1 John 2:28-3:3 Children of God Destined for Glory (Sermon 13)
We are about to begin a New Section in John's First Epistle.
· Some writers say that this New Section begins at ch2v28. Others say it begins at verse 29.
· The most logical division appears to be at the beginning of Verse 28, where John says:
"And now, dear children, continue in him."
John has just been addressing the threat of False Teachers, in 2:18-27
· He does this by giving the Third Test of Faith -The Three Part Doctrinal Test:
1) The Test about your Belief concerning Jesus Christ.
2) The Test about the Testimony of the Holy Spirit within you; &
3) The Test of whether or not you Believe the Apostle's Doctrine.
Having addressed the Third Part of this Doctrinal Test, John says:
"And NOW, Dear Children", meaning, "NOW, I am going to teach you something else."
· In v27, John exhorts these Believers to 'Remain in Christ',
despite the efforts of False Teachers, who are trying to Lead them Astray.
· In v28, John repeats the same phrase:
"And NOW, dear Children, 'Continue in him'; or 'Continue to Remain in Him."
· The AV brings this connection out more clearly by using the SAME root word:
'Abideth in Him' (in v27) & 'Abide in Him' (in v28).
John is saying:
"Remaining in Christ is the Antidote to False Belief & Non-Christian Conduct.
Now, I am going to show you WHY you are capable of Remaining in Christ.
It is BECAUSE you are the Children of God &, therefore, you are Destined for Glory.

The Key verses in this New Section, which goes on to the end of Chapter 3, are 2:29 & 3:2:
"If you know that he is righteous, you know that everyone who does what is right
has been Born of Him … Dear friends, now we are Children of God, & 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."
Once again, notice the words 'You Know & We Know.
John is continuing with his Central Theme of the Christian's Assurance of Salvation.
· John's Main Argument can be summarised like this:
"I have told you that you can possess Assurance because you have Fellowship with God.
I have given Three Tests of Faith - The Obedience; Relationship; & Doctrinal Tests.
NOW, I am going to teach you the Foundation of your Assurance::
'You are Born of God … You are Children of God.' You Belong to God's Family.

When you see a Newborn Baby; What is one of the first questions you ask yourself?
· What is he like? Or, Who does she remind you of?
· And the immediate response is this: 'Look at the nose! Look at the mouth! Look at the eyes.'
If it's a Boy, "Doesn't he look like his Dad?" OR, "Doesn't he look like his Uncle Michael?"
If it's a Girl, the answer comes: "She's the spitting image of our Mary."
OR, "She's exactly like Auntie Karen or Great-aunt Sally."
We say these things because there is an inevitable Family Likeness.
· In a Spiritual Sense this is equally true in God's family.
There is a Family Likeness between True Believers & the Lord Jesus Christ.
John says:
"You are Born of God, you are Children of God.
Therefore, when Christ appears - You will be Like Him."
· There is a Family Likeness, therefore, you are Destined to share in the Glory of Christ.

When someone comes to Faith in Christ - What happens?
· The Holy Spirit comes into the heart of the Sinner, & convicts of them of sin.
He causes them to be Born Again of the Spirit of God.
By the Grace of God that person Trusts in Christ Alone for Salvation.
That person becomes a New Creation in Christ & is Adopted into God's Family.
This is what the Apostle Paul declares in Romans 8:15-16:
"You received the Spirit of Sonship (or the Spirit of Adoption). And by him we cry, 'Abba, Father.' The Spirit himself testifies with our spirit that we are God's Children."
This is the Same Truth that the Lord Jesus declares in John 3:5-7:
"I tell you the truth, unless a man is born of water & the Spirit, he cannot enter
the Kingdom of God. Flesh gives birth to flesh & Spirit gives birth to spirit.
You should not be surprised at my saying, 'You MUST be Born Again'."
Yet again, this is the Same Message that the Apostle John Proclaims in his Prologue:
"To those who believed in his name, he gave the right to become Children of God -
children born not of natural descent, nor of human decision or a husband's will,
but Born of God" (John 1:10-13).
When the Spirit of God works within us we Become God's Children.
· Therefore, we can rightly call God: 'Our Father who is in Heaven.'
· Having been Born Again, we must PROVE that we are TRUE Children of God,
by Growing into the Family Likeness, into the Likeness of Christ.
· There is not doubt that we will stumble & fall in our efforts to Walk like Jesus Walked.
But, we have the Assurance that, when he comes again in his Glory -we WILL Be LIKE Him.

