, the scripture says that Jesus 00:08:31.399 --> 00:08:35.279 says, no one takes my life from me, but I lay 00:08:35.279 --> 00:08:41.269 it down of my own will. Why? If the father offers 00:08:41.269 --> 00:08:44.250 the son, the son is the exact imprint of the 00:08:44.250 --> 00:08:48.830 father. He willingly dies because he knows the 00:08:48.830 --> 00:08:55.340 quality of his love. What a beautiful thing. 00:08:55.720 --> 00:08:59.320 The means of God's love. The means, a method 00:08:59.320 --> 00:09:02.080 or instrument or process used to achieve a goal. 00:09:02.259 --> 00:09:05.789 We know what the goal was. To save a people for 00:09:05.789 --> 00:09:11.340 his own. John 3, 16. For God so loved the world 00:09:11.340 --> 00:09:14.659 that he gave. There's the method. One and only 00:09:14.659 --> 00:09:17.340 son. There's the instrument. And that whoever 00:09:17.340 --> 00:09:20.559 believes. There's the process. In him shall not 00:09:20.559 --> 00:09:22.840 perish but have eternal life. That is the end 00:09:22.840 --> 00:09:29.840 result. And then we have the matter of God's 00:09:29.840 --> 00:09:33.879 love. Matter. A situation or subject. A level 00:09:33.879 --> 00:09:38.139 of importance. It's an interesting word. It's 00:09:38.139 --> 00:09:39.779 an idiom. And I'll show you that in a minute. 00:09:39.919 --> 00:09:44.279 But for example. In Romans 5 .19. For as by one 00:09:44.279 --> 00:09:48.370 man's disobedience. The many were made sinners, 00:09:48.490 --> 00:09:52.429 so by one man's obedience, the many will be made 00:09:52.429 --> 00:09:56.950 righteous. So what is the situation? A subject, 00:09:57.129 --> 00:10:02.039 a problem, or an event of concern. What is the 00:10:02.039 --> 00:10:05.360 event of concern? One man's disobedience. That's 00:10:05.360 --> 00:10:12.320 the problem. What's the subject? Here's the idiom. 00:10:13.210 --> 00:10:16.970 It's not what is matter. We know what matter 00:10:16.970 --> 00:10:20.690 is. Anything you see, this is what is the matter. 00:10:22.320 --> 00:10:28.080 What's the problem here? Because of one man's 00:10:28.080 --> 00:10:33.580 disobedience, what happened? All were made sinners. 00:10:36.090 --> 00:10:41.049 And what's the importance of this massive global 00:10:41.049 --> 00:10:48.940 event to be of significance or value? One man's 00:10:48.940 --> 00:10:57.529 obedience made many righteous. One man's obedience 00:10:57.529 --> 00:11:00.230 to many will be made righteous. What's that? 00:11:00.370 --> 00:11:03.320 Salvation. So we know what the importance is. 00:11:03.379 --> 00:11:06.259 The reality of Christ's sacrifice, his obedience 00:11:06.259 --> 00:11:10.710 was that we are now his children. What's the 00:11:10.710 --> 00:11:14.659 method of God's love? What is the planned, logical, 00:11:14.720 --> 00:11:17.740 and systematic way of doing God's love? How did 00:11:17.740 --> 00:11:23.679 he do it? In 1 Corinthians 3, 4, 15, 3 through 00:11:23.679 --> 00:11:26.700 4. 1 Corinthians 15, 3 through 4. For I have 00:11:26.700 --> 00:11:29.840 delivered to you as of first importance. Do you 00:11:29.840 --> 00:11:34.559 hear that? Listen, out of all that God has ever 00:11:34.559 --> 00:11:41.009 given to us, next to Christ, which the first 00:11:41.009 --> 00:11:42.950 importance is Jesus, because that's what he says 00:11:42.950 --> 00:11:46.090 here, I've delivered to you as of first importance, 00:11:46.129 --> 00:11:49.070 the most important thing that any preacher in 00:11:49.070 --> 00:11:53.409 a pulpit, any teacher of the scripture, any evangelist 00:11:53.409 --> 00:11:57.409 could give, the very thing that the apostles 00:11:57.409 --> 00:12:01.500 have laid before our feet and