Behold what manner of love the Father has given to us, that we should be called children of God. And that is what we are! The reason the world does not know us is that it did not know Him.See how great a love the Father has given to us, that we should be called children of God! For this cause the world doesn’t know us, because it didn’t know him.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.Behold what manner of love the Father hath bestowed upon us, that we should be called children of God; and such we are. For this cause the world knoweth us not, because it knew him not.
7 sermons cite this verse
… Blessed are the peacemakers, Jesus says, but they shall be called the sons of God. If you're a Christian, you are a son of God. You are a daughter of God. What a privilege that is. No matter what you do, maybe you're a wayward son or a wayward daughter, but you're still a son and you're still a daughter. behold what manner of love the Father has given to us that we should be called the children of God. Great insights today from the Beatitudes in the Lord's Sermon on the Mount. And Pastor Greg Laurie has more to come from this study here on A New Beginning, so don't miss it. Pastor Greg mentioned that Christians are sons and daughters of God. It's a mind-boggling privilege to be called the children of God. But if you've not made your peace with God, if you've not yet come to Jesus to have your sins forgiven, that doesn't yet apply to you. But Pastor Greg, someone can enter into that kind of relationship today, can't they? …
… Though we were enemies of God through Christ, we are now children of God. Romans 5.10, 1 John 3.1 Though we were dead through Christ, we are now alive. Ephesians 2.1 Though we were filthy through Christ, we are now clean. Spotless. And that's all. But we could keep going on this, right? That though we were, now we are. We were all blind. We are all a bunch of formerly blind people. Who have been healed. Who have been enlightened. but you know i guess i'm making a general statement and i shouldn't do that because maybe tonight there are some in here who are still blind because you haven't come to christ what are you waiting for there was surely a lot that this man did not know no theological training of any sort no experience to fall back upon prior to his healing but one thing he knew jesus made him see but of course that's not enough for the pharisees they don't give up at that they continue to ask him about how jesus healed him And at this point, the man is like, what are you doing? …
… We don't have time to turn to all these places, but 1 John, chapter 3, verse 1, John says, see what kind of love the Father has lavished on us that we should be called children of God. See it. See the love He's lavished on us. And to think of it. Heather and I were in Phoenix this last week and was preaching at the Southern Baptist Convention. I forgot to mention that last week, but thank you for those who were praying. God was very gracious in that. And while we were out there, after the convention was over, we drove up real quickly to Sedona, north of Phoenix. And I don't know, anybody ever been to Sedona, Arizona? Okay, that place is awesome. Okay, you got the Grand Canyon. That's pretty cool as well in Arizona. But Sedona, these red rocks. Like, look at this picture up here on the screen with me. These rocks, they change, rocks on the side of mountains, they change colors as the day goes on. …
… God 1 John, 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 the world does not know us is that it does not know Him. Beloved, we are God's children now. Yes, we are. and what we will be is not, has not yet appeared. John was just so conscious of the disconnect between the claims made for our status and what we look like it has not yet appeared who we are but we know that when he appears we will be like him for we will see him as he is so how do you reset your mind with that You meditate on the fact, okay, my people in my church are hidden princes and princesses. I'm hidden. My wife is a fellow heir of the grace of life. I don't treat her that way. I've got to reset my mind with truth. maybe I'll end with these two phrases knowing that we've left a lot undone just because they're all glorious but this one is stunning so the hiddenness here in Romans 8 we know that the whole creation has been groaning together in the pains of childbirth until now not only the creation but we ourselves who have the first fruits of the Spirit grown inwardly. …
… God knows everything about you, and God loves you. So listen to 1 John 3, verse 1. See what kind of love the Father has given to us in that we should be called God's children, and that is what we are. And then 1 John 3, verse 1, twice in 1 John, John says the same thing. God is love. No other ancient text in the world says that same thing. God is love. Not until the 16th century does the Sikh text finally say the same thing. 1,600 years after, John makes these words, writes these words down twice for emphasis. God is love. The very nature and character of God is to give God's self away, to be selfless and sacrificial and to care for the other, to seek to build the other up. And the other is us and we are his children. And God is love. Now, I have to just tell you how I imagine what that love looks like. There are times it becomes really clear to me. …
… John says, called children of God. Therefore, the world does not know us because it did not know him. The world doesn't know what to do with us. We're not of the world anymore. We're of him. It doesn't know him, so how can it know us? How can it love us? Jesus said, of course, the world's going to hate you. The world hated me and crucified me, and you're following someone who got crucified. Beloved, he says, now we are children of God. Now we are children of God. And it has not yet been revealed what we shall be, but we know that when he is revealed, when his coming comes, because it's coming, time is running out, every sand that drops down the hourglass of time brings us closer to it. But when he is revealed, when that last sand drops, we shall be like him, for we shall see him as he is. And everyone, someone say everyone, who has this hope? Because Not everybody has this hope, but everyone who has this hope in him purifies himself, just as capital H, he is pure. …
… Are you living in the security of God or are you nervous and overcome with a sense of inferiority? Behold. Behold what manner of love the Father has given unto us. Behold is a command. Behold. Look at it. Hold it. Grab it. Behold. The whole reason that you're not living in the way that we've just described is because you're not beholding. Well, do it. Behold what manner of love the Father has given to us that we should become the children of God. Let's pray. Now, Father, we thank you for this most basic of truths. In many ways, it's at the foundation of what you want for us, and therefore it's at the foundation of the life issues of our week, the life issues that we're grappling with most. Father, I pray two things. First of all, I pray that the individuals who are listening to these words here, and maybe also through the tapes, might suddenly have a revelation through your Holy Spirit that their fearfulness and their poverty and their boredom and their cynicism and their critical spirit and their defensiveness and their controlling nature and their lack of and their prayerlessness and their inferiority feelings are all because they're not listening to your spirit who tells them that you're our father father enable everybody here individually to behold the manner of love that you've given us that we should be your children but I also pray we might become a church that's characterized by this teaching. …