In this Passage (2:28-3:3) John Teaches us What it Means to be Part of God's Family.
· He does this by teaching us TWO FOUNDATIONAL TRUTHS.
· He also shows us that True Doctrinal Teaching DEMANDS a RESPONSE from the hearers.
The FIRST Foundational Truth is that God is Righteous (Only look at the First Truth today).
"If you Know that He is Righteous, you Know that everyone who
does what is Right has been Born of Him" (1 John 2:29).
· In verse 28 the Focus of Attention is on God the Son:
"Continue in 'Him', so that when 'He' appears we may be confident & unashamed."
· In verse 29, & the beginning of ch 3, the Focus of Attention turns to God the Father:
"He is Righteous (still referring to Christ); You are Born of Him (the Focus is now on God the Father). How great is the Love the Father has lavished on us."
· Whether we say that God the Father or God the Son is 'Righteous'
the meaning is the same; because 'Righteousness' is an Essential Attribute of the Godhead.

The Psalmist David says:
"For the Lord is Righteous, he loves Justice (or AV Righteousness);
upright men will see he face" (Psalm 11:7).
Another Psalmist (Ethan the Ezrahite) extols the Name of God, saying:
"Righteousness & Justice are the foundation of your throne" (Psalm 89:14).
Richard Strauss, in his book The Joy of Knowing God, says:
"Righteousness (or Justice) is the natural expression of God's Holiness. If he is Infinitely Pure, then he must be Opposed to All Sin, & that opposition to sin must be demonstrated in his treatment of his creatures. When we read that God is Righteous, we are being assured that his actions toward us are in perfect agreement with his Holy Nature."
· Scholars tell us that the most common Old Testament word for Righteous means 'Straight'.
· The New Testament word means 'Equal'.
In a Moral Sense, both of the words mean 'Right'.
In both Old & New Testaments, the words 'Righteousness' & 'Justice' are synonymous.
· Sometimes the Original Word is Translated as 'Righteousness' & at other times as 'Justice':
For example, compare Nehemiah 9:8 & 9:33:
"You have kept your promise because you are Righteous" (verse 8);
"In all that has happened to us, you have been Just;
you have acted faithfully, while we did wrong" (verse 33).
Compare the AV & NIV in Psalm 11:7:
AV "For the Righteous Lord loveth Righteousness."
NIV "For the Lord is Righteous, he loves Justice."
Whichever word the translators choose, it has essentially the same meaning:
· It has to do with the Actions of God. His Actions are always Right & Just.
· When we say that 'God is Just', we are saying that God Always does 'What is Right'.

God is 'Totally Righteous, Pure & Good'; He is Completely Without any Trace of Sin.
The Psalmist David says:
"The Lord is Righteous in All His Ways" (Ps 145:17).
· He is not a God who is full of some kind of Vague Benevolence & Love.
Rather, he is a God who possesses a Holy Righteousness.
He is a God who possesses a Righteousness which is perfectly consistent with his Holiness.
He is a God who is Devoted to the Good; But, also a God who Hates what is Evil & Wrong.

In our present context, John is saying to his readers:
"You must remember this Foundational Truth in the light of the Second Coming of Christ.
God is the Righteous Judge, who will deal Righteously & Justly with Believers, &,
indeed, with All Men & Women, on the Day of Judgement -
on the Day when Christ Returns & displays his Glory & Holiness."

The Lord God makes it perfectly clear that he cannot provide Eternal Salvation,
apart from his Righteousness & Justice. This is why the Apostle Paul says (Rom 3:23-25):
"We are Justified freely by (God's) Grace through the Redemption that came by Christ
Jesus. God presented him as the Sacrifice of Atonement (the Propitiation which averts
God's Wrath), through faith in his Blood - Then Paul asks: Why did God bring Salvation
in this manner? - … He did this to Demonstrate his Justice (or his Righteousness) at the
present time, so as to be Just & the One who Justifies the Man who has Faith in Jesus."

