How dear children, continue in him, so that when he appears, we may be confident and unashamed
before him at his coming. If you know that he is righteous, you know that everyone who does what
is right has been born of him. 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
does not know him. Dear friends, now we are children of God, and that 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. Everyone
who has this hope in him purifies himself, just as he is pure.
Thanks very much, Jonathan. Well, please keep your Bibles open in 1 John. There's notes being
passed around and pens, if you'd like to take notes. You will probably notice, maybe you don't notice,
but I'll tell you anyway. In the term programme, we highlight or list the various themes for each
Sunday morning. Over the last couple of Sundays, we've been out of sync. Hopefully, we'll catch up.
That's simply because in preparation, I thought we'd do certain sections in certain ways, and then when it
came to preparing it, I thought, no, there's far too much here. We need to shorten it, so it'll probably
find its way through eventually. We'll get through to the end of 1 John. Whether it ties in with the term
programme or not, I'm not sure. But nonetheless, it's good. It's good stuff. We're going to pray,
and we're going to ask our Father in Heaven to help us. Let's pray.
Our Father God, we give you thanks for your gifts to us. We thank you for the gift of being able to
meet like this with one another. We thank you for the gift of having your word, holding it in our very hands,
your spoken word written down for people like us, so that we can know you, so that we can love you
and enjoy you. We thank you for the freedom that we have to meet like this, without fear of any
authorities, fear of anyone coming to stop the meeting. Father, thank you for these wonderful gifts,
thanksgiving. And yet we need to ask you of more. We need to ask that you would help us by your Spirit
to understand your word, that what may be familiar and what may be known to us
would strike into the depths of our lives afresh, so that we come to see you in all your greatness
and come to enjoy you as Father. Please help us then, we pray. We ask this in Jesus' name. Amen.
Amen.
One sports day when I was in primary school, I'm sure you can remember your sports days,
being lined up with all the rest of the children for the running race. And as I ran that race,
all I could hear was my father cheering from the sidelines,
that's my son, that's my son, go on, keep going. It was awful embarrassing to be running along with your
father shouting so loudly. But as a father, he was just simply encouraging his child to keep on going.
Look at verse 28.
Read it there with me.
And now, dear children, continue in him.
These are the encouraging words, if you like, of the father who's on the sidelines. It's the gentle care of a pastor,
cheering them on in the faith. Go on, my child. Keep on going. Continue in him.
You remember 1 John, the big theme of 1 John is that we have been invited into fellowship with God,
and through faith we get to enter into that fellowship.
But that fellowship, that relationship with our father is always under attack.
There are those who are out there who are trying to rob us of the deep, personal, relational joy that we have with the father and with his son.
So a couple of weeks ago, you remember in verses 15 to 17, we saw that the world was opposed to us.
And then in verses 18 through to 27, it was the antichrists or the false teachers trying to lead the children astray.
And so we are encouraged here, verse 28.
And now, dear children, continue in him.
Don't get distracted by what the world has to offer you.
Don't stop and listen to false teachers.
Continue in Jesus Christ.
Keep on going, my child.
Look to Jesus and listen to Jesus.
Keep on going.
Continue in him.
Now, as we continue in him,
there are two great privileges,
two great realities.
And if we can grasp them,
they will only increase our joy
and deepen our fellowship with God.
As we continue with him,
there are two great things
that we come to understand
and experience in our lives.
Here's what they are.
Here's the first one.
We have great confidence before our God.
Let's read verse 28.
And now, dear children,
continue in him.
And here's the reason we're to continue.
So that when he appears,
we may be confident
and unashamed before him
at his coming.
Do you get what it said?
Jesus is going to appear.
One day,
Jesus is going to come again.
Now, how do you feel about that?
The fact that the risen Jesus
is going to come again.
How do you feel about that?
In school, I used to dread that moment
when the year head would pull me to one side
and say,
Jonathan,
the principal would like to see you in his office.
