BEHOLD WHAT MANNER OF LOVE.
1 JOHN 3:1-3 “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.”
Our wickedness makes us as it were, heavy as lead and tear us downward with great weight and pressure towards hell and if God should let us go, we will immediately sink and swiftly descend and plunge into the bottomless gulf and our healthy constitution, our own care and prudence, our best contrivance, and also our righteousness would have no more influence to uphold us and keep us out of hell, just as a spider web would not stop a falling rock.
Were it not for the sovereign love and pleasure of God, the earth would not bear any one of us for one moment, for we are a burden to it, for we brought on it curse, and because of us the ground is cursed and all creations is operating under a curse and groaning for liberation. There are black clouds of God’s wrath now hanging directly over our head, full of dreadful storm and big thunder and were it not for the restraining hand of God they would immediately burst forth on us.
The sovereign pleasure of God for the present, stays his rough wind, otherwise it would come with fury and destruction would come like a whirlwind and we would be like the chaff of the summer threshing-floor.
Behold what manner of love- it is a regenerating love and adopting love. Our text says ‘we are called sons of God’, and it also says ‘now we are the sons of God’. The Father in love has made us his children through the grace of regeneration, granting us the new birth whereby we have been brought into his holy family and made partakers of the divine nature.
We are sons by adoption, God having predestinated us unto the adoption of children by Jesus Christ to himself according to the good pleasure of his will and has set forth his Spirit in to our heart whereby we cry ABBA FATHER.
We are in the Holy Family by the grace of adoption as well as by the regenerating power of the Holy Spirit- have we the experience of that touch of the Holy Spirit, do we have and experience the warmth of that Holy Family and can we of a truth testify that we belong to him. Our being churchy would not be a substitute to that experience, our services and offerings cannot be a substitute to that experience, because they do not mean the same thing.
What manner of Love and how will you escape God’s judgement if you neglect such great love?
2. BEHOLD WHAT MANNER OF LOVE:
1 John 3:1 “Behold what manner of love the father has bestowed on us, that we should be called the sons of God. Therefore, the world does not know us because it did not know him.”
With such an engaging subject presented for our meditation, let us begin with the greatness of God’s love. What kind of love is this?
This love is not the general kindness of the creator which in his wise providence he liberally and mercifully exercises toward all creatures. It is not the common grace that is given to the godly and the ungodly alike. It is not his love that brings sun and rain on all. There is a great difference between God’s dealing with us as a creator and his dealing with us as a father. He is not the father of the birds; he is their creator. Neither is he the father of all men. Though He, nevertheless, is the creator of all men and all men are under His providential care. But he is the father of all those who have been born again and who truly believed in His Son.
What then is the manner of this love? It is that love which God peculiarly exercises in regard to his own children.
It is his free love. It is that love which finds all its springs in God and in which there is no other cause outside of him. Because there is everything in us to move God to hate us. Therefore, His love for us is free to us without any cause of merit on our part.
It is an everlasting love. That is without beginning and without end. He loved us before the foundation of the world. We the unworthy ones are loved with love which had no beginning and will have no ending.
It is a providing love, because from eternity and out of free and unchanging grace the father provided His Son to be our savior. 1 John 4:10 “Here is love, not that we loved God, but that he loved us and sent his Son to be the propitiation for our sins.”
What a manner of love that we should be called the Sons of God.
3. BEHOLD WHAT MANNER OF LOVE.
1 JOHN 3:1 “Behold what manner of love the father has bestowed on us, that we should be called the sons of God. Therefore, the world does not know us because it did not know him.”
There is no want of power in God to cast sinful people in to hell fire at any moment. Sinners hands cannot be strong, when God rises up. The strongest have no power to resist him, nor can any deliver out of his hand. They are like a great heap of light chaff before the whirlwind or a large quantities of dry stubble before devouring flames. The sword of divine justice is every moment over our heads because of our sins. And divine justice says, “cut down”.
Behold what manner of love that a sinner like us could be spared by the sword of divine justice.
IT IS A REDEEMING LOVE. This love could not allow us to lie under the curse and bondage of our sins exposed to the penalty of the Holy Law. Neither did this love merely pitch us a line with the instructions to grab hold and try to reach safety the best way we could. Nor did he simply stand and plead, exhort, warn and teach us how we might attempt to save ourselves. Thank God, we would have all perish had this been the case.