The FIRST Foundational Truth is that God is Righteous.
John says that True Christians should have TWO RESPONSES to this Truth.
The FIRST RESPONSE is found in verse 29:
"If you Know that He is Righteous, you Know that everyone who
does what is Right has been Born of Him" (1 John 2:29).
John is giving us a perfectly Logical Argument.
· Because God is Righteous; -
Those who Claim to be God's Children must PRACTICE Righteousness.
Notice John's repetition of the words 'You Know':
· "If YOU KNOW that He is Righteous,
YOU KNOW that everyone who does what is Right has been Born of Him"
· You cannot say that you have Fellowship with the Righteous God,
unless you are willing to Practice Righteousness every day of your Christian Life.
· If you CLAIM to Know the Truth that God is Righteous; Then you must also PROVE that you Know the consequence of that Truth, by seeking to Practice Righteousness in your Life
John is saying - Never forget the Implication of Claiming to be Children of God:
You are Claiming a Family Resemblance - 'Like Father, like son.'
· If you Claim to be Children of God you will have a Likeness to your Righteous Father.
· If you are Born Again of God's Spirit you will have an Habitual & Deep Desire
to Live Righteously. This is One of the Proofs that you are Born of God.

John is giving another aspect of the First Test of Faith, namely; the Obedience Test.
· He is saying that this is Part of the Grounds for your Assurance of Salvation.
Even though you may stumble & fall, you have this desire to habitually
Practice Righteousness in your everyday life.
"Everyone who Does What is Right has been Born of Him"
"The Man or Woman who is Born of God habitually DOES What is Right".

This is Part of the Apostle John's Definition of a Christian:
· A Christian is someone who Walks in the Light (1:7);
A Christian is someone who Obeys God's Commandments (2:3 & 5);
A Christian is someone who Loves his Brother (2:10);
A Christian is someone who Does the Will of God, & Believes Right Doctrine (2:17 & 27);
AND NOW - A Christian is someone who DOES What is RIGHT.
A Christian is someone who Obeys God's Commands by Practising Righteousness.

Righteousness is One of the Major Themes of Jesus' Sermon on the Mount.
· Christians can be persecuted because of righteousness (Mtt 5:10);
they must have a righteousness that exceeds the righteousness of the Pharisees (5:20);
they must do acts of righteousness, such as giving to the needy (6:1-2);
· Above all, they are to Seek First God's Kingdom & his Righteousness,
in the assurance that everything they need will be supplied (6:33)
In the Beatitudes, Jesus says (Mtt 5:6):
"Blessed are those who Hunger & Thirst for Righteousness, for they will be filled"
· When the Bible speaks about Hungering & Thirsting it means the Raging Pangs suffered by those who will STARVE if they Do Not Eat & those who will DIE if they Do Not Drink.

Jesus is depicting the Intensity of the Christian as he Longs for the Righteousness of God.
· You could Interpret this Beatitude as the Picture of someone who is so hungry that
he is desperate for even the smallest morsel of bread to satisfy his hunger;
& someone who is so thirsty that he will give his last penny for the tiniest sip of water.
However, John Blanchard points out that the Grammatical Construction of
the Greek has a much more Powerful Meaning:
· Jesus is NOT referring to raging pangs for a 'Measure or a Portion of Righteousness'
He is NOT referring to seeking after a 'Limited Experience of Righteousness';
· INSTEAD, Jesus is actually referring to Raging Pangs for 'TOTAL Righteousness'!
This is the Picture of a Man or Woman who will never be satisfied until they attain
'All the Righteousness it is possible to have.'

