1 John 3:1-10 - Courage or Shame
Man, what a tough question John asks at the end of Chapter 2. What will it be guys, courage, or shame. This letter is packed with God’s transforming truth. It’s hitting me hard this week. I trust it does the same for you. Let God’s Word transform your mind, renew your spirit, and confirm your mission.
We hear in this message why God the Father sent the Son to earth: the Son of God came to take away our sins and to destroy the works of the devil (1 John 3: 5, 8). We often need to remember the second part of that. In the spiritual warfare we hear about in Daniel 10 God means business. God does not placate the devil. He will destroy the works of the devil.
So, what will it be boys, yes or no (to quote Meatloaf)? Courage or shame. If we can approach God with courage it will be because we’ve shown we are His with our actions. Likewise, if we are found to be loyal to the world’s ways we are shown to be loyal to the devil. What will it be when we meet Jesus? If we remain in Jesus Christ we will meet Him full of love and courage - not guilt and shame for wasting so much. We can cause division, disunity, and strife. Or we can, by the transcendent power of the Spirit of Christ destroy the works of the devil and bring unity, forgiveness, and righteousness. May God be glorified by his men, steadfast and obedient to Him alone.
God loves His children. He loves you. He loves me. That truth broke my heart in October 1990 - and it still breaks my heart this morning. In a good way. I’m overwhelmed when I think the Most High deeply loves me, a sinner.
May we take John’s words to heart. I’m praying for my good friends this morning and I’m praying for my family. Through prayer and God’s Providence, we will succeed. I know that my friends and family are a gift from God, precious in His sight. As John reminds us here - they are God’s children.
My beautiful daughter whom I love is not just my daughter, she is God’s daughter - He loves her completely. And the same for all my sons and my grandsons.
The thing that makes me weep, or sad if you will, when I think about death is being separated from my family. I absolutely love my wife’s company. She is funny kind and creative. She’s cute and honest and gentle. She doesn’t need a fancy title and selfish ambition knows nothing of her. She’s humble. She’s resilient and loyal and determined. And she’s full of God’s love. She’s full of God’s love. She is God’s daughter, His child.
Thank you Jesus for letting us get a glimpse of how much you love us through our friends and our family. La Sagrada Familia indeed.
John tells us in this chapter that God will go to great lengths to show His love for His children. God expects us to act like we ought to act. We bear the name of Jesus Christ. Our hockey jerseys may have read “BELL” (or whatever your name is) on the back, but God says that we are now grafted into His family - that means we now bear the name above all names. We now bear the name of Jesus Christ. That fact, that truth, is by Grace alone.
With being part of God’s family, and part of God’s love comes discipline. "Be a legalist at your peril, David," He says to me. "Look down your nose at others and fight by the world standards if you will, but it is not My way," confirms the Holy Spirit. Instead, forgive. Love. Leave vengeance to the Most High. That is our command. Sin no more. Make our lives meaningful by pouring love and healthy relationships into our kids' and grandkids’ lives. Only by following God and submitting to His discipline can we do that.
If I'm honest I can tell you that I'm disappointed in the church. We've had a really hard time finding a healthy New Testament-honoring church family. But I have not given up on God and I have not given up on the Church. I know that His Kingdom is forcefully advancing. And I know that we must advance in unity.
God the Father says this to the Son when the voice came to Him from the Majestic Glory who said, “This is My beloved Son, with whom I am well pleased” (2 Peter 1:17). That verse includes the Father, the Son, and the Holy Spirit - and it confirms what God wants to say to each of His children, to each of us.
This chapter of 1 John sums up what King Solomon concluded after he tried everything under the sun. Solomon tells us our command and our role, the secret of life if you will: to fear God and keep His commandments (Ecclesiastes 12:13). We are privileged men and women. We’ve been given time and opportunity to know God’s Word. That is a treasure beyond value. Now we must encourage and motivate each other to build. That means we not only study God’s word but we do it - and we teach it to others (Ezra 7:10).
God’s standard is different. We are to sin no more. No fighting. No division. All of us are aligned and in agreement, perfectly joined together in the same mind and judgment (1 Corinthians 1:9-10). This is impossible for me to do on my own, and it’s the opposite of what the spirit of this world wants. But it is John’s prayer for us (and Jesus' prayer for us in John 17:20-23). It is more than possible with God.
May today be a day of renewal, a day of celebration of new things in Christ. A day where we look at our family (immediate and our brothers and sisters in Christ) and don’t miss the opportunity to cherish them for who they are - children of God.
And may we want nothing to do with the worldy men, false teachers, and selfish ambition. And may we want everything to do with obeying the Holy Spirit so that we may humbly run to Jesus with courage. Amen.
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