In 1 John chapter 3, we'd like
to read the first two verses. I think there is enough in these
first two verses to occupy what time we'll be here, and much
more than that. John says, 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." Notice with what certainty John writes of
God's love to his own. No doubt in his mind about it,
is there? and God proves his love to his
own by his actions upon them. John says, Behold, now are we
the sons of God. Isn't that amazing? The sons
of God, regardless of where now finds you, regardless of where
your present circumstances may find you, what you may be passing
through, now we are the sons of God. This heavenly treasure
is ours to enjoy now. It can't be taken away from us.
It can't be stolen. It can never rust or decay or
be destroyed. It can't be forfeited even by
us. Behold what manner of love the
Father hath bestowed upon us that we should be called the
sons of God. John goes on to say, behold,
this is well. We know when he shall appear,
when he shall appear. Not if he shall appear, but when
he shall appear. Remember, John was present that
night when our Lord told him, promised his own, John and the
others and you and I, every believer in every age, I will come again. I'm going away. I finished the
work God gave me to do. I'm going back to glory to prepare
a place for you, especially for you. And if so, I'll come and
receive you unto myself that where I am, there ye may be also."
Is that not the heaven of heaven? To be where he is, to see him
as John says here. And this, John also writes, we
shall be like him. We shall be like him, like our
glorious Redeemer. And then he says, we shall see
him as he is. I see at least three wonders
of God's great love in these two verses of Scripture, introduced
very properly with that word, behold. 1 John says there's a
wonder of God's love. We're his sons. And we shall
be like him. And not only that, but we shall
see him as he is. Look at the first wonder of God's
love. Behold, behold, that we should
be called the sons of God. This is indeed love beyond our
comprehension, is it not? This requires faith. You and
I, sons of God, sons of God, the Lord bestowed His love upon
us. Love shows itself in what it
does. in how it acts upon the objects
of its love. Not in word only, but in actions. God had bestowed his love upon
us. Behold, God's love for his own
in that blessed choice. before the world began, of all
of his chosen ones unto salvation." All those he loved, those he
foreknew, those he loved with an everlasting love, he chose
them in Christ unto salvation. People say, not knowing any better. They say, oh, that's a hard doctrine. That's hard, that doctrine of
election. That's a hard, hard doctrine.
The very opposite is truth. Rather, the very opposite is
true. This glorious doctrine. that God chose a people in Christ
before the world began is full of comfort, is full of joy. Every time it's mentioned in
the Word of God, and that's multiple times, it's mentioned in the
context of comfort and rejoicing. Our Lord told His disciples on
earth, rejoice, rejoice rather. than rejoicing in anything else.
Rejoice because your names are written in heaven. God loved us and chose us in
his dear Son. Thou art my first elect, God
said, concerning his Son, and then chose us in Christ our glorious
head. Oh, it's not a hard doctrine
at all. Paul said we are bound to give thanks. We're obligated. We're head over heels in debt
to God's sovereign election of grace. We're bound to give thanks
to God always for you, brethren, because he had from the beginning
chosen you to salvation. Behold how God loved us. And then again, behold his love
in our redemption. in our redemption. Behold how
Christ loved us. He gave himself for us. Look
at verse 16 in this chapter of 1 John. This is what we're told. Hereby perceive we the love of
God, because he laid down his life for us. Remember James said,
what good would it do if you see a brother hungry and naked
and you just say to him, go your way, be ye warmed and be ye filled,
and give him not those things needful for him, to be warmed
and filled. God doesn't act that way, does
he? Christ loved us and gave himself for us. Hereby perceive
we the love of God because he laid down his life for us and
we ought to lay down our lives for the brethren. Look in chapter
4. Chapter 4 verse 9 of 1 John. And this was manifested. the
love of God toward us, because that God sent his only begotten
Son into the world, that we might live through him. Remember he
said, because I live, ye shall live also. The same life. Verse 10, herein is love. Not
that we loved God, because we didn't. We didn't. Hearing His
love, not that we loved God, but that He loved us and sent
His Son to be the propitiation for our sin. Beloved, if God
so loved us, we ought also to love one another. He loved me,
Paul said. Oh, the wonder of that. He loved
me and He gave Himself. himself, oh, how he gave himself
for us. And we see God's love to his
own in that effectual call of his grace. The prophet said,
I have loved thee with an everlasting love, therefore, Therefore, with
loving kindness have I drawn thee." Your mind. Your mind. I've loved you from eternity.
