Ron Dunn Podcast - First John Part 10

Episode Date: April 6, 2022

Ron Dunn continues his First John series

Our scripture reading this morning is from 1st John, the 3rd chapter. 1st John, the 3rd chapter, the first three verses. The first three verses of the 3rd chapter of 1st John. And so if you have your Bibles, if you'd open them please to this portion of the Word of God. 1st John, the 3rd chapter, verses 1 through 3. These are tremendous verses, and they contain so much in them that we need to see this morning. 1 John, chapter 3, the first three verses of this chapter. Behold, what manner of love the Father hath 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 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. One of the most interesting pastimes is to sit in an airplane terminal or a railroad terminal or a bus terminal and watch people. I don't know if you have cultivated the art of people watching or not, but it is really more interesting than bird watching. And there have been many a time when I've had an hour or two or three or four lay over a missed

a plane or something and I I really enjoy just sitting in the terminal and watching the different people go by especially when you're at one of the international ports of entry like New York or even parts of the DFW. And it's always interesting to see the people as they disembark from the plane and come into the terminal and try to figure out from what country they are from. Of course, when you see a fellow walking through the terminal in cowboy boots and a 10-gallon hat, you don't have much doubt as to what part of the country he's from. But occasionally, you'll see someone dressed in an unusual garb and with a different air about them and just unable to identify where they come from. Well, I don't know if you're aware of it or not, but this people-watching business is very ancient.

In the ancient world, especially in the New Testament world, it was one of the favorite pastimes of some of the inhabitants of, say, like a seaport, to sit at the dock all day long. I guess they had their local spit-and-whittle clubs, and perhaps some of the people would just sit there all day long watching the people as they would disembark. And it got to where they could identify everyone as they stepped off the ship and they could tell by the person's countenance, by the color of his skin,

by the kind of clothes that he wore, they could tell what country this particular traveler came from. But occasionally, they would be confronted with a traveler who was absolutely unique. His dress was different than any they'd ever seen. Perhaps the features of his face and perhaps when he spoke, the language, the dialect, the accent was totally unfamiliar to them. And when these professional people watchers

would spot a traveler like this, there was one particular Greek word that they would use. And that Greek word literally meant, from what country does this one come? From what country? And it meant that they were up against somebody that was completely foreign and unique. And they had never seen anybody like this before. Now that very same Greek word is the word that the Apostle John uses in the first verse of this third chapter translated what manner. Behold what manner of love the Father hath bestowed upon us. And it is though the Apostle John were a professional watcher.

And he had seen the different kinds of love that this world knows about. And suddenly there comes upon the scene a love that is so unique, a love that is so different, a love that is dressed in such unusual garb and has about it such an unfamiliar accent. John says, Behold, what manner of love is this that the Father hath bestowed upon us? What the apostle is saying is this,

that you and I may live in a world where the word love is thrown loosely around. It's very popular and it's the thing just to tell people you love them. And somebody will call you up on the phone before they say goodbye. They say, I just want you to know I love them. And somebody will call you up on the phone. Before they say goodbye, they say, I would just want you to know I love you. You can turn on your radio and you can hear songs about love. And sometimes you think that perhaps the people that wrote the song didn't have the slightest idea of what love is all about. And the stories on television that are portrayed are most of the time about love, love of money or love of country or love of a husband or wife or sweetheart or somebody. And yet, once the love of God steps on the scene of human activity,

if you ever really behold and examine and observe the love of God, you have to say with the Apostle John, what kind of love is this? This kind of love is completely foreign to anything that I've ever seen before. And the world knows absolutely nothing of this kind of love. Behold what manner of love the Father hath bestowed upon us. And the grandest occupation that a believer can engage in is observing the love of God. That's better than bird watching, and that's better than people watching, to watch and observe the love of God.

And as a matter of fact, that's what this book is all about. It is an unfolding of the love of God as it reaches down and seeks out that which was lost, and seeks out that which was lost and seeks out that which was its own enemy. And the Word of God is simply an unfolding or an observatory where you and I are permitted to see a kind of love that is totally foreign to anything that you and I know anything about.