Righteousness means 'Conformity to the Norm.'
· In other words, Righteousness is the situation in which things are What they Ought to Be.
It means that we are Conforming to God's Way of Living.
Jesus is speaking about a Passionate Spiritual Desire to be Right with God & to be Rid of Sin.
· He is speaking about a Longing for a Right Relationship with God;
& a Deep Desire to be Righteous before God.
· He is speaking of a Passionate Desire to Live Rightly before God in this Sinful World.
· He is speaking of a Passionate Desire to Always Do what is Right & Just in Every Situation.
· He is speaking of a Passionate Desire to have Right Relationships Restored,
when we do wrong to others.
Indeed, this kind of Righteousness involves a Passionate Desire NOT to do wrong to others in the first place, BUT to Always Do what is Right in our Relationships with our Fellow Men.
· Jesus is speaking about the Passionate Cry of the man or woman who possesses a
Deep & Continuous Longing to Obey the Commands of the Living God.
· This Passionate Desire for Total Righteousness is a Sure Sign that you are a Child of God.

John Stott says that Biblical Righteousness has a Social Dimension:
"Social Righteousness is concerned with seeking man's liberation from oppression,
together with the promotion of civil rights, justice in the law courts, integrity in
business dealings & honour in home & family affairs. Thus Christians are committed to
hunger for righteousness in the Whole Human Community as something pleasing to a
Righteous God."

The Apostle Paul tells us that this is why the Lord God has given us the Scriptures:
"All Scripture is God-breathed & is useful for teaching, rebuking & training in
righteousness, so that the man of God may be thoroughly equipped for every good work"
(2 Timothy 3:16-17).
· The Word of God provides a Complete Guide to Christian Doctrine AND Christian Practice.
When it comes to Doctrine, it profitable for Teaching the Truth & Refuting False Doctrine.
When it comes to Practice, it is profitable for Restoring the Fallen
& Training for Righteous Living.
· You cannot Claim to use the Scriptures for Christian Doctrine of God's Righteousness;
Unless you have a Deep Desire to use it for Teaching you how to Practice Righteousness.
John Calvin says:
"Scripture contains the Perfect Rule of a Good & Happy Life."
Ask yourself the question -
· Do you possess this Passionate Desire for Practising Righteousness on a Daily Basis?
· Do you Study the Scriptures with a view to Training yourself in Righteousness?

The First Response of God's Children to God's Righteousness is to Practice Righteousness.
The Second Response is to be Grateful to the One who Loves us & Calls us His Children.
"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" (1 John 3:1).
· You can almost hear the sense of Wonder & Amazement in these words of
Gratefulness & Thanksgiving from the pen of the Apostle John.
By now, John is a very Old Man, who is About to Depart to be with the Lord forever.
· But he has never lost his Sense of Wonder when he meditates upon God's Grace,
which he has bestowed upon Undeserving Sinners.

Think about the Greatness of the Love which God has Lavished upon us:
"God demonstrates his own love for us in this: While we were still sinners,
Christ died for us … When we were God's Enemies, we were reconciled to him
through the blood of Christ" (Romans 5:8 & 10).
"Remember that you were separate from Christ, excluded from citizenship in Israel &
foreigners to the covenants of promise, without hope & without God in the world.
BUT NOW in Christ Jesus you who were once far away have been brought near
through the blood of Christ" (Ephesians 2:12-13).
Furthermore:
"God has blessed us in the heavenly realms with every spiritual blessing in Christ."
He has given us "The Riches of his Glorious Inheritance in the saints &
his incomparably great power for us who believe" (Ephesians 1:3 & 18-19).

Do you see why John speaks in terms of God 'Lavishing' His Love upon us?
· This word 'Lavished' captures the meaning of the Apostle John so well.
It brings out the Sense of Wonder & Amazement in John's Heart about the Love of God.
God has made a Deliberate & Conscious Effort to 'Lavish' his Love upon Wretched Sinners!
The AV brings out this Same Sense of Wonder & Amazement, by using the word 'Behold'.
"Behold, what manner of Love the Father hath bestowed upon us" (1 John 3:1).
We are to 'Gaze upon or Fix our Eyes upon' God's Love with a Sense of Awe & Wonder.
We are to Think about it Deeply, & Never Cease to be Amazed at the Wonder of it all.
· The phrase: "What Manner of Love" means 'What Sort of Love.'
The sense is that, compared to Human Love, it is an Altogether Different sort of Love.
It is Different in a Fundamental Sense.
Remember what the Jewish People said when Jesus 'Wept' over the Death of Lazarus:
"Behold how he loved him!" (John 11:36).
· Now John, who heard these words, says: "Behold, how he loves us!"
God Loved us so much he Sent his One & Only Son to Die for Us, Wretched Sinners.
Jesus Loved us so much he gave up the Glory of Heaven to Die the Death with a Curse.
"Greater Love has no one than this, that one lay down his life for his friends" (Jn 15:13).