the prophets have 00:12:01.500 --> 00:12:10.149 spoken of of old, is the gospel. The first importance, 00:12:10.450 --> 00:12:13.370 what I also received, that Christ died for our 00:12:13.370 --> 00:12:15.370 sins in accordance with the scripture, and he 00:12:15.370 --> 00:12:17.830 was buried, and he was raised on the third day 00:12:17.830 --> 00:12:19.529 in accordance with the scriptures. There is your 00:12:19.529 --> 00:12:26.120 answer. That is the importance. See, God must 00:12:26.120 --> 00:12:29.440 come in the flesh, which he promised before the 00:12:29.440 --> 00:12:32.539 foundation of the world. How do we know that 00:12:32.539 --> 00:12:36.059 this grand plan of God was before anything was 00:12:36.059 --> 00:12:39.059 created? Because he tells us that. That Christ 00:12:39.059 --> 00:12:42.700 was crucified before the foundation of the world. 00:12:43.419 --> 00:12:46.639 For who? For his people. How do we know that? 00:12:46.779 --> 00:12:49.860 Because your name is written in the Lamb's book 00:12:49.860 --> 00:12:52.500 of life before the foundation of the world. You 00:12:52.500 --> 00:12:56.500 may not like election. Election is not the issue 00:12:56.500 --> 00:12:59.820 here. It's your rejection of the truth of God's 00:12:59.820 --> 00:13:03.639 word. He has picked you, chosen you, provided 00:13:03.639 --> 00:13:06.460 for you salvation. And when you go, I don't want 00:13:06.460 --> 00:13:09.690 it if it's not my own choice. You're avoiding 00:13:09.690 --> 00:13:11.970 hell because God is graceful and loving and kind. 00:13:15.000 --> 00:13:19.230 But what do we know? That this grand plan was 00:13:19.230 --> 00:13:21.409 before the foundation of the world. He made a 00:13:21.409 --> 00:13:23.090 promise. And we know he made a promise because 00:13:23.090 --> 00:13:27.870 when Eve was deceived and Adam disobeyed, what 00:13:27.870 --> 00:13:30.450 did he say to the serpent? I will put an enmity 00:13:30.450 --> 00:13:32.769 between you and the woman, between your seeds 00:13:32.769 --> 00:13:35.429 and her seed. He will crush you, but you will 00:13:35.429 --> 00:13:42.779 bruise him. God had made a way before the way 00:13:42.779 --> 00:13:51.779 was needed. He is the way maker. What else do 00:13:51.779 --> 00:13:54.159 we know about this promised one before the foundation 00:13:54.159 --> 00:13:56.620 of the world? He lived a perfect life which we 00:13:56.620 --> 00:14:00.659 cannot live. Willing to pay the penalty of death 00:14:00.659 --> 00:14:05.149 due to our sin which we could not pay. Received 00:14:05.149 --> 00:14:07.710 upon himself the wrath of God as the object of 00:14:07.710 --> 00:14:14.330 God's wrath on our behalf. Was buried and resurrected 00:14:14.330 --> 00:14:17.090 from the dead on the third day fulfilling what 00:14:17.090 --> 00:14:26.440 he promised. Displaying his By doing this, displaying 00:14:26.440 --> 00:14:29.159 he has authority and victory over sin, death, 00:14:29.179 --> 00:14:32.120 and the grave, that all who are in Christ will 00:14:32.120 --> 00:14:35.840 live in newness of life and live eternally with 00:14:35.840 --> 00:14:39.809 him by the resurrection from the dead. That's 00:14:39.809 --> 00:14:44.289 a perfect plan. It's interesting how perfect 00:14:44.289 --> 00:14:47.610 it was. Not only did he ensure that the plan 00:14:47.610 --> 00:14:51.580 would be successful, he then fulfills the plan 00:14:51.580 --> 00:14:56.240 and does something for us. Ephesians chapter 00:14:56.240 --> 00:15:02.779 1. You can turn there. Turn to Ephesians chapter 00:15:02.779 --> 00:15:07.159 1 if you would. What's interesting about this 00:15:07.159 --> 00:15:14.460 amazing manner means matter and method of God's 00:15:14.460 --> 00:15:21.279 love is it is expressed succinctly in Ephesians 00:15:21.279 --> 00:15:28.799 chapter 1. The Father set the plan. Go to verse 00:15:28.799 --> 00:15:35.639 9 first. I know I put 11. 