What did he do? Out of infinite love, the Bible declares- Christ has redeemed us from the curse of the law, being made a curse for us; for it is written, cursed is every one that hanged on a tree.
WHAT MANNER OF LOVE IS THIS? IT IS A REDEEMING LOVE. How will you escape God’s judgement if you neglect such great love?
4. BEHOLD WHAT MANNER OF LOVE.
1 JOHN 3:1“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.”
Apart from going to the righteous God with the merit of Christ, what else do we have? Will God accept us with our religion and its work or our righteousness and morals? Will these things stand his searching eyes and fire of his justice? Outside Christ and his love, the only thing that we have to go with to God is our sins. What we may hold as our own righteousness is like a filthy rag outside the blood of Christ.
In the settlement of the great question between a righteous God and a wretched sinner, there is no bargaining. The basis for settlement is the mighty transaction Christ did for us on the cross. It was not a quiet and unannounced deal, when it ended; the author of that transaction announced- IT IS FINISHED!
The completed transaction supersedes all our efforts to justify ourselves. We behold Christ suffering at the cross and God used his suffering in reconciling the world to himself and not imputing to men our sins.
Behold what manner of Love the Father has given to us that sons of Adam could be sons of God? Any preaching that set any reason for our adoption apart from what Christ has done is false. Any preaching that emphasized the action of man in all these is false. In all these, we are required to respond in love to all the love he has lavished unto us in the life of trust and obedience.
Is your obedience because of what you will get from him or what you have gotten from him? Is it for salvation or prosperity? Is it for both salvation and prosperity? The devil can give prosperity, and so you don’t need to come to God for that if that is all you need from him. Is your obedience drawn from the fear of hell or from the heart of gratitude? Do we base our affection on the mundane benefits or it is about the eternal fellowship with him?
What manner of love is this? This kind of love is worth more than anything this world has to offer. It is worth leaving everything in this world to get. It is worth giving our life for. It is worth dying for and also worth living for. How will we escape God’s judgment if we neglect such great LOVE?
5. BEHOLD WHAT MANNER OF LOVE.
1 JOHN 3:1-3 “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.”
Let us never forget the source of this great love. It speaks of our relationship to him. His very name speaks of love, of tenderness, of understanding, of strength, of comfort, and of satisfaction. It is easy to trust our Father-our heavenly father. Therefore, “cast all your cares on him for he cares for you.”
Let us remember the obligation such great love places on us to be ever grateful, to walk as sons of God, to be content with our lot while we are in this world, and out of love to Him, to hallow His name, love his kingdom, and do his will.
This manner of love is also extended to commonplace. Another way in which we find ourselves ‘surprised by HIS LOVE’ is when he reveals himself to us at the most unexpected times and in the most unexpected places. The experience of Jacob in Genesis 28 is worthy of consideration. Clearly, when Jacob lay down to sleep he had no expectation of meeting God. The stirrings of his conscience, which he had tried to suppress after the birth right crises with Esau, almost had the effect of pushing God out of his thoughts. And besides, who would expect to meet God out there on the barren hillside with a stone as a pillow? Yet that was where God came to Jacob. Just there where all the features of a holy place were wanting and where we might least expect him to speak.
God’s favoured way of meeting his children is, of course, around His word, the Bible, but this does not mean He will meet us only there. He does not wait for what we might call the grand moments of life. Sometimes he surprises us by making the commonplace grand. Behold what manner of Love that to him worships centres, offices, markets, farms, homes, name them are just the same.
Behold what manner of Love that we should be called the Sons of God. Great father of Glory, how rich is thy grace. The world knows us not, but in this fact we rejoice- we are not strangers to you but object of your love and choice. His love from eternity gave us a home, where now we are hoping to go at the close of time.
What manner of love is this? This kind of love is worth more than anything this world has to offer. It is worth leaving everything in this world to get. It is worth giving our life for. It is worth dying for and also worth living for. How will we escape God’s judgment if we neglect such great LOVE?
6. BEHOLD WHAT MANNER OF LOVE.
1 JOHN 3:1-3 “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.”
The Father knows his children and they know him and we are not in this world to be pampered and promoted by it, but rather to show forth the praises of him who has called us out of darkness into his marvellous light. May we act like the sons that we really are- Behold what manner of Love?