The Son of God came for us to redeem us from all our sins.
He who knew no sin was made sin for us. Who? Everyone? No. Those that the Father gave
him, his people, his chosen, his sheep, his bride, his church. was made sin for us that we might
be made the righteousness of God in Him. Loved with an everlasting
love and in time made to know that love when He calls us affectionately
by His grace. And oh, what a demonstration
of God's love that we're preserved. That we're kept, not because
of ourselves, but in spite of ourselves. My sheep, will never
perish. My sheep will never be plucked
from my hand. God's love is without cause. Now, think about that a moment.
God's love is without cause. Now, we talked today about unconditional
love, no such thing except God's love for his own. God's love
is without cause, without beginning, without a condition. without
change, without end. My soul, no wonder John said,
behold, the manner of love, the kind of love that God hath bestowed
upon us that we should be called the sons of God. But our text
is speaking especially of adoption. The sons of God, by nature, were
children of wrath. We deserve that. Oh, but by God's
mighty sovereign grace, we're made children of God, sons of
God, adopted into God's own family, made to be his own. One hymn
writer expressed it like this. Every fallen soul by sinning
merits everlasting pain, but thy love without beginning has
restored thy sons again. Pause, my soul, adore and wonder
and ask why such love to me. Grace has put me in the number
of the Savior's family." Sons of God, what a privilege. What an honor. It's greater than
being saints. All God's chosen are saints,
but this is a greater blessing than that, being sons. This is great grace to redeem. Oh, the grace that drew salvation's
plan. Oh, the love that brought it
down to man. Oh, the mighty God. that the
glorious captain of our salvation, by his death upon the cross,
all the gulf that he did span, he brought all of his chosen
nigh to God, made nigh near by the blood of Jesus Christ. Oh,
what great love and grace to redeem to pardon, to justify,
but this is greater grace, to make all those who are thus justified,
pardoned, and redeemed, to make them sons, the sons of God."
And notice what John says, beloved, now are we the sons of God. The
world knows us not because it knew him not. You're not of the
world, he said, even as I am not of the world. I have chosen
you out of the world. What amazing grace. What amazing
grace. Beloved of God. Nothing can change
that, brother Loyal. Nothing can change that. Nothing
can affect that. Nothing in time. Nothing today
that may come our way. Nothing tomorrow. I am the Lord. I change not. I change not. And because He changes not, He
loves us eternally. He loves us with an everlasting
love. And nothing can change that.
Nothing can stop God from loving His children. Not ever. Not even themselves. when David,
King David, that shepherd lad, that one his father Jesse thought
wasn't even worthy enough to be considered in the house when
the prophet came to anoint the future king. Are these all your
sons? Well, there's one more. He's
out in the field, the youngest one. He's out tending sheep.
