WWUTT 417 The Reason the World Doesn't Know Us?

Jesus said that in order to enter the kingdom of God we must become like children.

And it is through Jesus Christ that we have become the adopted children of God when we understand the text.

You are listening to When We Understand The Text, an online Bible ministry so that we may know all the riches freely given to us by God.

For questions and comments, send us an email to whenweunderstandthetext at gmail .com.

Here's your teacher, Pastor Gabe. Thank you, Becky, and greetings in the Lord Christ. A reminder that I'm on vacation right now, so these devotionals, our

Bible study is a little bit shorter than usual, but we'll return back to the 20 -minute length in May when

I get back. We're in 1 John 3 once again, verses 1 -3, and the apostle writes to the churches in Asia Minor, See what kind of love the

Father has given to us, that we should be called the 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.

I want to come back to the second half of verse 1. I didn't invest in much time in that yesterday when we were looking at 1

John 3. John says, The reason why the world does not know us is that it did not know

Him. This is another way that we have assurance of our salvation in Christ Jesus.

It's because the world hates us, and the reason why the world doesn't know who we are is because the world does not know

God. John says in the next chapter, 1 John 4, starting in verse 4,

Little children, you are from God and have overcome them, for he who is in you is greater than he who is in the world.

They are from the world, therefore they speak like the world, and the world listens to them. We are from God.

Whoever knows God listens to us. Whoever is not from God does not listen to us.

By this we know the spirit of truth and the spirit of error. And you could also put this with what we read in the previous chapter.

In chapter 2 where it says in verse 19, They went out from us, but they were not of us.

For if they had been of us, they would have continued with us. But they went out that it might become plain that they are not all of us.

Those who are of God, who listens to God, who listens to the words of his apostles, they will love the people of God.

They will love their brothers and sisters in Christ. If they do not show love for the church, the bride of Christ, it is because they are not from God.

The reason why they don't know us, that they don't know us as being from God, is because they do not know

God either. We are hated by the world because the world hates

God. I want to go back to John's Gospel. We read about this last week when we were going through our

Holy Week study. But in John's Gospel chapter 15, where Jesus tells his disciples, this is chapter 15 starting in verse 18,

If the world hates you, know that it hated me before it hated you.

If you were of the world, the world would love you as its own, but because you're not of the world, but I chose you out of the world, therefore the world hates you.

Remember, the word that I said to you, a servant is not greater than his master. If they persecuted me, they will also persecute you.

If they kept my word, they will also keep yours. But all these things they will do to you on account of my name, because they do not know him who sent me.

If I had not come and spoken to them, they would not be guilty of this sin, but now they have no excuse for their sin.

Whoever hates me hates my father also. If I had not done among them the works that no one else did, they would not be guilty of sin, but now they have seen and hated both me and my father.

But the word that is written in their law must be fulfilled. They hated me without a cause.

And then Jesus goes on to assure his disciples, chapter 16, verse 25, I have said these things to you in figures of speech.

The hour is now coming when I will no longer speak to you in figures of speech, but will tell you plainly about the father.

In that day, you will ask in my name, and I do not say to you that I will ask the father on your behalf, for the father himself loves you, because you have loved me and have believed that I came from God.

I came from the father and have come into the world, and now I am leaving the world and I am going to the father.

And his disciples said, Ah, now you are speaking plainly and not using figurative speech.

Now we know that you know all things and do not need anyone to question you.

This is why we believe that you came from God. And Jesus answered them, Do you now believe?

Behold, the hour is coming. Indeed, it has come, when you will be scattered, each to his own home, and you will leave me alone.

Yet I am not alone, for the father is with me. I have said these things to you, that in me you may have peace.

In the world you will have tribulation, but take heart, I have overcome the world.

So we go back to 1 John chapter 3, where once again, it says, see what kind of love the father has given to us, just as Jesus was talking about with his disciples, the love the father has for them, because he chose them out of the world, that we should be called the children of God, and so we are.

So we are the children of God. The reason why the world does not know us as the children of God, is because it does not know our father, and so therefore does not know the father's children.

Beloved, we are God's children now. In Luke 3, 8, it says, bear fruit in keeping with repentance, and do not begin to say to yourselves, we have

Abraham as our father, for I tell you, God is able from these stones to raise up children for Abraham.

The people of Israel thought that they were, they were inherently going to receive the kingdom of God, because they were descendant from Abraham.

But as Jesus said in John's gospel, if you knew Abraham, you would know who I am, because Abraham knew me.

The reason why you don't know me, is because you're not the children of Abraham. You are of your father, the devil, and he's been a murderer from the beginning.

And so those who know who we are, those who know God and know his children, are born of God and are the children of God.

But those who do not know us as the children of God, are of their father, the devil.

The Lord has raised up children for himself from stones.

We were once hard of heart. We did not believe the word of God, but by the

Holy Spirit, our heart has been softened to receive it and to understand it. And so indeed God has raised up from these stones, children of Abraham.

Jesus, who is descended from Abraham, and all who are in Christ Jesus, have been adopted into that family, just as God had promised

Abraham he would be the father of many nations. And so we are among those nations, the nations of the world, that God has chosen his people out of, to himself to be a holy nation and a holy priesthood, as Peter talks about in 1

Peter 2. Jesus said that in order to enter the kingdom of God, we must become like children.

We must have a childlike faith. Jesus said in Mark 10, 14, let the children come to me, do not hinder them, for to such belongs the kingdom of God.

Little children, as well as children of the faith. And then in that same chapter,

Mark 10, when Jesus speaks to the rich young ruler, who will not listen to what it is that Jesus says when he says to him to sell all that he has and give to the poor, and then come follow me and you will have treasure in heaven, says the rich young ruler walked away sad, for he had many great possessions.

Jesus turns around to his disciples and he says to them, children, how difficult it is to enter the kingdom of God.

Jesus equates his disciples with the very children that were talked about earlier in the chapter when

Jesus said, let the children come to me. These disciples were

Jesus' children, but this rich young ruler was not, because he would not listen to what it was that Jesus said.

So Jesus meant to contrast him with the faith his own disciples had by calling them his children.

Children, how difficult it is to enter the kingdom of God. And the disciples marveled at this statement of Jesus and said, who can be saved?

And Jesus said, with man it's impossible, but not with God. All things are possible with God.

We've been adopted into the family of God and are his children because of the power of God, because it is

God who has made this possible. And so all praise belongs to our Father.

We can call upon him as our Father because we've been adopted into his family through his son,

Jesus Christ. What does it mean to be a child of God and know God as our

Father, but isn't a child fully dependent upon their parents for everything?

Can a child do anything on their own if not for the love and the provision and the care of their mother and their father?

And so that is what God our Father is for us. He gives us every good thing.

He is our provider in everything. And we need everything from him.

We as his children have recognized that we can do nothing apart from God. And so this is what it means to be the child of God and worship him as our

Father. And so let us come before God and praise him for his glorious grace, calling upon him as our

Father because we've been adopted through the son. Our wonderful heavenly Father, glorious is your name.

You are holy. And we ask that your kingdom would come and your will would be done on earth as it is done in heaven.

And give us today our daily bread and forgive us our sins as we forgive those who sin against us and lead us not into temptation, but deliver us from the evil one.

It is to you belongs all glory and honor and power now and forever.

Amen. Thank you for listening to When We Understand the Text with Pastor Gabe Hughes.

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