In fact, I feared the headmaster so much
that I would just walk around outside
hoping that with the passing of time,
he would forget.
Now, we might feel like that
with the thought of Jesus coming again.
Because when Jesus comes again,
we will face him as our judge.
So how do you feel about that?
Well, look at verse 28.
It tells us that he will appear.
That means that when he appears,
it means everybody will see him.
Nobody will be mistaken
by the return of Jesus Christ.
Now, just as we will see him coming,
he will also see us.
He will see us intimately and deeper.
Everything that we've ever said,
everything that we've ever thought or done
will be seen by him.
A record of our whole life
will be put on display before him.
And of course,
all the good things that we've done,
all the caring words that we've ever said,
all of those things will be on display too.
All our proud moments.
But so will all our faults
and every single one of our failures.
Our deepest shameful secrets.
All the skeletons in the cupboard
will be revealed and unveiled.
So I ask us all the question,
how confident are we to stand before Jesus
as the ultimate and fair judge
who sees and knows every single action?
Well, the great privilege
is that we can have great confidence.
We can have great confidence.
Let's read verse 28.
And now, dear children,
continue in him
so that when Jesus appears,
we may be confident.
We can have confidence
before the judge
because of what Jesus
has already done for us.
Go back to chapter 2, verse 1.
Here's the two great things
that Jesus has done for us
so that we can be confident.
Chapter 2, verse 1.
My dear children,
so is this father loving care.
My dear children,
I write this to you
so that you will not sin.
It's his desire
that we don't fall away.
But he's a realist.
He knows what we're like.
If anybody does sin,
and we all do,
we have one who speaks
to the Father
in our defence,
Jesus Christ,
the Righteous One.
So here's the picture
of Jesus
standing before the Father
as our defence.
He's there,
as it were,
reminding the Father,
assuring the Father
that his sin
has been dealt with.
There are no more charges
against this person.
They are accepted
and forgiven.
Now, how can Jesus
stand before the Father
and say that
about people like you and me
who mess up all the time?
Well, here's the second reason,
verse 2.
He is the atoning sacrifice
for our sins,
but not only for ours,
also for the sins
of the whole world.
Yes, he's our defence,
but he is also our sacrifice.
He's the one
who has already paid the penalty
for all of our sin.
The past ones,
the present ones,
the future ones.
There is nothing left to pay.
Wonderfully,
Jesus Christ has taken
our very worst days
and has dealt with them all
and in its place
he has given us
his perfect days
so that we can stand
before God.
He has taken
our worst days
and in its place
he has given us
his best days
so that we can stand
before God.
We can have confidence.
Look at chapter 4,
verse 17.
Chapter 4, verse 17.
Here he's been speaking again
about the great theme
of God's love
and when that love
is poured into our lives
he can say this,
chapter 4, verse 17.
In this way
love is made
complete among us
so that
we will have confidence
on the day
of judgment.
You see,
if we can be confident
then,
if we can be confident
when we stand
before God,
then that means
we can enjoy him
today.
We can enjoy him
today.
But it's not just
confidence.
We can also
come before Jesus
unashamed.
Go back to verse 28.
He says,
when he appears
we can be confident
and unashamed
before him
at his coming.
You may relate
to this
in your own
relationships
but I know
that I have said
and I have done
things towards
my wife
that I'm very ashamed
of.
Although I've
repented,
although I've
been forgiven,
when I think
about some of
those things
I am
ashamed.
And I would
be deeply
embarrassed
if you ever
heard about
some of those
things.
How do you
think it will
be then
to stand
before Jesus
who sees
everything we've
ever done,
who's heard
every word
and knows
our every
thought?
We would
be deeply
ashamed.
An
overwhelming
sense of
guilt
as our
life is
flashed
before us.
We would
just want
to run
away and
hide and
cover
ourselves.
But look
what verse
28 says.
That's not
how it's
going to
be.
It's not
how it's
going to
be.