11 was the end of what 00:15:35.639 --> 00:15:37.179 I was trying to say. It was supposed to be 9 00:15:37.179 --> 00:15:40.779 through 11. Look what it says. Making known to 00:15:40.779 --> 00:15:44.019 us the mystery of his will according to his purpose 00:15:44.019 --> 00:15:48.620 which he set forth in Christ as a plan for the 00:15:48.620 --> 00:15:51.740 fullness of time to unite all things in him. 00:15:52.679 --> 00:15:54.639 Things in heaven and things on earth. There's 00:15:54.639 --> 00:16:00.379 the authority. In him we have obtained an inheritance 00:16:00.379 --> 00:16:04.330 having been predestined according to the purpose 00:16:04.330 --> 00:16:06.970 of him who works all things according to the 00:16:06.970 --> 00:16:12.970 counsel of his will. Very important. So we know 00:16:12.970 --> 00:16:15.950 that God the Father has set the plan. We also 00:16:15.950 --> 00:16:17.850 know that God the Son has fulfilled the plan, 00:16:18.070 --> 00:16:22.169 Ephesians 1, 7 through 10. In him we have redemption 00:16:22.169 --> 00:16:24.669 through his blood, the forgiveness of our trespasses. 00:16:25.480 --> 00:16:28.039 according to the riches of his grace, which he 00:16:28.039 --> 00:16:30.960 lavished upon us in all wisdom and insight, making 00:16:30.960 --> 00:16:33.840 known to us the mysteries of his will, according 00:16:33.840 --> 00:16:35.960 to his purpose, which he had set forth in Christ 00:16:35.960 --> 00:16:40.580 as a plan. So we know because Jesus fulfilled 00:16:40.580 --> 00:16:45.740 the plan, which he set forth in Christ. Verse 00:16:45.740 --> 00:16:51.740 13a. In him you also, when you heard the word 00:16:51.740 --> 00:16:56.120 of truth, the gospel of your salvation, and believed 00:16:56.120 --> 00:17:04.190 in him. It's interesting, isn't it? So we see 00:17:04.190 --> 00:17:07.430 that the Son has fulfilled the plan. And now 00:17:07.430 --> 00:17:10.630 we see the God, the Spirit seals the plan. The 00:17:10.630 --> 00:17:16.660 rest of verse 13, look what it says. You, those 00:17:16.720 --> 00:17:19.259 who believed in him, were sealed with the promised 00:17:19.259 --> 00:17:21.819 Holy Spirit, who is the guarantee of our inheritance 00:17:21.819 --> 00:17:24.400 until we acquire possession of it to the praise 00:17:24.400 --> 00:17:27.930 of his glory. God the Father set the plan. God 00:17:27.930 --> 00:17:30.349 the Son fulfilled the plan. God the Holy Spirit 00:17:30.349 --> 00:17:33.759 seals and guarantees the plan. Why is this important? 00:17:34.019 --> 00:17:36.440 Because without the triune God, salvation is 00:17:36.440 --> 00:17:44.140 an impossibility. All these things must be in 00:17:44.140 --> 00:17:51.599 place. And the capstone, the complete work hinged 00:17:51.599 --> 00:17:57.390 on Christ and Christ alone. See, if God the Father 00:17:57.390 --> 00:17:59.450 set a plan and God the Son didn't come to fulfill 00:17:59.450 --> 00:18:02.049 it, then there is no guarantee or any seal of 00:18:02.049 --> 00:18:09.799 the plan. Without Jesus, there is no plan. But 00:18:09.799 --> 00:18:14.599 because Jesus fulfilled it and is the plan, God 00:18:14.759 --> 00:18:18.359 the Father set it beforehand to accomplish it 00:18:18.359 --> 00:18:24.539 for us now. So as a result of becoming children 00:18:24.539 --> 00:18:28.880 of God, we shall be like him. If we hope in him, 00:18:29.039 --> 00:18:32.400 we do not practice sin, but purify ourselves 00:18:32.400 --> 00:18:36.099 as Christ is pure. How should you live knowing? 