Word of Salvation – Vol.12 No.31 – August 1966
Children Of God
Sermon by Rev. P. van der Schaaf on 1John 3:1a,2,3
Scripture Reading: 1John 1:1 – 2:11
Psalter Hymnal: 434; 420:6; 420:4 (after Law); 420:2; 369; 456; 467
Beloved Congregation,
“We are called Children of God”! We ARE called so. We don’t do it ourselves and it is not done on our initiative. Then it would only be a terrible boldness and an awful blasphemy. Imagine: sinful people like you and I calling themselves children of God!
This is an honour which one does not take upon himself. This must be bestowed upon us; this must be given to us by God Himself. He is the only One Who has the right and authority to call us after His name. If He does not do it, it is only a false name and an empty title. Worthless – because there is no reality behind it.
Well, it is God Himself Who calls us His children! God Who never lies. It is impossible that He should lie (Hebrews 6:18), He is the truth and therefore His Word is the truth. The names which He gives are true. If He calls us His children we ARE His children indeed. Our text states this expressly and we would realize this. It is not just a nice name or a high title. There is a great reality behind it. We ARE His children.
I admit, not everybody can claim this. John does not write to the world that lies in the evil, but to the Church that walks in the light. To the Church that walks in the light! John emphasizes this in the previous chapters. You may claim to have fellowship with Christ, but if you walk in darkness you lie and do not live according to the truth. You may claim to be a member of the Church, but if you disobey His commandments the truth is not in you. You may call yourself a child of God, without being a child of God. Examine yourselves, to see whether you are holding to your faith. Test yourselves (2Cor.13:5).
You know the test, don’t you? “This is the commandment, that we should believe in the name of His Son Jesus Christ and love one another.” “Everyone who believes that Jesus is the Christ is a child of God.” “To all who believe in His name HE gave power to become children of God.” Not only to be CALLED children of God, but also to BECOME children of God. And “by this may we be sure that we are in Him: he who says he abides in Him ought to walk in the same way in which He walked.” (1John 2:6;3:23;5:1).
The test is clear and simple! Hold it fast and let it not be changed. The Gospel of God’s love is at stake, “Behold what manner of LOVE the Father has bestowed upon us… that we are children of God”!
There is something of astonishment and wonder in these words. “Behold what manner of love….!” John is overwhelmed by it: – That God so loves us, – That we are His children – We who are sinful people. – We who are so little. – We who are completely dependent on Him, – We who receive life and breath and everything from Him. – We are called His children! “O Lord, what is man that Thou art mindful of him, and the son of man that Thou callest him Thy Child?” Is it only a matter of love, uncomprehended and unbought, beyond all knowledge and all thought. Let wonder fill our hearts as it filled John’s soul. Let it never be taken for granted. It is too great and high for that.
In fact it is so great because God is so great. We cannot understand Him. He passes all understanding. He is unsearchable. He dwells in unapproachable light. He is light Himself. You cannot imagine how great He is. His greatness is above all glory raised. You cannot stand the sun shining forth upon a cloudless morning. How much less you can bear the glory of God Who made the sun. Go and ask Moses, who prayed God to show him His glory. Moses stood in a cleft of a rock and the Lord descended in the cloud and stood with him there. He covered him with His hand while His glory passed by Him. When He had passed by He took away His hand so that Moses saw His back. “And Moses made haste to bow his head toward the earth, and worshipped”. (Ex.34:8). And we are children of that God! Go and ask Isiah, who saw the Lord sitting upon a throne. “High and lifted up; and His train filled the temple. And the seraphim called one to another: holy, holy, holy is the Lord of hosts; the whole earth is full of His glory. And the foundations of the thresholds shook and the house was filled with smoke. And Isaiah said: ‘Woe is me! For I am lost; for my eyes have seen the King, the Lord of hosts”(6:1ff). And we are children of that God!
Go and ask Peter and James and John who saw Christ on the mount of transfiguration. “His face shone like the sun, and His garments became white as light. A bright cloud overshadowed them, and a voice from the cloud spoke “This is My beloved Son, with Whom I am well pleased.” The disciples fell on their faces, and were filled with awe.” (Matthew 17:1 ff.) And we are children of that God!
Go and ask John, who saw his Lord on Patmos on the Lord’s Day. “His head and His hair were white as snow; His eyes were like a flame of fire, His feet were like burnished bronze, and His voice was like the sound of many waters; His face was like the sun shining in full strength. When John saw, he fell at His feet as though dead.” (Revelation 1:14ff.) That Jesus reflects the glory of God and we are children of that God! It is so now! It is not a matter of a faraway future, but of the present day. At this very moment there is a relationship between this God and us; a relationship as there is between father and son. We belong to Him as children belong to their father. It is not a matter of agreement or contract; not a matter of law and obedience. It is a matter of birth and love, and it comes all from God. “Behold, what manner of love the Father hath bestowed upon us…. whosoever believeth… is born of God.” “Can a woman forget her sucking child? Even these may forget, yet I will not forget you, says the Lord of Hosts,” Whose glory is so great that you haste to bow down towards the earth when it passes by (Isaiah 49:15). We are children of His NOW.