We will
be,
verse 28,
unashamed
before him
at his
coming.
Rather than
run and
hide,
we will
run into
the arms
of Jesus
without guilt,
without shame
because we
stand before
him covered
in his
purity.
There is
nothing to
fear,
nothing to
hide.
In fact,
our shame
will all be
replaced with
full and
complete joy.
You see,
if we can be
unashamed then,
if we can be
unashamed when
we stand before
Jesus when he
comes again,
that means
we can enjoy
him today.
We can enjoy
him today.
Now, the
question I have
for us all in
this is,
do you have
this confidence?
Do you have
this confidence
to stand
before God
unashamed?
And how can I
be sure that
this is true
of me?
Well,
we need to
look at the
evidence.
Let's read
verse 29.
If you know
that he,
that is,
God,
is righteous,
that's in
his perfection,
you know
that everyone
who does
what is
right has
been born
of him.
Sometimes
people will
say to me
something like
this,
that's just
what your
father would
do,
or you
just sound
like your
father.
In other
words,
children
naturally bear
the resemblance
of their
parents.
Because they
share the
same DNA,
they sound
like them,
or they behave
like them,
they have the
same kind
of mannerisms,
you just
inherited it
just the
way it is.
Now,
those who
have true
fellowship with
God,
those who
claim to
be in
relationship
with God
will also
reflect the
behaviour of
their father
in heaven.
Look at the
end of verse
29,
it says,
everyone who
does what
is right,
just as
God is
right,
will or
has been
born of
him.
Because we've
been born
of God,
because God
has brought
us into
fellowship
with the
father,
because we
enjoy that
relationship
with him,
as his
children,
we naturally
begin to
bear the
resemblance
of the
father.
It's like
we share
the same
DNA,
we begin
to reflect
who he
is.
So as we
look at our
lives and
as other
people look
at our
lives and
they see
the way
that we
behave,
then it's
giving us
evidence,
it's giving
us proof,
it's reassuring
us and giving
us the
confidence
that we
can be
unashamed
before him
when he
comes.
Look at
the evidence
of your
life.
Are we
reflecting
the behaviour
of our
father?
So the
great privilege
is that we
have great
confidence
before our
God.
The second
great privilege
is this,
God's
children.
If we
continue in
him,
we have
great
assurance
as God's
children.
Let's read
chapter 3
verse 1.
How great
is the
love the
father has
lavished on
us that
we should
be called
children of
God.
Now just
stop for a
minute or
wake up if
you're sleeping
and gaze
at the
love of
the father
for us.
Look how
it is
expressed.
See what
has been
achieved for
people like
you and
me.
Look at
who we
are today
because of
the father's
love.
We are
called
children of
God.
The father
has enacted
his love
in our
lives.
His seed
of love
if you like
has been
put into
our lives
and it
has brought
about something
amazing.
A great
explanation or
commentary on
this very
idea comes
from John's
Gospel.
So keep
your finger
in 1 John
and go to
John's
Gospel.
It's the
same author.
John's
Gospel
chapter 1
verses 12
to 13.
And here
we have
like a
little
commentary
on the
father's
love for
us that
we should
be children
of God.
So verse
12 chapter
1.
So he's
speaking to
those who
are believers
or to
those who
will believe.
Verse 12
Yet to
all who
received
him,
that's
Jesus,
to those
who believed
in his
name,
he gave
the right
to become
children of
God.
How do
they become
children?
Read on.
Children
born not
of natural
descent,
nor of
human
decision,
or of a
husband's
will,
but born
of God.
God.
You see,
it's
saying to
us there,
just as
you and
I had
no say
or no
choice in
being physically
born into
this world,
none of us
decided I'm
going to be
born.
That was our
parents'
decision.
So just as
that's true
in a physical
sense,
so the
Father in
heaven has
chosen
us
to become
his very
own
children.
And that's
what gives us
the assurance
that we are
God's
children.
Our security
that I am a
child of God
rests in the
fact not
that I love
the Father,
but that the
Father loves
me.