00:18:37.849 --> 00:18:41.609 The manner, the means, the matter, and the method 00:18:41.609 --> 00:18:45.029 of God's love for you. And this is the perfect 00:18:45.029 --> 00:18:50.900 plan of God. How should you live now? Leviticus 00:18:50.900 --> 00:18:55.890 20, 26. He says in the Old Testament of his people. 00:18:56.410 --> 00:18:58.950 Forget about the W before four. I forgot to delete 00:18:58.950 --> 00:19:05.750 that. It's not woofer. You shall be holy to me. 00:19:06.190 --> 00:19:10.069 For I, the Lord, am holy and have separated you 00:19:10.069 --> 00:19:14.859 from the peoples that you. should be mine. Even 00:19:14.859 --> 00:19:18.309 though he's talking to Israel here, it is the 00:19:18.309 --> 00:19:22.559 same for those who are in the church. God has 00:19:22.559 --> 00:19:25.779 set you apart for himself that you will be his. 00:19:25.960 --> 00:19:30.470 That's why you're children of God. In 1 Thessalonians 00:19:30.470 --> 00:19:33.690 4, 7, for God has not called us for impurity, 00:19:33.789 --> 00:19:38.890 but in holiness. And if he has set us aside for 00:19:38.890 --> 00:19:42.829 himself because he's holy, we too should be holy 00:19:42.829 --> 00:19:47.509 in all we do. Look what it says in 1 John 3, 00:19:47.549 --> 00:19:53.549 2 -3. Beloved, we are. Again, you know what he 00:19:53.549 --> 00:19:58.200 says in the first part of that, in John 3, 1. 00:19:59.230 --> 00:20:04.910 Which you are. Do you see? Again, John reminds 00:20:04.910 --> 00:20:09.450 us. And so we are. And he says it again in verse 00:20:09.450 --> 00:20:14.180 2. Beloved, we are God's children now. We're 00:20:14.180 --> 00:20:15.779 not going to be God's children when we get to 00:20:15.779 --> 00:20:18.240 heaven. You're a child of the living God now, 00:20:18.559 --> 00:20:25.460 not tomorrow. And what we will be has not yet 00:20:25.460 --> 00:20:29.059 appeared. What you're going to be like, what 00:20:30.589 --> 00:20:33.529 you live with today, the body you walk with today 00:20:33.529 --> 00:20:36.730 is not even in comparison to what you will be 00:20:36.730 --> 00:20:41.750 like when he appears. It is so gloriously beautiful 00:20:41.750 --> 00:20:45.450 and so vastly different that Mary didn't even 00:20:45.450 --> 00:20:48.579 recognize him when he was resurrected. She thought 00:20:48.579 --> 00:20:55.650 he was the gardener. Imagine with me for a minute. 00:20:56.069 --> 00:21:04.730 What will that be like? And what we will be has 00:21:04.730 --> 00:21:09.269 not yet appeared, meaning him. But we know that 00:21:09.269 --> 00:21:14.950 when he appears, when he appears, not if, he 00:21:14.950 --> 00:21:23.480 is coming. We shall be like him. Why? Because 00:21:23.480 --> 00:21:27.220 we shall see him as he is. When we see him, you'll 00:21:27.220 --> 00:21:30.799 know what you're going to be like. A glorified, 00:21:30.819 --> 00:21:44.180 resurrected body. And everyone who thus hopes 00:21:44.180 --> 00:21:48.920 in him purifies himself as he is pure. So why 00:21:48.920 --> 00:21:52.000 does John give us these three verses here? Because 00:21:52.000 --> 00:21:57.039 he's building a very important drive for the 00:21:57.039 --> 00:22:01.519 people. He is driving them to an attitude and 00:22:01.519 --> 00:22:05.400 a heart of abiding in him by living rightly. 