Behold what manner of love the Father hath bestowed upon us. I think perhaps the secret of a man like John, the secret of his zeal and enthusiasm was that he was overwhelmed by the love of God. You know, we have some drapes in our house, as you have in your house. It's very interesting to notice that

one side of those drapes after a while become faded because they've been exposed to the sunlight. And sometimes biblical words are like that. They become so overused and so exposed that they're drained of all their meaning and drained of all their color. And we throw this thing about the love of God around so glibly and so flippantly. I think that really most of us this morning have lost the awe and the wonder of the fact that God loves us. The greatest revelation to your heart and to my heart this morning ought to be the fact that God loves me, and yet how easily I say that. How easily we sing about it, how easily we preach it, and yet how little effect it has upon us to think that God

loves me, that the God who made me and the God who created the heavens and the earth, the God who himself is absolute holiness and righteousness, yet he loves me. God who knows me through and through, yet he loves me. You see, the astonishing thing about this love, and I think this is why the Apostle John uses the word that he uses, the astonishing thing about this love is that God loves us in

spite of the fact he knows everything about us and that there is nothing in me that would call forth this love. There is no reason at all why God should love me and yet in spite of what God knows I am, in spite of what God knows about am, in spite of what God knows about me, in spite of the fact there is no reason that God should love me yet, God loves me. Everlastingly, without reservation, without hesitation, without counting the cost, God loves me. And John says, Behold what manner of love the Father hath bestowed upon us. And I think that this particular verse comes in at a

very important space in this epistle of 1 John. If you took the time to examine the context of this passage, you will find that in the second chapter of this epistle, he has been talking about the Christian's involvement in the world, that he lives in the midst of a world, the lust of the flesh and the lust of the eyes and the pride of life, a world that is constantly passing away. And not only does he live in the midst of a hostile world, but he lives in the midst of hostile forces and influences. He talks about the antichrists, about the enemies of the cross, and what he is nailing down for us is that the Christian actually lives in a very precarious position, that he's caught between two worlds, the world that is and the world that is to come,

that he is in essence between a rock and a hard place. He is living in a world that is a formidable enemy. He is living amidst defilements and allurements, and yet in the midst of that, he is supposed to remain pure and holy, and his heart is supposed to be fastened to the heart of God. And I think that what John is saying is this, the only way that you and I can ever really maintain our spiritual equilibrium in a world that is constantly trying to knock us off balance is this, as we behold the love of God, as we behold the love of God. It reminds me of what the apostle Paul says in 2 Corinthians, the love of Christ constraineth me. And the word constraineth means it holds me to the task and it grips me and it captivates me.

And there the apostle was simply letting us in on one of the secrets of his life. The reason he did not fail in courage and the reason he did not turn and run when the opposition became overwhelming was, he says, the love of Christ holds me and grips me and it captivates me. The love of Christ constrains me.

Not his love for Christ. My love for Christ couldn't hold me to anything. My love for Christ is too weak. Paul is not saying of his love for Christ, but it's the love that Christ has towards him that constrains him. And captivated by the fact that Jesus Christ loves him, Paul says, this is what keeps me at the task, the fact that he loves me. And the apostle John is saying, if you and I living in this world as it is, we must do one thing. Behold what manner of love the Father hath bestowed upon us,

that we should be called the sons of God. Let me mention another thing about this verse. The word bestowed is a word that might indicate an endowment. The Father has endowed us with something. You see, the love of God is something more than just the fact that God loves us, but it is something that God bestows upon us. I walk through this world not merely knowing the fact that God loves me, but knowing that God has endowed me with something that sets me off and makes me unique in this world, that there is about me a quality which this world knows nothing of,

I have received an endowment from the Heavenly Father. And that endowment is God's love. God has bestowed, God has endowed His love upon me so that this love is supposed to be a constant power and a constant influence in my life. Now, what I want to do this morning is to take these three verses, and I want us to examine the endowment of the love of God. What has the love of God done for us?

