Our Heavenly Father’s Great Love

1 John 3:1-3

Why do we pray? Because we’re thankful to God for our salvation. It’s a reflection of what we know God to be - a loving heavenly father. And because of our sins and misery, we humble ourselves to call on him. And despite our sins, he hears us - why wouldn’t we pray? And Christ teaches us to pray to Our Father, in heaven. Why did Christ teach us to address God as father? It’s to remind us that we’re not approaching an unapproachable king, which he is without Christ; it’s also to remind us that we’re not approaching an angry judge, which he is without Christ; and it’s to remind us that we’re not approaching a fierce God, which he also is without Christ. It’s to remind us that he’s our loving heavenly father because of Christ.

This evening’s message is a gracious reminder. It seeks to show what our heavenly Father is like - he love us in Christ. And because the Holy Spirit pours God’s love into our hearts, that motivates us; it stirs our hearts to reciprocate that love - to love him back. There are 3 learning points from this passage. Firstly, God’s love is poured out on us that we would marvel. Secondly, God loved us so much, he made us his children. Thirdly, as God’s children, we yearn to obey him.

Firstly, God’s love is poured out on us that we would marvel. There are fathers who are overly strict. There are fathers who are overly cold. One example I can think of is Baron Von Trapp in The Sound of Music. He had his whistle and he barked orders to his children. They obeyed him. Why? It’s because they were afraid of him. And when Fraulein Maria met him, she marveled at how strict he was. But it was not in a good way. She couldn’t believe there was such a father. But when it comes to God, we also marvel; we marvel at his great love. Verse 1 says, “Behold, what manner of love the Father hath bestowed upon us, that we should be called the sons of God.”

Behold what manner of love! This was John’s experience with the love of God. The apostle John marveled that there was this kind of love being given to us. And he does this in 2 ways. He used the word “behold!” It’s like John the Baptizer when he saw Jesus coming to him. He told his disciples to behold the Lamb of God who takes away the sins of the world. It was such a sight to behold. Christ’s sacrifice pointed to the love of God. That’s why as an apostle, John had seen Jesus - he spent 3 years with Jesus and had seen Jesus’ miracles and heard Jesus’ teaching. That’s why he said in John 1 that he beheld Christ’s glory - full of grace and truth. But most of all, he experienced the love of Jesus. He was called the beloved disciple. And he also knew that Jesus came to do the will of the Father. The Father’s love was manifested through Jesus. That’s why here in his old age as he writes this letter, the thing that stands out in his life was God’s love. To him, the love of God was foremost in his mind. This was the love of God that led Jesus to the cross for our redemption and forgiveness. John wanted to awaken in his readers this childlike reverence and gratitude towards God - by showing them the love of the Father.

And because of that, he commanded his readers also to marvel at God’s love. Behold what manner of love the Father has bestowed. So not only is he asking us to behold, to see, to think, to consider the love of the Father, he’s asking us to see what manner of love it is. The word “what manner” means “what country or tribe” What does this mean? Sometimes when a foreigner goes into another country, people stare at him. He looks different, he dresses differently, he speaks differently. He’s different - he’s strange. There’s nothing like him in the whole country. He’s an alien. I remember when I was young, I lived in Thailand. I looked like everyone else, but when I started speaking in English, everyone looked at me. They stared. They marveled at me, a foreigner. So when we look at God’s love, we’re to see that it’s different - strange - foreign - other worldly. In other words, while people do love on earth - fathers love their children, but there’s nothing quite like God’s love in the world. The Father’s love is alien in the world. Now, why does John command his readers to marvel? It’s simple. If we don’t take the time to think about what God has done for us in Jesus, other thoughts will take its place. Fathers, we wish our children would not take us for granted. We wish they would remember our sacrifices and our desires for them. Similarly, we’re to think about how great God’s love is for us. Why has John called to behold? Why does Jesus commanded us to address God as Father? To awake in us a childlike reverence - to behold the love of the Father. That’s basic to our prayer. If we’re convinced that God is our loving heavenly Father, how can he deny us what we ask of him in Christ?

In 1 Corinthians 13, we are given all those characteristics of love - that it is patient, kind, not envious, not boastful, not proud, does not behave itself in an unseemly way, does not seek its own, is not easily provoked, does not think evil. And if God is love, as the Bible says, then God is also patient, kind, not envious, not boastful, not proud; he does not behave in an unseemly way, nor seek his own things, and is not easily provoked, or think evil. And this does affect our prayers. On earth, our fathers are imperfect. We work long hours, are not loving as we should be because we’re tired, irritable, impatient, and short tempered. But the love of the Father is to be marveled at. Wow - God the Father is really different.

Secondly, God loved us so much that he made us his children. And this love is bestowed. It’s been poured out as a gift. It’s undeserved. And this should amaze us because we were sinners - the enemies of God. God looked upon the earth and saw that the imaginations of man’s heart were continually evil, but God spared Noah. Israel sinned against God so much, but God sent prophets to call the people to repentance. Nineveh was so wicked and had done so many things against God’s people, but God sent Jonah there to preach judgment to them. What kind of love is this? And when the people of Jerusalem shouted for Jesus to be crucified, yet God was the one who sent the Spirit to them at Pentecost when they believed. Are we marveling at God’s love to us? The Bible tells us in Romans 5:8 that while we were yet sinners, Christ died for us. Romans 5:10 says that while we were enemies, we were reconciled to God when Jesus died for us. When Adam sinned, God could’ve rightly followed through with the penalty for taking the fruit - that they’d surely die. But God spared them, and clothed their shame and nakedness.

