The Indescribable Lover Of God
  1. INTRODUCTION:
  1. SCRIPTURE READING:

    John 3:16 = "For God so loved the world, that he gave his only begotten Son, that whosoever believeth in him should not perish, but have everlasting life."

    I John 3:1-2 = "Behold, what manner of love the Father hath bestowed upon us, that we should be called the sons of God: therefore the world knoweth us not, because it knew him not. Beloved, now are we the sons of God, and it doth not yet appear what we shall be: but we know that, when he shall appear, we shall be like him; for we shall see him as he is."

  1. WHAT TWO MARVELOUS PASSAGES OF SCRIPTURE TO PONDER!
  2. TWO PICTURES OF THE CHILDREN OF GOD ARE PRESENTED IN CONNECTION WITH GOD’S LOVE:
  1. What we are.
  2. What we hope to be.
  3. LET’S TAKE A CLOSER LOOK AT I John 3:1-2.
  1. WHAT WE ARE (I John 3:1)
  1. WE ARE LOVED OF GOD. "Behold what manner of love the Father hath bestowed upon us." =(I John 3:1)

I John 4:10 = "Herein is love, not that we loved God, but that he loved us, and sent his son to be the propitiation for our sins."

    1. A love indescribable.
    2. John doesn't attempt to describe it.
    3. John simply "behold it"
    1. Paul said in Ephesians 3:19 = "And to know the love of Christ which passeth 
      knowledge, …      "
    1. A love unmerited:
  1. It arises not from admiration, or from a sense of gratitude, but from pity.
  2. God bestowed it upon man out of his mercy.
  3. God loved the unloveable.
  1. WE ARE "CHILDREN OF GOD":
    1. Birth is the fruitage of love.
    2. There are two senses in which we are God’s children:
    1. Natural. Genesis 1:27 = "And God created man in his own image, in the image of God created he him; male and female created he them."
    2. Spiritual. John 1:12-13 = "But as many as received him, to them gave he the right to become children of God, even to them that believe on his name: who were born, not of blood, nor of the will off the flesh, nor of the will of man, but of God." 
      (see John 3:5-8).

NOTE: John is referring to the Spiritual birth, and as spiritual children we are:

    1. We have a spiritual father (John 3:5-6). "…Verily, verily, I say unto thee, except a man be born of water and of the Spirit, he cannot enter into the kingdom of God. That which is born of the flesh is flesh: and that which is born of the Spirit is spirit." 
    2. We have a Divine nature. II Peter 1:4 = "Whereby are given unto us exceeding great and precious promises: that by these ye might be partakers of the divine nature, having escaped the corruption that is in the world through lusts."
    3. We are God’s possession – that is, we belong to Him. I Peter 2:9 = "But ye are a chosen generation, a royal priesthood, an holy nation, a peculiar people; that ye should shew forth the praises of him who hath called you out of darkness into his marvellous light."
    4. We are immature. We have not attained to the full stature of our Father = in no way have we reached perfection.
    1. Philippians 3:13-14 = "Brethren, I count not myself to have apprehended: but this one thing I do, forgetting those things which are behind, and reaching forth unto those things which are before. I press toward the mark for the prize of the high calling of God in Christ Jesus."
    2. Jeremiah 10:23 = "O Jehovah, I know that the way of man is not in himself: It is not in man that walketh to direct his steps."
  1.  WHAT WE HOPE TO BE: (I John 2, I John 3)
  1. THE UNKNOWN: I John 3:2 = "Beloved, now are we the sons of God, and it doth not yet appear what we shall be: …"
  1. A boy wonders what he will be when he Becomes a man, but never knows until manhood is attained.
  2. John possessed divine wisdom, yet did not know the extent of the future glories and possibilities awaiting God’s children.

THE KNOWN: I John 3:2 = "…But we know that, when he shall appear, we shall be like him;"

NOTE: This is telling us that:

    1. Some day we shall bear the Savior’s resemblance.

COMMENT: Once Christ was made in our likeness. 
Philippians 2:7 = "But made himself of no reputation, and took upon him the form of a servant, and was made in the likeness of men." And now, we hope to be transformed into his likeness.

  1. The image that was given to man in the beginning shall be fully restored to the faithful children of God.
  2. We shall be like him in body, soul and spirit.

Philippians 3:20-21 = "For our conversation is in heaven; from whence also we look for the Saviour, the Lord Jesus Christ: who shall change our vile body, that it may be fashioned like unto his glorious body, according to the working whereby he is able to subdue all things unto himself."

Romans 8:17 = "And if children, then heirs, heirs of God, and joint-heirs with Christ; if so be that we suffer with him, that we may be also glorified together."

  1. We shall be changed: I John 3:2 = "…For we shall see him as he is."
  1. Not as He was – flesh and blood body.
  2. But as He is – glorified and highly exalted.

COMMENT: Christ prayed in 
John 17:1 = "…Father, the hour is come; glorify thy Son, that thy Son also my glorify thee:" And then in John 17:22 =, "And the glory which thou gavest me I have given them: that they may be one, even as we are one."

  1. CONCLUSION:
  1. GOD’S LOVE MAKES POSSIBLE OUR GLORIFICATION WITH THE SON.
  2. WHETHER YOU WILL BE OR NOT DEPENDS ON WHO WE ARE?
    1. Are we a sinner?
    2. Are we a child of God?
  1. DO YOU HOPE FOR THE HEAVENLY HOME?
    1. Have you the right to expect to enter into it?
    2. Do you desire to have that privilege?
  1. THE CHOICE IS YOUR’S TO MAKE – WHAT WILL IT BE?

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