If it
depended on
my love
for the
Father,
if it all
depended on
how much
I love
him and
what I do
for him,
I've got
no assurance.
Because my
love for the
Father fails
far too
often.
There are
days I
don't love
when I
should love.
There are
seasons when
I ignore
him.
But because
he lavished
his love
on me,
because he
chose me,
I have
unshakable
assurance.
That's where
my security
rests.
Be amazed
that we
have been
loved by
the Father
and are
called
children of
God.
But what
does it
mean to
be a
child of
God?
Well,
think of
a,
we've
done that,
the Father's
love,
children of
God.
Think of
a child
parent
relationship.
There's
like two
parts to
it.
If you
have
children,
you may
relate to
it.
There's
a legal
side and
there's a
relational
side.
So when
a child
is born
and the
birth cert
is signed,
the child
then, as it
were, is
legally a
son or
daughter of
the parent.
That is a
legal document
that makes
them a
child of
the parents.
But it's
so much
more than
just a
legal issue,
isn't it?
It's not
till the
child gets
home that
they get to
experience the
privilege of
being a
son.
It's only in
the deep,
personal and
intimate relationship
of living with
the mother and
father that they
realise, I'm a
daughter and I'm
cared for and
loved.
So it's not a
cold, legal
thing.
It is a
relational and
loving thing.
Verse 1,
how great is
the love the
father has
lavished on us
that we should
be called
children of
God.
It's as if we
have to pinch
ourselves to
believe it.
And because
we are God's
children, we've
been accepted
by the father,
we have access
to the father,
we become,
people like you
and me,
become brothers
and sisters with
Jesus Christ.
We're treated
and we're
treasured as the
father loves his
own son.
And if you
don't quite
believe it,
look at the
next little
phrase,
and that
is what
we are.
Do you ever
doubt that
you're a child
of God?
Because you
don't love
him enough?
Well, it's
because he
loves you
and he has
made you a
child and
if you doubt
it, that is
what you are.
Look at the
rest of verse 3,
the reason the
world does not
know us is
that it did
not know him.
You see, the
world looking in
may not
understand that
you're a child
of God.
The world
might think
you're absolutely
crazy to make
a claim that
you have this
personal, intimate
relationship with
God the
Father.
They'll think
you're bonkers.
But because of
the Father's
love, that is
what you are.
Don't let
anybody else
tell you
otherwise.
If your
face is in
Jesus, you
are a child
of God.
God.
And it
doesn't stop
there.
Look what else
he has to
say.
Verse 2,
Dear friends,
now we are
children of
God and
what we will
be has not
yet been made
known.
In other
words, nobody
has seen what
it's going to
be like what
we are going
to be.
But we
know that when
he appears,
when Jesus
comes again,
we shall be
like him
for we
shall see
him as
he is.
As much
as a
parent loves
their new
baby son
or daughter,
they never
want their
little baby
to stay
as they
are.
They long
for them
to grow
healthy and
strong.
They want
them to be
nurtured and
cared for so
that they
become everything
they are
meant to
be as a
mature
adult.
That is
what a
parent
desires.
And it's
the same
way for
our father.
He desires
for us
as children
that we
would grow
up and
become all
that we
are meant
to be.
But this
is not
just an
aspiration,
this is a
guaranteed
promise.
Look again
at verse
2,
but we
know that
when he
appears we
shall be
like him
for we
shall see
him as
he is.
The promise
is crystal
clear.
This is
something that
God is
going to
do for
us.
We will
become
like
Jesus.
When
Jesus
returns,
instead of
condemnation,
it will be
transformation.
Now let
that filter
into our
minds and
into our
hearts.
We will
be
transformed
to be
like Jesus.
You know
what that
means?
No more
sin.
No more
struggles.
No more
battles to
be doing
the right
thing.
Just take
a moment
to think
through that.
What part
of your
sinful
nature
do you
struggle
with the
most?