00:22:06.000 --> 00:22:08.539 That if you abide in him, you will live holy. 00:22:09.680 --> 00:22:12.359 If you abide in him, you will reflect him in 00:22:12.359 --> 00:22:15.019 all you do. That's what he's trying to build 00:22:15.019 --> 00:22:16.900 here. And he's trying to get you to understand 00:22:16.900 --> 00:22:19.880 the quality of the love of God, which he's given 00:22:19.880 --> 00:22:23.599 to us, and the reality of our being like him 00:22:23.599 --> 00:22:27.259 when he comes, should drive us to live lives 00:22:27.259 --> 00:22:34.839 that reflect him in every way possible. Knowing 00:22:34.839 --> 00:22:38.880 you are a child of God now, how must you live 00:22:38.880 --> 00:22:44.930 now? What do others see and experience with you? 00:22:46.559 --> 00:22:48.819 How do people, when you're around them, how do 00:22:48.819 --> 00:22:51.380 they experience you? How do you act? What is 00:22:51.380 --> 00:22:55.750 your reflection of Christ to them? And most importantly, 00:22:55.950 --> 00:22:59.069 do you remind yourselves that Christ sees and 00:22:59.069 --> 00:23:02.750 knows everything about you? In other words, if 00:23:02.750 --> 00:23:04.849 I'm going to be around people and I'm reflecting 00:23:04.849 --> 00:23:08.450 Christ to people, what happens when I'm not? 00:23:09.799 --> 00:23:12.740 Or what happens if I don't do this at all and 00:23:13.410 --> 00:23:17.509 I still think that I'm a believer? I live a life 00:23:17.509 --> 00:23:20.109 in disobedience, but still think I'm a believer. 00:23:21.339 --> 00:23:23.960 I live a life of sin, still think I'm a believer. 00:23:26.240 --> 00:23:29.180 Remember, Christ sees everything and he knows 00:23:29.180 --> 00:23:32.559 everything. You can't hide a single thing. You 00:23:32.559 --> 00:23:34.319 can't even hide the intentions of your heart. 00:23:34.460 --> 00:23:37.750 He knows that too. And we know that because even 00:23:37.750 --> 00:23:40.190 when he was on the earth, he says he knew what 00:23:40.190 --> 00:23:43.509 was in their heart. The scripture says, what 00:23:44.819 --> 00:23:47.839 you know of and about God will determine how 00:23:47.839 --> 00:23:53.920 you live in public and private. What you know 00:23:53.920 --> 00:23:58.200 of and about God will determine how you live 00:23:58.200 --> 00:24:05.470 in public and in private. You want to change? 00:24:05.509 --> 00:24:09.119 Change here. Let the word of God do its work 00:24:09.119 --> 00:24:11.900 in your heart and mind. Do not be conformed to 00:24:11.900 --> 00:24:13.440 the pattern of this world, but be transformed 00:24:13.440 --> 00:24:16.140 by the renewing of your mind so you can test 00:24:16.140 --> 00:24:18.380 and approve what God's will is, his good, pleasing, 00:24:18.559 --> 00:24:25.869 and perfect will. Romans 12 .2. So what we do, 00:24:26.009 --> 00:24:30.029 what we know about God is going to be seen. in 00:24:30.029 --> 00:24:32.549 our public and private life. If we know very 00:24:32.549 --> 00:24:39.819 little, people will know. You can't hide. What 00:24:39.819 --> 00:24:43.119 is the importance? How do we maintain? How do 00:24:43.119 --> 00:24:48.759 we keep ourselves in the mindset or as some would 00:24:48.759 --> 00:24:52.930 say, on the narrow road? How do we set our minds 00:24:52.930 --> 00:24:57.109 and keep ourselves from being tossed and thrown 00:24:57.109 --> 00:25:00.650 by every wind of doctrine or by emotions and 00:25:00.650 --> 00:25:02.710 all the other things that go with our sinful 00:25:02.710 --> 00:25:05.890 nature? reminding yourself of the matter, the 00:25:05.890 --> 00:25:07.990 means, the matter, and the method of God's work, 00:25:08.170 --> 00:25:14.039 mighty work of salvation, and is a means to help 00:25:14.039 --> 00:25:18.490 you live in purity. The reminder, and that's 00:25:18.490 --> 00:25:21.759 exactly what John's doing here, don't forget 00:25:21.759 --> 00:25:25.480 in the quality of God's love for you, the means 00:25:25.480 --> 00:25:28.779 by which God has provided your salvation to you, 00:25:28.839 --> 00:25:34.700 the matter in which God has remedied the issue 00:25:34.700 --> 00:25:39.130 of your... rejection and your sin and the method 00:25:39.130 --> 00:25:46.299 by which God has given his son. As Jesus stated 00:25:46.299 --> 00:25:49.119 concerning the woman with the alabaster jar in 00:25:49.119 --> 00:25:54.529 Luke 7 47. This is he was invited to go to a 00:25:54.529 --> 00:25:56.329 Pharisee's house and he's sitting down and eating. 