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The Hope of God’s Children

By David Robinson/ July 3, 2016

Series  1 John: Walking in the Light

Context  Westminster Chapel Toronto

Topic  Theology

Scripture  1 John 2:28-3:3

The knowledge of God given us by the Spirit is not mere information, but it is a relational and intimate knowledge.

Scripture:  1 John 2:28-3:3

Sermon Notes:

  1. The hope of the Christian is summed up in the apostle John’s injunction to abide in God.
  2. Eternal life is fellowship with the Father and the Son by the Holy Spirit. This life was manifested to us in the incarnation of the Son.
  3. The spirit of antichrist denies the incarnation of the Son.
  4. The gospel of the Word of Life is to abide in us that we might abide in the Father and the Son.
  5. The personal anointing of the Holy Spirit is our adoption as children of God.
  6. The knowledge of God given to us by the Spirit is not mere information, but it is a relational and intimate knowledge.
  7. Because of our knowledge of God, we derive hope and confidence.
  8. The fruit of the knowledge of God in our lives is righteousness and witness to the world.
  9. Regarding the second coming, John says that the Christian’s glorified nature will be fully revealed.
  10. Heaven is a present reality but it is veiled. At His ascension Christ went behind the veil into heaven’s glory.
  11. At the resurrection we will be glorified in our resurrected bodies, we will behold God as He really is, and we will experience full fellowship with God.
  12. Those who are damned remain in hatred and enmity toward God, and enter into eternal shame.
  13. Those redeemed by the Lamb will stand before the judgment in confidence by the atonement of Christ.
  14. We are called to be children of God by the supernatural new birth (Jn. 3:5-8), and so we can be confident that God will complete His work in us (cf. Phil. 1:6)
  15. We practice righteousness not as slaves, but as friends of God. We should long to be righteous as God is righteous.
  16. God the Father raises us up as His children and we mature in righteousness.
  17. In our walk we either look like the world or we look like Christ.
  18. When the world is more hostile, it is harder to bear the name of Christ.
  19. When we are confident in our identities in Christ, we present something attractive to a world in search of self-made identities.
  20. Our growth in maturity in Christ manifests itself in increasing purity and righteousness. 
  21. The unrighteous will be disinherited from the kingdom of God, but God’s transforming work continues to raise up His children (1 Cor. 6:9-10).

Application Questions:

  1. How do we become children of God? What is the role of the Holy Spirit?
  2. What is the fruit of an intimate and personal knowledge of God?
  3. How is the present kingdom reality related to heaven?
  4. Do we look like the world or do we look like Christ?
  5. What does it mean to bear the stigma of Christ?