What
aspect do
you
really
not
like?
Or what
is it
about sin
that gets
you down
most of
all?
temptation
do you
so quickly
give in
to?
And you
long for
the day
where you
will never
fall again.
Well,
one day
it will
all be
gone.
You
will be
like
Jesus
in
absolute
purity.
that is
the
guaranteed
destination
of all
God's
children.
Now the
question is,
do you
have this
assurance?
Do you
know that
is your
destiny?
How can
I be
sure this
is true
of me?
Well,
we need
to look at
the evidence.
look at
verse 3.
Everyone
who has
this
hope,
everyone
who has
this
longing,
everyone
who has
this hope
in him
purifies
himself
just
as God
is pure.
Because
of who
I am,
I am
a child
of God.
because of
what I
will be,
I will
be
transformed
to be
like
Jesus.
Because
of all
that God
has worked
in me,
I will
seek to
live as
a child
of God.
I will
seek to
become
more like
Jesus.
Now if
that is
your desire,
if your
longing is
to be
more like
him,
then that
evidence
is there
to say
you have
assurance
as a
child
of God.
you see
the true
children
of God
long to
be more
like
Jesus.
If you
have no
inclination,
if you
have no
thought,
if you
have no
desire
to be
looking at
Jesus
and saying
I want
to be
more like
him,
if that
never
crosses
your mind,
if it's
never in
your prayer
life,
then you
have to
ask,
am I
a child
of God?
Because
the true
children
of God
will
long
to be
more
like
Jesus.
Go
back to
chapter 1
verse 8.
Here we
see the
evidence
that is
there for
those who
are true
children.
Chapter 1
verse 8,
if we
claim to
be without
sin,
we deceive
ourselves and
the truth
is not
in us.
So if we
don't care
about our
lives,
we don't
care what
we look
like or
how we
behave or
whether we're
like Jesus,
the truth
isn't in
us.
But,
verse 9,
if we
confess our
sins,
he is
faithful and
just and
he will
forgive us
our sins
and purify
us from
all
unrighteousness.
It's the
same idea
as chapter
3 verse
3,
everyone who
has this
hope in
him purifies
himself.
It's a
life of
confession,
a life of
ongoing
repentance,
a desire
and an
asking of
God for
real heart
change.
Change me
Father,
to be
more like
your son.
And if
that is our
prayer,
that is the
evidence that
we are God's
children.
Lord,
amen.
Amen.
Look at
chapter 2,
verse 28.
And now,
dear children,
continue in
him.
Keep on
going, my
child.
Keep going
in the
faith.
Know the
confidence that
we can have in
meeting Jesus.
know the
assurance that
we will one
day be like
Jesus.
Continue in
him.
Keep on
going.
And it
will increase
your joy.
And it
will deepen
your fellowship
with God.
We have
confidence.
And we
have assurance.
Keep going,
my children.
Keep going.
Let's pray.
.
Oh,
hmm.
Hmm.
Father, we thank you for your word.
We thank you for the truth that it reminds us of.
The deep personal relationship that we can have with Father and Son.
It's our desire not only to enjoy you,
but that we also become more like you.
So gently by your spirit,
show us the things in our lives we need to put right.
Teach us to come in repentance each day,
to know the joy of forgiveness afresh,
and to know that deep relationship that we can have as children of God,
confident and assured.
Father, may we all know that in its deepest sense.
And we pray that we will continue in you until you come again.
We ask this in Jesus' name.
Amen.
We're going to sing together.
When I was lost, you came and rescued me.
And there's one of the verses goes like this.
Amen.
Women alone.
Jen,
it was, we're going to just pass.
Aren't we lost people with that,
but as they� onto this something that we can experience?
When do we dream of Baba Raffo,
and Ken Macprend's going into your life,
are we going to우면.
They've never felt like it was going to pass.
Usually they've never π
but darkness is the few of us,
but that art is the
of a陳 about Salas.