What does the love of God do for us? What is this endowment, this inheritance, this richness that the love of God has given us? What is it? There's one in verse 1, there's another in verse 2, and there's another in verse 3. First of all, the Apostle John says, the love of God, as it has been bestowed upon each one of us in Jesus Christ, has endowed us with a new and holy privilege. A new and holy privilege. You can get away from the fact

that the Bible really thinks a lot of Christians. Now, you may not think much of Christians, and the world may not think much of Christians, but I tell you, this Bible really has a high regard for Christians. In other words, it seems to think they are privileged people. Above everybody else in this world, the Christian has the highest and greatest privilege that anybody has ever been afforded. And this privilege comes from the fact that God has loved us. And this privilege is twofold.

Number one, the privilege of having a new name. The privilege of having a new name. The privilege of having a new name. Look at the first verse. Behold what manner of love the Father hath bestowed upon us, that we should be called the sons, or rather the children of God. That we should be called the children of God. That's our new name. What is my name? I'm a child of God. You say, what's so great about that? Well, you'd know what was so great about it if you knew what your old name was. You only have to study the Bible a little bit to find out what God said your old name was.

Would you like just to hear some of the old names that God has given you? Sons of Adam. You say, that's not so bad. What about this one? Sons of Adam. You say, that's not so bad. What about this one? Sons of the devil. Children of disobedience. Children of wrath. Children of rebellion.

Children of judgment. You see, when God looks upon the human family, He has names for them. And a great looks upon the human family, He has names for them. And a great portion of the human family, their name, what they're known by is as children of wrath. That means children who are reserved for the wrath of God. Children of disobedience. Children whose very nature it is, is to rebel against God. And the privilege that the love of God has bestowed upon us is this,

that God has given us a new name. What is that name that I should be called what? The child of God. The child of God. That word called is an interesting word, and I don't want to sound like a dictionary this morning, but the Bible is made up of words, and every word is so important. The word call means to be invited to a feast or invited to a banquet. Now, you see, when God calls us,

and the call of God comes to a man, and when you hear the gospel preached, the Spirit of God comes and does something in your heart, and God calls you to Himself. And I know a lot of people, they have the idea that when God calls me to something, what He's calling me to is a funeral, or He's calling me to a miserable time, or He's calling me to give up this and to give up that. And yet the word itself means somebody, it means call to something that is exciting, something that is filled with joy and happiness. God is inviting us to something that is great. What's He inviting us to? He is inviting us to be called His children.

And the first privilege that a believer has is to be called by a new name, the children of God. But not only do we have the privilege of a new name, we have also the privilege of a new nature. You know, it's one thing to change your name, but that doesn't necessarily change your nature.

You know what my name is, don't you? Did you know there's somebody else in Irving that has my exact name? And did you know there's somebody else in Irving that has my exact name? And did you know that we're constantly getting phone calls about hot checks? And you know, it gets very embarrassing.

I received a phone call not long ago and it was from, what is this, something state liquor store. And he said, are you Ronald L. Dunn? And I said, yes, I am. He said, well, we have one of your checks here for $8. I said, you have what? One of my?

He said, we have one of your checks here for $8 and something. I don't know how much that will buy. But anyway, it's a liquor store down here. I had one of my checks, and it bounced. I said, wait just a minute. What's the address on that check? And they read me the address. I said, listen, I'm not that person.

I'm the pastor of McCarley Boulevard Baptist Church. He said, well, I knew you were, and I really didn't think this was you. And sometimes my wife will go into a store, and before she can write a check, she's got to make everybody know that she's not that Mrs. Dunn that's been writing hot checks all over the world. Now, I wish that fellow would either move out of town, but I really wish he'd change his name,

but I tell you what I really wish, I wish he'd change his nature. He could change his name, but that's not going to help him much at all. He might change it to Jamil Badry, and then Jamil would be in it. Listen, I know a lot of people that are changing their names, and they walk into a service like this. They walk down an aisle. They shake a preacher's hand and they change their name. They say, I'm a Baptist. But friend, that doesn't mean you've changed your nature. And when God calls a man, he not only gives him a new name and he gives him a new nature. And friend, that's what everybody needs. That we should be called what? The children of God. And look at that second verse. Beloved, now are we the sons of God.

One translation renders it like this, that we should be called the sons of God, and His sons we are. It's more than just a name. It's more than just a name. Listen, you've got to see this. You've got to understand this, that it's more than just a name.