Send for him. And God spoke to the prophet and said, My anointed
is before you. My chosen is before you. Arise,
anoint him. It's he. It's he. Who would have
ever thought that that was God's choice? Oh, God said, Man looks
upon the outward appearance, but God looketh at the heart. And after all God did for that
man, took him out from tending sheep. the king of Israel, the
ruler of a nation. And after all that, David takes
a woman, another man's wife, has that man murdered because
he's committed adultery with her and doesn't want to be found
out. But God knew. God knew. Oh, how David shuddered and his
heart broke when the faithful prophet came to him and exposed
his sin and said, you are the man. And David wrote that psalm. Oh, my God. My sins ever before
me. But you know what? You know what? Oh, amazing love. God loved David
none less when he laid in the arms of Bathsheba, that when
he sat upon the throne writing a psalm to God's praise, God
loved him none less. God was displeased with what
he did, surely, but God's love didn't change to David. It's
an unchanging love. When Peter said that night before
the accusation of a little maid, that he was one of our Lord's
disciples. You're a follower of that Jesus
of Nazareth. Surely you are. Your speech betrayed
you. You're a Galilean. And Peter
cursed and swore and said, I don't know the man. And our Lord turned
without speaking a word. And their eyes met. And that
was enough to break Peter's heart. And that wasn't a look of rejection. It wasn't a hard look. No, it
was the look of love. of love, that one who was even
then standing in the place of Peter and shortly thereafter
would be made sin for Peter. Oh, what an amazing love that
is. Love without degree, love without
change, love everlasting. Behold, what manner of love the
Father hath bestowed upon us. Look, if you will, at that familiar
passage in Romans chapter 8. You know it well. All but what
a delightful passage it is. The apostle seems to issue a
challenge. He says in verse 35, who shall
separate us from the love of Christ? Who shall separate us from the
love of Christ? Shall tribulation. distress,
persecution, famine, nakedness, peril, sword. As it is written,
for thy sake we are killed all the day long. We are accounted
as sheep for the slaughter. Nay, in all these things we are
more than conquerors through him that loved us. For I am persuaded,
oh God give me grace to be thus persuaded, that neither death
Love is stronger than death. That neither death, nor life,
nor angels, nor principalities, nor powers, nor things present,
nor things to come, nor height, nor depth, nor any other creature
shall be able to separate us from the love of God which is
in Christ Jesus our Lord. Now are we the sons of God. Imagine that. Now, now, Louis,
who would have ever thought so? Who would have ever thought so?
Sons of God? Me? Me, a son of God, a child
of the God of all grace? I'm a part of his family? Yes,
and shall ever be. Oh, I love that sweet word. We
read it often in Scripture, don't we? Now, now. John uses it here. Other places
we're told, now we have received the atonement, the benefits of
it. Now we're justified by his blood. Now there's no condemnation to
those who are in Christ Jesus. Now is our salvation nearer than
when we believed. And now are we the sons of God,
adopted into his family with Christ as our elder brother and
his inheritance being ours, joint heirs with him. Parents may give
their adopted children their home, their name, their possessions,
their love, but they can't give them their nature. Can't give
them their nature. But God does. God does. He has made us partakers of his
divine nature. Oh, the wonder of grace. The
wonder of his grace. Partakers of the divine nature. Christ in you. Not pretending
or reality. Christ in you, the hope of glory,
the image of Jesus Christ, God's Son, stamped upon the heart of
every regenerated believer. Behold, John said, what a wonder. What a marvel that we should
be called the sons of God. And the second one is this. John
says, behold another. Another marvel in verse 2. We
shall be like him. Now think of that. We shall be
like him. At present, John says, it does
not yet appear what we shall be. But he doesn't stop there,
does he? But we know when he shall appear,
We shall be like him. We shall be like him. One is
as certain as the other. As certain as his appearance
is, I'll come again, he said, for you. As certain is this also
that we shall be like him. When? Not if. There's no if about
it. No buts about it. When he shall
appear. Oh, blessed day. blessed day
when the Son of God, when He who created it all, folds it
all up and lays it aside and says time shall be no more and
He splits the clouds of glory, and he descends as the mighty
captain of our salvation and receives all of us to be with
him forever. Oh, my, what a day that will
be. John says, when he thus appears,
we shall be like him. We shall be like him. John heard
him say, I'm coming again for you. Our glorious Redeemer shall
appear. He shall come. Remember what