We could go on listing the Many Blessings, which come to us through our Glorious Salvation.
But John wants us to emphasise the Wonder & Amazement of it all.
· Think of it! - The Righteous God stooped down to save the likes of us -
To save people whose Very Nature is a Stench in his Nostrils.
Then God Removes that Stench of Sin & calls us his Beloved Children.
· By rights a Holy God could have said that he would have nothing to do with Sinners.
BUT, God stooped down to save Noah, who was overcome by drunkenness;
To Abraham, who was so fearful, he twice passed his own wife off as his sister,
To David, who committed adultery with Bathsheba & murdered her husband, Uriah;
To Paul, who blasphemed the Saviour & who persecuted Christians;
To John Newton, who wallowed in sin & made a living out of the human misery o& degradation of the slave-trade.
God stooped down to save every sinner who cries out in faith & repentance for God's Grace.
· Indeed, God continues to stoop down again & again to Forgive Believers who confess their continual acts of sin, & who cry out:
"What a wretched man I am! Who will rescue me from this body of death" (Rom 7:24).
Yet again - the Apostle Paul is compelled to go on & give the Same Response as John:
"Thanks be to God - through Jesus Christ our Lord!" (Rom 7:25).

Having meditated upon the Wonder of God's Love, the Apostle John goes on to think of
the Wonder of the Believer's Adoption as sons & daughters of the Almighty God:
"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!
· John is Amazed at the fact that we are Called 'Children of God.'
But, then he adds, "And that is what we are!"
· Yet again, can you hear the Sense of Wonder, & Amazement, & Gratitude, & Thanksgiving, to the Almighty God who calls us his Children.

John Newton was so Amazed that God should Save such a Wretched Sinner like him,
he wrote one of the best loved hymns ever written:
"Amazing Grace! how sweet the sound, That saved a wretch like me!
I once was lost, but now am found; was blind but now I see.
Yes, when this flesh & heart shall fail, And mortal life shall cease,
I shall possess within the veil A life of joy & peace.
When I've been there ten thousand years, Bright shining as the sun,
I've no less days to sing God's praise Than when I first began."

John Newton once said:
"If I ever reach heaven, I expect to find Three Wonders there:
first, to MEET some I had thought would NOT be there;
second to MISS some I thought would DEFINITELY be there; &
third, the Greatest Wonder of all, to FIND MYSELF there."

We could go on to mention the Stories of Men & Women God has raised up to Serve Him:
· The Spirit of God raised up Martin Luther from a Miner's Home to Proclaim
the Doctrine of Justification by Faith Alone.
· He raised up John & Charles Wesley from an insignificant Country Rectory to Proclaim
the Good News of Salvation, & to shake the very foundations of the Church of England,
& to bring Hundreds of Thousands into the Kingdom of God.
· He raised up D L Moody from a humble Widows Cottage to bring Salvation to Thousands.
· He raised up a Black Slave-girl, like Amanda Smith, to go around the World
to Preach the Gospel of Christ to many nations, & bring Salvation to a countless number.

Oh how Grateful we should be for the Love which God has Lavished upon us through Christ!

In this Passage (2:28-3:3) John Teaches us What it Means to be Part of God's Family.
· He does this by teaching us TWO FOUNDATIONAL TRUTHS.
The FIRST Foundational Truth is that God is Righteous (Only look at the First Truth today).
· This Truth about God DEMANDS a Twofold RESPONSE from the hearers.
· The First Response of God's Children to God's Righteousness is to Practice Righteousness.
· The Second Response is to be Grateful to the One who Loves us & Calls us His Children.

NEXT TIME - We'll look at the Second Foundational Truth,
concerning the Second Coming of Christ; & our Twofold Response to that Truth.