You do more than bear the name of Christ. You bear Christ's nature. His life, his nature, his character has been imparted unto you. And the word that John uses, translated children there, is the word that carries the idea of the impartation of life. And he says, now we are the sons of God. It's more than just a name. It's more than just God calling us a child of God. We literally are the children of God, just as much as I am a child of my father who gave me birth 38 years ago, I am just that much the child of my father in heaven. And just as much as I bear the nature of my earthly father,

I bear the nature of my earthly father, I bear the nature of my heavenly father. And just as much as the life of my earthly father courses through my veins, so the life of my heavenly father fills and floods my spirit, and he is my life. And that's a privilege, to have the life of God himself

communicated to me. All right? That's the first endowment that the love of God gives us. It bestows upon us a high and holy privilege. The second thing is this. That the love of God endows us with promise for the future. With a promise, with a high and holy prospect. The second verse, John says, Beloved, now are we the sons of God, and it doth not yet

appear what we shall be. Now you stop there for a moment. John said we are the sons of God, and he said, I can't tell you everything we're going to be. He said I don't know what all the future has and I can't tell you everything that God has in store for us but I do know this but we know this that when he shall appear we shall be like him for we shall see him as he is. What is this prospect for the child of God? Number one, we shall see Christ.

We shall see Christ. That's not figurative language. That's literal talk. For we shall see him. Notice, we shall see him as he is, not as he was. We shall see him as he is. That means that Jesus Christ is alive and reigning and living right now. And one of these days you and I will see him as he is. We shall see him. I was reading just the other day of an incident that happened on one of these Mississippi tour boats that traveled down the Mississippi River.

One of the passengers, a woman I believe it was, fell over. And of course there was so much confusion. And some man just jumped in that muddy and churning waters of the Mississippi and dragged that woman to the side of the boat where they could haul them both up. And they brought the woman later down the boat, and they began to minister to her physical needs. And when she came to and was able to speak, she said, who is it that jumped in to save me?

She said, I want to see the man that jumped in to save me. I read that this past week, and I couldn't help but think about this verse, we shall see him as he is. I wish that you've read that sermon, John Jasper's sermon, and you've read the story of his life. John Jasper was a very colorful preacher. He said, when I die and go to heaven, he said somebody would come up to him and say,

John Jasper, do you want to see Abraham? Do you want to see Paul? Do you want to see John? Do you want to see Simon Peter? Do you want to see the golden streets and the diamond doorknobs and all of that? John Jasper said, I want to see Simon Peter? Do you want to see the golden streets and the diamond doorknobs and all of that? John Jasper said, I want to see all those things. But first, he said, I want to see the Savior, the face of the Savior.

You know, I get excited sometimes thinking about all those things that are going to be ours. I've got a lot of questions I hope someday will be answered. There are a lot of people I want to see. But I tell you, most of all, I want to see the face of the man that saved me. And the prospect of the believer is this. We shall see him as he is. But not only will we see him,

the Bible says we'll be like him. We shall be like him. Say, do you ever get tired of being like you are? Now, I don't care if you are a spirit-filled, sanctified believer. If you're honest this morning, sometimes you get tired of being like you are. There are times when I think I've just about got depression licked, and it walks up on me again. There are some times when I think I've just about got

frustration beat. There are times when I think I've just about got to the point where I'll never worry about anything at all. Man, I have been awarded the golden seal for faith and I'll never worry about anything again. And about that time somebody pulls a rug out from under me and I'm worrying where my next meal is coming from. Do you ever get tired of being what you are? Well, listen, I have news for you. God has bestowed upon us his love and this love guarantees that someday you and I will be just like Jesus. I'm not talking now about physical appearance. I doubt seriously if you and I are going to look just like Jesus. I don't think all of us are going to look alike up there. I think we'll have our identity. Simon Peter recognized Moses and Elijah on the Mount of Transfiguration. We have our identity, but as far as spiritual

nature is concerned, as far as the old hindrances of the flesh, as far as these old enemies of our nature are gone, they shall be annihilated once and for all, and we shall be exactly like Him. We shall be exactly like Him. One final thing. The love of God bestows upon us a new purity, a new pursuit. You see, if you've got privilege

and you've got prospect, then there is placed upon you a high and holy pursuit in this life. Thank God one of these days we're going to be in heaven. What do we do? Just sit around and wait for it? Notice what he says in verse 3. And every man that has this hope in him. What hope?

