Children of God
1 John 3:1-7
April 15, 2018 – Redeemer
Last week God’s Word us newborns. This week we’re little children. Next week we will be sheep. If there’s one thing that should be clear from God’s name calling it is that we are dependent. Newborn Christians need the pure spiritual milk of God’s Word so they can grow up in their salvation. Sheep need a shepherd to guard them from their enemies and themselves and to lead them to green pastures and still waters. Little children — what do children need? What don’t children need?
See what kind of love the Father has given to us, that we should be called children of God; and so we are. 1 Jn 3:1 The love our heavenly Father has shown us is not common among us. It’s not from around here. How does the world love? What do you love? We love that which is lovely. We love the tall and the slender and the new and improved. We love according to our appetites – if it feels pleasing, if it tastes good, if it looks attractive, then I love it. That is not the love of God. God’s love is not from this broken earth or a selfish heart. It is from heaven. His love is for the ugly, the despised, the rejected, the guilty, the selfish, the shamed – His love is for His enemies. His love is for us.
This is the evidence of His love – that we should be called the children of God. We are God’s children, not because we are lovely, but because He has called us His children. He said through the death of Christ, “I love the world by giving my Son for the sin of the world.” He says in the waters of baptism, “I have adopted you in and through the death and resurrection of my Son.” He says in Absolution, “I forgive you your sins for Christ’s sake.” He says in the Lord’s Supper, “You have a place at the family table with Jesus.” When God speaks these words to us, He calls us His children. Apart from Christ, without God’s forgiveness at best we are orphans, at worst children of the devil. This is His love. We were troubled children – those children no one wants to adopt, children with the serious birth defect of sin and all sorts of behavioral problems – rebelling, lying, cheating, lusting, swearing, hating, idolatry. Look at yourself in the mirror of God’s law and see what sort of child you were. Now listen to God’s Word hear what you are:
Beloved, we are God’s children now, and what we will be has not yet appeared; but we know that when He appears we shall be like Him, because we shall see Him as He is. 1 Jn 3:2
As God’s children we look a lot like our brother Jesus Christ before He was raised. Our glory is hidden. Jesus didn’t look like much before the resurrection. He was born in a barn. He attracted a few followers, but then lost them all. He looked like an utter failure who ended up on the wrong side of the law, who suffered horribly and then was executed. Jesus was God’s Son begotten from all eternity, but even His disciples didn’t see it until the resurrection. Hidden behind His suffering was the glorious love of God. Jesus was born for us. He lived and died for us. We know this love because Jesus rose from the dead.
St. John tells us that as it was for Jesus so it will be for us – what we truly are will not be seen until the resurrection. We are forgiven and righteous, but we still struggle with sin. We are living forever, but every day we are dying. We are God’s own dear children, yet our lives appear not different than every other kid on the block. We face temptation, suffer with sickness and death, experience fear and worry. Sometimes, God’s children have it even worse than unbelievers in the world. The world taunts us like kids on the playground – if God is your Father why doesn’t He do something? Where is your God now? By faith we know He has done something the world will never see – He loved us in Jesus. Like Jesus what we are won’t be seen until the resurrection – then we will be seen as living, righteous, holy, forgiven, the children of God.
When my children were much younger and living at home I would sometimes say to them as they were going out for the evening, “Remember whose child you are!” What I meant was, “Remember, Bruce Timm is your dad and I’m a pastor, and Sauk Rapids isn’t that big, and people will hear about what you did so behave yourself!” What I should have said is “Remember, you’re a child of God.”
That is what Saint John encourages us to remember and do. Everyone who makes a practice of sinning also practices lawlessness; sin is lawlessness. You know that he appeared to take away sins, and in him there is no sin. No one who abides in him keeps on sinning; no one who keeps on sinning has either seen him or known him. 1 Jn 3:3-6 Because we are God’s children, because Christ has taken our sin away, because one day we will live face to face with our heavenly Father without sin, we hate sin. Sin robs us of God, robs us of life. Baptized Christians don’t keep on sinning. We despise those things which take us away from Christ. No one who abides in Jesus keeps on sinning. Christians don’t embrace sin, don’t love sin, don’t rejoice in evil. Yes, you sin, but you hate it. Yes, you sin, but you repent of it. Yes, you sin, but you run to Christ for forgiveness.
Finally John tells us, as the little children of God, to beware of those who would deceive us. Occasionally we hear stories about some guy driving around in a van asking children for directions, or a man at a park asking children to help him find his puppy. They tempt with ice cream and candy and all kinds of goodies. We are tempted by our pleasures to stray into sin. Little children, let no one deceive you. whoever practices righteousness is righteous, as he is righteous. (7) The devil, the world, and our old sinful self love sin. They call good evil and evil good. They make the poison of sin appear to be as sweet as Culver’s Custard and as pleasing to the eye as a brand new Dodge Challenger. Remember what you are – you are God’s child. That is not something you can see. It is something you have heard from God the Father through His Son Jesus Christ. You heard it loud and clear when the Father raised Jesus from the dead. You heard it in your baptism, in this morning’s absolution, and when you kneel at His supper today. You are God’s child. Therefore live as God’s child, hate sin, repent of your sins, receive forgiveness. Live as children of God loved in the name of Jesus. Amen.
Pastor Bruce Timm
Edited April 14, 2018 anno Domini