That was the point we rested our discussion last month- the effect of the love. Let us go a little further to consider the following wonderful issues. If we come to appreciate the Father’s great love as we properly should, we must acknowledge two things- first, we shall be like him, second, we shall see him as He is.
What a wonderful love for God to repay us with this great love despite all our unfaithfulness. Behold what manner of love that we shall not only be like him, but we shall know him as he is.
We shall be like him- this is salvation at its peak, the final package of the works of Christ. We are not much like him even though we are presently sons of God. Though we are saved, we are yet far from what we shall be. It is a fact that we are now in the state of grace and making progress day by day by the grace of God. We are however far from perfection, but we shall be brought into a state of glory like him. That is more than being saved from hell. To be like him, to be conformed to the image of his son, that Christ will be our elder brother. What a manner of Love?
We shall see him as he is- this is when we shall finally and fully realize that, for which we have been redeemed. When out of the abundant love of our great God we are permitted to see our glorified Christ, then we will see who he is not again by faith, but just face to face, perfectly pure, with no inclination and desire to sin and made glorious within and without.
Philippians 3:20-21 “But our citizenship is in heaven. And we eagerly await a Saviour from there, the Lord Jesus Christ, who, by the power that enables him to bring everything under his control, will transform our lowly bodies so that they will be like his glorious body.”
What manner of love is this? This kind of love is worth more than anything this world has to offer. It is worth leaving everything in this world to get. It is worth giving our life for. It is worth dying for and also worth living for. How will we escape God’s judgment if we neglect such great LOVE?
7. LEADERS LIKE CHRIST
Leadership trust is based on three legs: Character, competence, and communication. Of these three, character seems the most obvious, and the one that is most often singularly equated with trust. Yet, it is the hardest to assess. Character can be defined as a leader’s sense of moral fortitude, an inner compass that determines how a person acts when no one else is looking. That was our emphasis last month.
We live in a world of dissonance, cover-up, and propaganda. Leaders appear to be what they are not. Leaders like Christ are not expected to be just a collection of mirrors, reflecting only people’s expectations. When that characterize your life, it will lead to spiritual pathology whereby you never become outstanding but only a copycat.
Let us use Samuel to explain further on the three leadership legs.
1 Samuel 12:1-5 “Samuel said to all Israel, “I have listened to everything you said to me and have set a king over you. Now you have a king as your leader. As for me, I am old and gray, and my sons are here with you. I have been your leader from my youth until this day. Here I stand. Testify against me in the presence of the Lord and his anointed. Whose ox have I taken? Whose donkey have I taken? Whom have I cheated? Whom have I oppressed? From whose hand have I accepted a bribe to make me shut my eyes? If I have done any of these, I will make it right.” “You have not cheated or oppressed us,” they replied. “You have not taken anything from anyone’s hand.” Samuel said to them, “The Lord is witness against you, and also his anointed is witness this day, that you have not found anything in my hand.” “He is witness,” they said.”
How did Samuel arrived at this level to set integrity questions for himself in the presence of the whole nation of Israel? Can those of us that occupied leadership position today attempt to sit for this kind of examination among the people we lead?
Samuel exuded integrity and honesty in every area of his life. People trusted him and knew that he had Israel’s best interest in mind. They considered Samuel utterly trustworthy and depended on him to intercede for them with God. He knew how to connect with people, he spoke their language. He expressed compassion for their predicament and brought courage to their pursuits.
Fortunately for us, the formula for Samuel’s success still works today.
Competence plus character plus communication equals to influence.
Most of us view success as fame, accomplishment, and acquisition. Christian leader’s success, however is built on character, not personality or skills. The great qualities in life are involved in the character of a person, such as wisdom, integrity, honesty, loyalty, faith, forgiveness, and love.
8. LEADERS LIKE CHRIST.
EPHESIANS 4:15-16 “Instead, we will hold to the truth in love, becoming more and more in every way like Christ, who is the head of his body, the church. Under His direction the whole body is fitted together perfectly, as each part does its own special work, it helps the other part grow, so that the whole body is healthy and growing and full of love.”
Leadership trust is based on three legs: Character, competence, and communication. Of these three, character seems the most obvious, and the one that is most often singularly equated with trust. Yet, it is the hardest to assess. Character can be defined as a leader’s sense of moral fortitude, an inner compass that determines how a person acts when no one else is looking.