The hope that one day he will see Christ, and in seeing him he will be instantaneously changed into the likeness of Jesus. Every man that has this hope in him does what? Sits around and praises the Lord and says, I can hardly wait for it to happen. Every man that has this hope in him purifies himself even as he is pure. Now listen very carefully. The evidence, the evidence that you have this hope in you

is not that you sit around longing and yearning for heaven, but the evidence that you have this hope in you is that you daily are purifying yourself just as Jesus is pure. Every man, notice that, every man, not most of them, not the super saints, not the Spirit-filled ones, every man that has this hope in him does what? He purifies himself even as Jesus is pure. Now that word pure means an inward purification

and dedication it does not mean essential sinlessness but rather it means moral purity now listen carefully moral purity maintained

by discipline and fearfulness in the midst of defilements. Did you know that God is never called pure? But the Lord Jesus is. Why? Because the Lord Jesus Christ became a man as we are without our fallen human nature, subjected himself to temptation. He felt the pains of human nature.

He was tempted in all points such as we are, yet amidst the allurements of the devil and the defilements of this world, with desire and discipline, with fearfulness, he what? Maintained his moral purity. And every believer that has this hope in himself purifies himself, even as he is pure. The motive of this purity is the fact that we're going to see Jesus. This word pure was the word that was used of the ceremonial cleansing of a priest. Before a priest could go in and minister before

the altar of the Lord, he had to purify himself. Let's suppose this priest had in some way contaminated himself. Perhaps he had touched a dead body. Perhaps some other way he had contaminated himself. Now, he was impure. This means he was unfit to enter into the presence of God. Therefore, this priest had to go through a ceremonial purification, a very complex and complicated system of ceremonial cleansing to do what? To make himself fit to minister unto the Lord in the presence of the Lord. Now, listen very carefully. If you and I, if you and I really know that we live in the presence of the Lord. Now listen very carefully. If you and I really know that we live in the presence of the Lord and our lives is to be a ministry unto the Lord and that someday we're going to see Him as He is,

then you and I every day must make certain that we are what? Pure. Just as that priest could not enter into the presence of God until he was pure, you and I, realizing that someday we're going to see Jesus as he is, and even in this day we live in his presence and share his life, we purify ourselves. The motive of this purity is the fact we shall see Christ. The means of this purity is our own desire and discipline.

Notice it says that he that has this hope purifies himself. I think that's significant. He purifies himself. You said, I thought God had to make me pure. The Bible says he purifies himself. Now, to be sure, it is God that worketh in you both to will and do of his pleasure, but you have to work out your own salvation even though it's God that works in you both to will and do of his pleasure, but you have to work out your own salvation, even though it's God that works in you.

Folks, it's not just sitting down and leaving it all to the Lord, but it's getting up and cooperating with God in doing what God has asked us to do. And we purify ourselves by desire, first of all, the desire to be as pure as Christ, and secondly, by the discipline, by the discipline to maintain our moral purity. And then the measure of this purity, even as he is pure. How pure am I to be?

Well, how pure is Christ? Notice it doesn't say even as he was pure, but even as he is pure right now. How pure do you imagine Jesus Christ is in his resurrected, glorified, exalted state as he sits on the right hand of the Father on high? How pure do you imagine he is? All right, what is the measure of my purity? I want to tell you something.

There have been too many of us sitting in this place this morning who've had too low of a standard when it comes to personal purity. I want to ask you a question this morning. Are you personally pure? You say, I don't drink. That's not what I'm talking about. You say, I'm not living in immorality. That's not what I'm talking about. You say, I'm not living in

immorality. That's not what I'm talking about. I want to know this morning, are you personally as pure as it is humanly possible for you to be at this time and place? Now, next week, it'll be humanly possible with divine enablement for you to be more pure. But I'm saying right now where you are in your Christian life, are you as pure? You say, what do you mean? Are you free from bitterness, from resentment, from unforgiveness, from critical spirit, from hatred, from jealousy, are you as pure this morning as it is humanly possible for you at this time and place to be pure?