Above that, He is not a Father far away from us. Think of that wonderful introduction to this first letter of John! “That which we have seen and heard we proclaim unto you, so that you may have fellowship with us; and our fellowship is with the Father and with His Son Jesus Christ.” God’s children have fellowship with their Father. He is not far away, but near us. He is near us in His Word and Sacrament. “We proclaim” says John, “so that you may have fellowship.” The Word is near you! If we keep His word we walk in the light, and if we walk in the light we have fellowship with the Father.
Think also of the Holy Sacrament. The bread which we break and the cup which we Dress is communion with the body and blood of Christ, and in Him with the Father. The sacrament is not only an assurance from our Father far away, but it is also fellowship with the High and Holy One on earth. “Behold what manner of love the Father has bestowed upon us!” If this were all it was already marvellous, but there is still more to follow. “We are God’s children now; it does not appear what we shall be.”
This does not mean that there is a possibility, a risk, of ceasing to be children of God. On the contrary! We are just beginning. There are still great things in store. We are children of God, also the day when Jesus Christ shall appear. We don’t know exactly what glory that day will bring, but we do know that we shall grow into higher glory. “We shall see Him as He is”!
Him Whom we have never seen, but Whom we love because He has given Himself for us; we shall see Him in all His glory and we shall not perish. On the contrary! “We shall be like Him!” He shall shine as the sun in its strength and our countenances will be beaming with brightness of the light that from His face is streaming. (Hymn 182:5). His glory and holiness will be ours. We shall see His face and be glorified and purified with Him.
In our lives is going to happen something like what happened to Moses when he was with God on the mountain. “The skin of His face shone, because he had been talking with God.” (Exodus 34:29ff.) God’s glory permeated so to say into the skin of Moses’ face and so reflected the glory of God.
“So we all, with unveiled face, beholding the glory of the Lord, are being changed into His likeness from one degree of glory to another, says 2Corinthians 3:18. To behold God means to be transformed into His likeness. To see Him as He is means to become like He is. Now Corinthians says that “beholding the glory of God, we ARE BEING changed”; it is a process going on in this time. Those who are walking in the light are being changed to light. Those who walk with Christ become like Christ, more and more, until the coming of Christ in glory. Now in this world we see Christ and His glory only by faith as in a mirror, but then we shall see face to face in all fullness. Now we are being changed, but then our transformation into His likeness will be completed. Then His glory shall fill our lives so completely that we shall be like Him.
This will be the blessedness of the world to come. Because we are like Him, we shall be able to have full communion with Him. “Blessed are the pure in heart”, says Jesus, “for they shall see God.” (Matthew 5:8) Blessed are they who are like Him, for they shall see Him as He is. This is the blessedness of the soul for which Moses was longing: “I pray Thee, show me Thy glory.” (Ex.33:18). Well, according to our text you shall see it; what is more, you shall be like Him.
In fact we have now words to explain all this. “No eye has seen, nor ear heard, nor the heart of man conceived, what God has prepared for those who love Him.”(1Cor.2:9). We know only in part, yes, but we shall see! Those who have this hope in Him wait with patience for that great future. With perseverance they run the race that is set before them knowing that the end will be seeing face to face Him Who is the perfection of all glory: Jesus Christ their Lord.
“And everyone who thus hopes in Him purifies himself as He is pure. For “Christ loved the church and gave Himself up for her, that He might sanctify her, that the church might be presented before Him in splendour, without spot or wrinkle, or any such thing, that she might be holy and without blemish,” (Ephesians 5:25 ff.) That is being pure as He is pure!
If you realize that this is Christ’s great desire you can’t help trying to become pure as He is pure. He gave Himself up for this high ideal, and now you are going to strive for it, too He is the Bridegroom and you are His Bride! As your Bridegroom He waits for you in His glory and as His Bride you adorn yourself with your jewels for the great day of seeing the Bridegroom.
That is real Christian life. It is travelling in the direction of the Bridegroom adorning yourself with the jewels He has given you.
Christ was given us as our righteousness and holiness and we wash our robes and make them white in His blood. (Rev.7:14). We put on the new nature, created after the likeness of God in righteousness and holiness. (Ephesians 4:24). We owe it all to Him, but we are not sitting by idly. The grace of God makes us always active, Everyone who has that great hope on Christ purifies himself as He is pure! When he realizes that he is going to see the Bridegroom face to face, he realizes also that he has just a small beginning of the Bridegroom’s purity. This however does not drive him to despair. For a good Christian never hopes in himself, but always and only in Christ. Christ, the Bridegroom is there, and therefore the Bride shall see Him as He is. She has this as a sure and steadfast hope. And after every sin she returns to Him and washes her robes in His blood and puts on the robes of His righteousness and holiness. And so she travels on again, because she knows that her Bridegroom waits for her. “Not that I have already obtained this or am already perfect; but I press on to make it my own, because Christ Jesus has made me His own.” (Philip.3). Such people are rightly called children of God. Such people are really children of God. Such people shall be changed from purity to purity. Such people shall see Him as He is; our Bridegroom in all His glory! “See what love the Father has given us!”
Amen.