At its root, the word character reflects the idea of engraving, something that is deep, it not only identifies a person but also defines a person.
Many leaders and organizational systems allow the other legs of trust, competence and communication, to stand in for character. But while doing so may result in short term success, eventually an individual’s true character will surface, and that revelation will not only erase many of those successes, it can potentially ruin that leader’s reputation.
Because he must know who he is_ he is a leader like Christ. And what is his value_ to lead his people to Christ. That leader like Christ that shows integrity takes time out for self-reflection. So that events, crises and seemingly necessities of the day do not determine the course of his moral life. He stays in control and like Christ focus on and only on the will of his Father.
Integrity is one of the greatest requirements in the church today. The church and para-church organizations and Christian development groups need leaders like Christ that are not hypocrites. The church’s greatest need for integrity in leadership is directly related to the need of our lost world. For the world longs for liberation from dishonesty. Our leadership is directly tied to the gospel of Christ which is the power of God to save men.
Romans 2:19-24 “If you are convinced that you are a guide for the blind, a light for those who are in the dark,an instructor of the foolish, a teacher of infants, because you have in the law the embodiment of knowledge and truth—you, then, who teach others, do you not teach yourself? You who preach against stealing, do you steal? You who say that people should not commit adultery, do you commit adultery? You who abhor idols, do you rob temples? You who brag about the law, do you dishonour God by breaking the law? As it is written: “God’s name is blasphemed among the Gentiles (Unbelievers) because of you.”
WANTED!!! LEADERS LIKE CHRIST.
9. LEADERS LIKE CHRIST
Romans 12:8 —if it is leadership, let him govern diligently—.”
Leadership is often a difficult, thankless and heart breaking experience. Yet men and women spend great sum of money and efforts to attain leadership position. Why do we strive for what might destroy us?
Basically, it is the desire to dominate that exerts its pressure on the human mind and soul. It causes men and women to take undue risk to dominate others regardless of how insignificant the leadership position desired might be within the overall organizational structure or context.
Everyone has the desire within his or her nature to dominate and that is the key drive in reaching out and striving for position of authority. In other words, the spirit of leadership is birthed in the womb of personal revelation within the leader and manifest itself in specific and characteristic qualities.
Man is essentially a spiritual being, and the nature of a person’s spirit dictates the nature that he manifests. This means therefore that leadership actually begins in the spirit of the leader. Genuine leadership is one’s internal disposition, which relates to a sense of purpose, self-worth and self-concept.
Therefore, Christian leadership is an art form of worshipping Christ, a teaching and serving process that envisions, influences, shapes and enhances so that both leaders and followers realize God’s goal for change within their environment.
10. LEADERS LIKE CHRIST
Romans 12:6-8 “We have different gifts, according to the grace given us. If a man’s gift is prophesying, let him use it in proportion to his faith. If it is serving, let him serve; if it is teaching, let him teach; if it is encouraging, let him encourage; if it is contributing to the needs of others, let him give generously; if it is leadership, let him govern diligently; if it is showing mercy, let him do it cheerfully.”
Life is full of choices; being responsible means being in charge of our choices. It means being accountable for what we do and who we are. Christ like leader is responsible and accountable, pursuing excellence and exercising self-restraint. They live up to expectation.
While moral soundness is basic to Christian leadership, we must note that the moral life is more than simply being a good person. Along with the healthy, wholesome of virtue, a consistent method of doing things is needed. To character and its virtue must be added conduct and its values; the perspective, obligations and aspirations that guides the Christ like leader is making right choices.
Character acts as a multi-level filter through which to process decisions, respect, responsibility, fairness, and caring. So being trustworthy is not enough- we must also be caring. Adhering to the letter of the law is not enough- we must accept responsibility for our action or inaction.
If it is leadership, let him govern diligently; the safest path to good choice is the path Christ took, the path of humility. Even in this period as we commemorate his birth, let our choice for Christian leadership be humility like Christ in leading people to God in our God given capacity.
Never are men more unfit than when they think themselves most fit and never more fit than when most humbled and ashamed under a sense of their own unfitness.
It takes Christ to make a leader absolutely his that he will not desire to be noticed.
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