If you're not, then if you continue in that, you have reason to doubt that you have that hope in you. You see, if a man recognizes that he's not as pure as he ought to be, he's not as pure as he could be, and he finds himself tolerating, tolerating things he knows are inconsistent with that purity, and he continues doggedly, determinedly in that state, then he has no evidence that he has the hope of seeing Christ in his life.

That's what the Bible says. And those that have followed with me this morning know that that's exactly what the Word of seeing Christ in his life. That's what the Bible says. And those that have followed with me this morning know that that's exactly what the Word of God says. I didn't say you didn't have the hope. I said you have no evidence that you've got the hope in you. You say, but preacher, I will say when I was nine years old, I'm a deacon, I'm a preacher, I'm a singer in the choir. The evidence that you have that hope in you

is not that you're a deacon or a preacher or a singer in the choir. The evidence is that you are daily, daily purifying yourself as Jesus is pure. If you're not doing that, you don't have any evidence. Now, you can make all the profession you want, but you can't back it up with anything that's factual, you see. It's not your profession. It's your proof that you have that hope in you. And I want to ask you this morning, do you have the visible proof,

the evidence that you have that hope in you? I don't care how teary-eyed you get when you think about heaven, and I don't care how joyously you sing the songs about heaven. What I want to know this morning, are you giving the biblical proof that you have that hope in your heart? Are you purifying yourself even as he is pure?

You wonder why you can't worship as you once could? Well, friend, you're not pure. You see, this word, pure, is a ceremonial word indicating my fittedness for worship in the presence of God. Well, you say, man, I can't pray like I used to could.

Somehow I can't worship as I once did. You know why? You're not pure. You say, no, it's not me. It's everybody else. Friend, Jesus Christ lived in the midst of total, of total unchristianized civilization, and yet he had unbroken fellowship with the Father. I doubt seriously if Jesus Christ ever had any trouble worshiping.

You know why? Because he was pure. You say, well, there's something in me. I somehow or another, I can't worship as I once could. Somehow or another, I can't pray as I once could. I can't get a hold of God. What's wrong? You're not pure.

Now, I'll tell you something. If you'll get pure, every impurity that you know that's in your life, you get rid of it, the rest of the bunch may stay as impure as the devil, but you'll be able to get hold of God. And as far as the Word of God is concerned, the only, the only tangible proof and evidence that you have this hope in your heart is that you are purifying yourself,

even as Jesus Christ is pure. Are you pure this morning? Am I pure? If I'm not able to get hold of God, then there's a reason. If you're not able to get hold of God, if your worship is atrophied and weakened and crippled, then there's a reason.

Ceremonially unfit to come into God's presence. And when that priest, if that priest were to walk into God's presence without being ceremonially purified, you know what would happen? God would kill him. God would kill him. Hey, I'll tell you what would happen. If God dealt with us

the same way he dealt with them, if every person that walked in this building this morning knew that God would kill them if they weren't pure, we wouldn't be many of us here. I may have sent a tape on this morning under those conditions. But I guarantee you this, brother. There'd be a big garbage can outside the door where we'd leave all our impurities before we walked into the presence of God. Are you pure?

Are you pure? You see, when I come into the presence of God and I'm not pure, God kills me. Not physically, but spiritually.

Did you know, did you know that impure worship kills? It just gets worse and worse did you know did you know that impure worship kills it just gets worse and worse and worse and worse

the worship dies and the prayer life dies and the joy of the Lord dies the awareness of God's presence dies why? because you and I are coming into God's presence ceremonially unclean and unfit,

and God kills it. Are you pure? Are you as pure this morning as it is humanly possible for you to be at this time in your Christian life? The Ron Dunn Podcast is available only for personal edification, for you to be at this time in your Christian life. For more Ron Dunn messages, visit sherwoodbaptist.net slash bookstore and search Ron Dunn. For more Ron Dunn materials, including sermon outlines, devotions, and scanned pages from a study Bible, please visit rondunn.com.