00:25:57.250 --> 00:26:00.670 This woman comes in with an alabaster jar and 00:26:01.529 --> 00:26:08.359 anoints him. And they're like why are you doing 00:26:08.359 --> 00:26:13.849 that? She's a sinner. And this is what he says 00:26:13.849 --> 00:26:17.420 to them. Therefore I tell you Her sins, which 00:26:17.420 --> 00:26:22.630 are many, are forgiven, for she loved much. But 00:26:22.630 --> 00:26:26.049 he who is forgiven little loves little. If you 00:26:26.049 --> 00:26:29.690 think you don't have issues, you can't love God 00:26:29.690 --> 00:26:36.190 fully. If you think I'm okay, the minute you're 00:26:36.190 --> 00:26:42.289 not okay. But look what he says to her after 00:26:42.289 --> 00:26:45.210 they say what they say, and he says what he has 00:26:45.210 --> 00:26:48.180 to say to them. And the reason why he says to 00:26:48.180 --> 00:26:50.079 them, those who are forgiven little love littles, 00:26:50.119 --> 00:26:51.839 because they don't think they have any issues. 00:26:52.220 --> 00:26:54.660 And there's a lot of people in Christian churches 00:26:54.660 --> 00:26:57.079 today think, I'm good. I grew up in the church. 00:26:57.119 --> 00:27:00.960 I'm okay. No, you're not. Well, none of us are. 00:27:03.519 --> 00:27:07.160 Look what he says to her. He tells her, your 00:27:08.279 --> 00:27:12.390 sins are forgiven. And you know what they said? 00:27:14.430 --> 00:27:22.029 Only God can forgive sins. How dare you? Then 00:27:22.029 --> 00:27:25.789 look what he says, what I say here. Are you living? 00:27:26.500 --> 00:27:30.700 as ones whose sins have been forgiven. Are you 00:27:30.700 --> 00:27:34.500 living your life for Christ knowing that you 00:27:34.500 --> 00:27:39.079 are forgiven? Knowing that all he has done for 00:27:39.079 --> 00:27:42.980 you through his gospel? Or are you living as 00:27:42.980 --> 00:27:46.480 if he doesn't matter and Sunday is just a day 00:27:46.480 --> 00:27:54.329 to do your religious duty? Being and living as 00:27:54.329 --> 00:27:57.890 a Christian, a child of God, is every day, not 00:27:57.890 --> 00:28:03.359 just a weekend duty. Are you doing it every day? 00:28:04.710 --> 00:28:07.190 We're not talking about perfectly. We're talking 00:28:07.190 --> 00:28:10.410 about consistently. Why? Because the quality 00:28:10.410 --> 00:28:14.549 of God's love is perfect. And he calls us to 00:28:14.549 --> 00:28:17.789 be perfect as he's perfect or pure as he's pure. 00:28:17.890 --> 00:28:20.309 That we should be walking and continually to 00:28:20.309 --> 00:28:22.910 renew our minds every day. That we would live 00:28:22.910 --> 00:28:25.509 rightly before him because we want to please 00:28:25.509 --> 00:28:28.390 our father. We want to serve our father and we 00:28:28.390 --> 00:28:30.390 want to give to him all that we have to give. 00:28:33.779 --> 00:28:36.950 Continually. remind yourself of the cost of Christ, 00:28:37.190 --> 00:28:41.660 that which he paid for you and the life he has 00:28:41.660 --> 00:28:46.750 given through his resurrection. That's what we're 00:28:46.750 --> 00:28:52.900 talking about here. That's the reality of the 00:28:52.900 --> 00:28:55.359 manner, the means, the matter, and the method 00:28:55.359 --> 00:28:59.240 of God's love. How should we live?