His love is persistent. There was once a man in Wales who sought to win the affection of a lady. She didn’t like him and refused to speak to him. He tried for 42 years. So when they were 74, they married. But for more than 40 years, this man pursued her. He slipped a weekly love letter under her door. And after writing 2,184 love letters, he knocked on her door, and she finally accepted him. Now, to be clear, this is just an illustration not a prescription to young men here. But the point I’m making is this - God not only gave of his time and effort to seek us; but he gave his Son to die for us. And if the Father has given all to save us, nothing can separate us from the love of God which is in Christ Jesus. Romans 8:38-39 - “For I am persuaded, 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.”

By this love has God made sinners his children. Verse 1 again says, “Behold, what manner of love the Father hath bestowed upon us, that we should be called the sons or children of God.” From sinners to sons. From sinners to saints. From enemies to embraced. No one can become children of God by their own strength. The people of the world, are not children of God. Only those who been given the love of God in Christ, are the children of God. And that’s why we’re told in our catechism we’re reminded that God has become our Father through Christ. And as children of God, we are changed. We’re given new life and a new spirit. Fathers, you know it as much as I do. When your children love you and can see your love for them, they respond out of love. They obey from a heart of love. But if we’re tyrants, and we wield punishments too often, they’ll obey us - but not from a changed heart of love - but from a heart of fear. This tells us something important. Only when we know the love of God deeply will we respond to him with our worship, love, service, and prayer - to know that since he gave Christ, how can he deny us all things? Romans 8:32 - “He that spared not his own Son, but delivered him up for us all, how shall he not with him also freely give us all things?”

And this lead us to our last point - as God’s children, we yearn to obey him. Verses 2-3 say, “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. And every man that hath this hope in him purifieth himself, even as he is pure.” When we understand the love of God, when we understand how he has changed us, then we yearn to obey him and see him. God doesn’t just demand our obedience. He supplies us with the grace to obey. Fathers don’t simply order their children around and expect them to obey. Sometimes we do that - wrongly. But fathers are to love their children so their children will obey. We are not what we are. That’s what the verse says. God has saved us. He has renewed us. But we are not there yet. We are not perfect. There’s a lot of work left to be done. But God motivates us in our changing.

What motivates us to change? Firstly, as verses 1 and 2 say, we are already children of God. Right now, we are God’s children. For better for worse, our families have a huge impact on how we will grow up and live. Some grow up in abusive homes - where anger is displayed every day. This may lead to suspiciousness and mistrust. Some grow up in immoral homes - where unclean music is listened to and unclean shows are watched. This may lead to impurity. But in a family where Christ is honored, the children will honor Christ. And what we see here, is that we are already children of God. We have at our disposal everything that we need to be holy. The Lord’s prayer tells us that God is in heaven. He can do all things for us - including helping us to be holy. We can expect from his almighty power all things we need for body and soul. And soul. So while we’re not perfect today, we will be made holier and holier. 2 Peter 1:3 says, “According as his divine power hath given unto us all things that pertain unto life and godliness, through the knowledge of him that hath called us to glory and virtue.” 1 John 3:2 says, right now, we are not what we should be - but we will be. We can’t imagine what that will be like. But we are given a clue. Verse 2 says that we will be like Jesus. Yes, the Bible has much to say about what that would be like. We’ll have no sin. We’ll have a perfect body. We’ll have perfect friendships. My goodness, what will that be like? We can’t fathom it.

William Dyke was a rich Englishman who had been blind since early childhood. After acquiring his wealth, he fell in love with one of England’s most beautiful young ladies. Soon they were engaged and a date was set for the wedding. Shortly before the anticipated event, Dyke submitted to a new surgical procedure that specialists said would restore his sight. Since his bandages had to stay on until the day of the wedding, the couple decided to have them removed during the ceremony. When the day arrived, William Dyke nervously took his place in the church. Soon the bride approached the altar on the arm of her father. Then came the dramatic moment when the doctor removed the last covering from Dyke’s eyes. As the groom’s eyes grew accustomed to the light, the first sight he beheld was the face of his beloved. As their eyes met, he exclaimed in wonder and joy, “At last!” We will shout “at last!” on that day.

Fathers, I’m sure you yearn for that day for your children - but do you yourself yearn for that? But until we get there, the heavenly love of the Father motivates us to be holy. Children who love their father will want to please their father. Verse 3 says that we should purify ourselves. The one who is loved by God, the one who hopes to be perfect one day, he should work on purifying himself today. This is something that we do until we die. We’re reminded in Colossians 3:1-3 - “If ye then be risen with Christ, seek those things which are above, where Christ sitteth on the right hand of God. Set your affection on things above, not on things on the earth. For ye are dead, and your life is hid with Christ in God.” God’s heavenliness motivates us to ask for things we need for our soul all the way until our deaths. Charles Simeon, the great 19th-century preacher, wanted to grow in holiness because of God. Even at his death bed, when he knew that he was soon going to die - he said these words - “Do you know what comforts me now? I find joy in the fact that in the beginning God created the heaven and the earth.” His friends asked - “You’re going to die! How are you joyful?” He replied - “Well, if God can bring all the wonder of the worlds out of nothing, He may still make something out of me!”

Dearly beloved, how can we apply this message and passage? Very simply, we must know the love of our Father in Christ. Know it by meditating on what God has done for us. We are to be overwhelmed by it. And come to God in childlike reverence. Has this love motivated your obedience? Pray that the Lord would make you holier as you should be. Remember, your own purity is dependent on God’s love. As he has loved you, let us do better, and so love others.