Friday, August 26, 2016, 3:16 p.m. – The Lord Jesus put in mind the song “Oh, To Be Like Thee.” Speak, Lord, your
words to my heart. I read 1 John 3:1-18
(ESV).
To Be Like Him
(vv. 1-3)
See what kind of love the Father has given to us, that
we should be called children of God; and so we are. The reason why the world
does not know us is that it did not know him. Beloved, we are God's children
now, and what we will be has not yet appeared; but we know that when he appears
we shall be like him, because we shall see him as he is. And everyone who thus
hopes in him purifies himself as he is pure.
God’s love for us is so
amazing! I am so grateful for his grace to us. We are all so underserving of
his love and grace. Yet, the Father sent his Son Jesus Christ to die on a cross
for our sins so that we could be delivered from bondage to sin, so we could be
set free to walk in his righteousness and holiness, and in order that we might
no longer live our lives to fulfill our own sinful desires. He didn’t do this
because of our goodness, but because of his great love for us, since our
righteousness is like filthy rags in his sight. Yet, in his great love and
mercy he provided the way that we might be saved from our sins and have the
hope of eternal life with God in heaven. Amen!
God’s will for his children
is that we be holy, which means to be set apart (unlike, different) from this
sinful world, because we are becoming like Jesus, i.e. because God is
transforming us into his likeness. This is a process which begins the moment we
accept God’s invitation to his great salvation, and it continues throughout our
time we live on this earth. This holiness is not optional, though. If we live
our lives according to our sinful flesh we will die without God, but if by the
Spirit we are putting to death the deeds of the flesh, and if we are walking in
the Spirit, in Christ’s holiness, we will live. Then, one day, when he returns for
us, and we are given glorified bodies, we will be like him fully in holiness
and righteousness (Phil. 3:20-21).
Practicing Righteousness (vv. 4-10)
Everyone who makes a practice of sinning also
practices lawlessness; sin is lawlessness. You know that he appeared in order
to take away sins, and in him there is no sin. No one who abides in him keeps
on sinning; no one who keeps on sinning has either seen him or known him.
Little children, let no one deceive you. Whoever practices righteousness is
righteous, as he is righteous. Whoever makes a practice of sinning is of the
devil, for the devil has been sinning from the beginning. The reason the Son of
God appeared was to destroy the works of the devil. No one born of God makes a
practice of sinning, for God's seed abides in him, and he cannot keep on
sinning because he has been born of God. By this it is evident who are the
children of God, and who are the children of the devil: whoever does not
practice righteousness is not of God, nor is the one who does not love his
brother.
Many people today are
teaching a gospel message which says we don’t have to repent of our sins, and
we don’t have to obey God, because God requires nothing of us, because he does
it all. When they teach this, they give their adherents free license to
continue living in sin without guilt and without remorse. They tell them that a
simple prayer to receive Christ is all they need to secure heaven, and that it
will not be taken away from them no matter how they live their lives from that
moment forward. But, is that what God’s word teaches? No!
We learn in scripture that if
we continue walking in sin, and yet we say we have fellowship with God, or that
we love God, or know God, that we are liars, and the truth is not in us. God
does not demand sinless perfection, but he does demand a change in lifestyle.
In other words, it is not that we have to be literally perfect, for if that
could be gained through trying to keep the law, Christ would not have had to
die for our sins. Yet, we should never use lack of perfection as an excuse for
continued and willful sin against God. When we truly put our faith and trust in
Jesus Christ to be Lord (owner-master) and Savior of our lives, we are
crucified with Christ in death to sin, and we are resurrected with Christ to
newness of life, “created to be like God in true righteousness and holiness” (See:
Eph. 4:17-24; Ro. 6:1-23).
Love One Another (vv. 11-18)
For this is the message that you have heard from the
beginning, that we should love one another. We should not be like Cain, who was
of the evil one and murdered his brother. And why did he murder him? Because
his own deeds were evil and his brother's righteous. Do not be surprised,
brothers, that the world hates you. We know that we have passed out of death
into life, because we love the brothers. Whoever does not love abides in death.
Everyone who hates his brother is a murderer, and you know that no murderer has
eternal life abiding in him.
By this we know love, that he laid down his life for
us, and we ought to lay down our lives for the brothers. But if anyone has the
world's goods and sees his brother in need, yet closes his heart against him,
how does God's love abide in him? Little children, let us not love in word or
talk but in deed and in truth.
Amen! In this world we have
so many misconceptions concerning what it means to love other people. So many
people think that love is just a feeling or words you say to make someone feel
good, whether you mean them or not. They tell people lies and call it kindness
or politeness. They won’t stand up for what they say they believe in because
they are worried they might offend people and make them feel uncomfortable. What
they are really worried about is that others might reject them, and so this is
really about loving self rather than truly loving others.
Jesus is God, and God is
love, and yet Jesus did not ever back down from his beliefs, or compromise the
truth, or shy away from sharing the truth of the gospel so that people would
like him. He was not here to win a popularity contest but to save sinners and
to free them to walk in his righteousness. He laid down his life for us so that
we could go free from sin, not so we could continue in sin guilt free. It is
never loving to tell people lies. It is not love to give people a false hope of
salvation by telling them that they don’t have to turn from their sins and
follow Christ in obedience. They may like us, but they may go straight to hell.
You have heard the saying, “Real
friends do not let their friends drink and drive.” I say, “Real friends do not
let their friends continue in sin and tell them that they will go to heaven no
matter what they do.” If we really love people, we will tell them the truth.
Yes, many will hate us and they will reject us, and they may falsely accuse us
and turn others against us, too. Yet, if we are to lay down our lives for
others, as Christ laid down his life for us, then we need to follow Jesus’
examples to us on how to truly love others.
Jesus healed the sick, raised
the dead, comforted the sorrowful, and he fed the hungry, and we should do
likewise. Yet, he also told people the truth about what was in their hearts,
and that if they did not repent, that they would be cast out into utter
darkness where there would be weeping and gnashing of teeth. He told them that
many would come to him on the day of judgment and would say, “Lord, Lord,” but
he would tell them to depart from him, because he never knew them. In other
words, true faith in Jesus Christ is not just words we say, but true faith is
accompanied by obedience to Christ and his Word. It is the same with love. If
we truly love God we will do what he says. If we love others, we will show it
by our actions.
Oh, to Be Like Thee, Blessed Redeemer
Thomas O. Chisholm / W. J. Kirkpatrick
Oh, to be like Thee! blessèd Redeemer,
This is my constant longing and prayer;
Gladly I’ll forfeit all of earth’s
treasures,
Jesus, Thy perfect likeness to wear.
Oh, to be like Thee! full of
compassion,
Loving, forgiving, tender and kind,
Helping the helpless, cheering the
fainting,
Seeking the wandering sinner to find.
O to be like Thee! lowly in spirit,
Holy and harmless, patient and brave;
Meekly enduring cruel reproaches,
Willing to suffer others to save.
O to be like Thee! while I am pleading,
Pour out Thy Spirit, fill with Thy
love;
Make me a temple meet for Thy dwelling,
Fit me for life and Heaven above.
Oh, to be like Thee! Oh, to be like
Thee,
Blessèd Redeemer, pure as Thou art;
Come in Thy sweetness, come in Thy
fullness;
Stamp Thine own image deep on my heart.
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