we read earlier in the last chapter of the book? Behold, I come quickly. I come quickly. A body like his,
John says, we shall have. We shall be like him. A body
like his own glorious body. Sinless, painless, incorruptible,
undefiled, immortal. Third, notice what John says. Behold, oh, here's a greater
wonder. I dare say this eclipsed even
the other two. We shall see him as he is. Tell me, how do you illustrate
that? What can compare to that? We
shall see him as he is of all the glories of heaven. This is
the best. Remember when our Lord at the
marriage of Canaan turned the water into wine and the servant
took it to the governor of the feast and he tasted it and said,
oh my, you've saved the very best for last. And so it is here. the very best that we shall see
him, the greatest gift of his grace, himself. Moses said, God, if I found grace
in your sight, Lord, show me your glory. And God said, Moses,
you can't see my face and live, but remember, that doesn't apply
here. Not to what John said, because
God was speaking to a mere mortal man on earth, but John is speaking
of those who shall have put on incorruption and or immortality. When Christ shall come for us,
we shall be changed, Paul wrote in 1 Corinthians 15. We shall
be changed, O blessed, blessed promise. We'll not always be
like this. No, no. I'll not always have
these fits of lukewarmness, up and down and hot and cold. No,
no, I'll be changed. One day, I'll have a heart that
absolutely loves Him all the time, fully, always. John says, we shall see Him,
that One who by Himself purged our sins. Oh, that one who is
the image of the invisible God, the express image of God, we
read in Hebrews 1, who by himself purged our sins, carried them
all the way to where they cannot be found. John says, we shall
see him. Face to face with Christ my Savior. Face to face what shall it be
when in rapture I behold him, Jesus Christ who died for me. I expect, as we read in Revelation,
there'll be much to see in heaven, won't there? Much to enjoy. We'll see angels. In Hebrews
1, angels are spoken of as God's ministering spirits, those whom
God sends forth to minister to those that shall be heirs of
salvation. We'll see the prophets Elijah,
the others, the apostles, Peter, James, John, Andrew, Matthew. Oh, what will that be like? We'll
see brethren. We'll be reunited with brethren
that we've known here and worshipped with here who have gone on. They'll be there because Christ
said, none of my sheep will be lost. None of them will ever
perish. None will ever be plucked out
of my hand, not even one. They'll all be brought to glory.
That's my will, that they be with me where I am. And yet,
all of that, as great a blessing as it is, yet all that must take
a back seat to this, does it not? They shall see his face. Shall see. Without question,
John says, we shall. We'll see him perfectly with
nothing between. Paul says, now, now, at our very
best, At the highest mountaintop experience, we see through a
glass darkly, but not then. Not then. Then, face to face. Face to face to see and know. We shall see him always. The
Lord himself shall descend from heaven with a shout, and so shall
we ever be with the Lord. We'll see him without indwelling
sin. What will that be like? without
a fallen nature, without a rival to compete for our attention. We'll see him always, we'll see
him perfectly. John says, we shall see him,
we. Job said, I shall see him. I
shall see him with mine own eyes, myself and not another. Each
of his own can take those words to be his own. We shall see him,
every child of God, every one chosen, Everyone redeemed, everyone
called, everyone kept by the power of God, everyone brought
to glory shall see him that loved them and gave himself, will be
gathered around him forever by a soul. No wonder John says,
behold, what sort of love is this? That we should be called
the sons of God. We shall see him in a way of
knowing of appreciating fully the blessing of that redemption
that he obtained on our behalf. We'll appreciate then in a way
we can't now of our eternal election, of being kept, being called,
being preserved unto eternal life. Our salvation then will
be complete. Notice what John says. When we
shall see him as he is, we shall be like him. Oh, what a transforming
look that will be. We shall be with him and like
him. No second class citizens in heaven. No. No. This idea of degrees
or rewards, that smells like Catholicism. That smells like
the rag of life purgatory. Oh, no. John says, we shall see
his face. Each are there not on any merit
of their own. My soul. We're there on the merits of
another. Heaven was earned not by anything
we ever did, but it was earned for us by Christ. We are there
because of him. He gave himself for us. John says, let's read it one
more time. John says, Behold, what manner
of love The Father had 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. Oh God, give us faith to know.
But we know that when He shall appear, we shall be like Him,
for we shall see Him as He is. Amen.