Purpose of His Coming Prt.2V.doc

1John 3:7-12

Intro: Brenda Roberts, a preschool teacher in Stone Mountain, GA was reading the story of Jesus' birth to her preschool class one morning.

A) As she was reading she stopped for a moment to see if they understood.

B) "What do we call the three wise men?" She asked./ a bright 5-year-old. replied

"The three maggots,"

    1. She corrected him that it was 3 Magi then asked "What gift did the Magi bring baby Jesus?"
    2. the same 5-year-old replied. "Gold, Frankensteins and smurfs!"
  1. It seems the little guy was a bit confused about the Christmas Story / But he is not alone /
    1. many today are mixed up & have lost sight of the meaning of Christmas
  1. Denise & I were out the other night doing some Christmas Shopping & I was

taken back a bit by all the frustrated people ran into

    1. Cars honking / people gripping / Spirit of Christmas ?

I thought it was a time of glad tidings & great Joy !

 

 

Now some are genuinely confused because of ignorance / they just don’t know what this is all about / others because of Apathy - just don’t care !

  1. And still others because of blindness / they have lost sight of what Christmas is about / of why Jesus came / Purpose of His coming !
  1. In the book of 1Jn. Here in Ch. 3 John gives us insight into 2 reasons why Jesus came / why He left heaven came to earth /
    1. V5 Manifested to take away our sins / v.8 Destroy the works of the Devil
  1. And I mentioned last week how I thought it was interesting that the Lord would have us in this chapter of 1Jn. During this time & season-
    1. So as we look at this passage today we will once again tie this into Christ- mas that our hearts might be better prepared to celebrate saviors birth!

Why did Jesus come ? Purpose of His coming ? Consider again today

  1. John tells here in v. 8 that He came to destroy the works of the Devil
  1. Next Question we must ask ourselves then is what are the works of the Devil ?
    1. In Jn. 8: 44 Jesus was speaking concerning the Devil. He declared that Satan was a Liar & the father of lies
  1. Satan specializes in the work of deception ! The goal of his deception is to distort mans view of who God is !
  1. Started in the garden : He came to Eve & tempted here to eat of the tree of the knowledge of good & evil.
    1. Has God indeed said You can eat of all the trees in the garden ? Question was a temptation to question Gods word !
  1. For the Lord specifically said they could eat of every tree except the tree of the Knowledge of good & evil !

1)Eve responded by saying we can’t eat of the fruit of that tree because God said that if we do we will surely die !

 

God has laid out for us in His word what is best for us & how we are to live ! But satan the Liar & deceiver that he is tries to get man quest. Gods word

  1. Is that really what God meant he asks really shouldn’t date that unbeliever ?

Shouldn’t have sex before married / You love each other -seems so natural

B Did God really mean that or did he mean something else ? Really apply to you & your situation or does it apply to somebody else ?

    1. Questioning the word of God
  1. Once he gets a person doing that / he moves into next phase of distorting a mans view of who God is
    1. Listen closely to next thing he says to Eve / after getting her to question Gods word he says to her Eve here is the real truth of the matter
  1. Eat of this fruit you will not die / be like God/ wise … knowing good & evil

Satan moves from getting her to question Gods word / to questioning Gods heart in thinking God is holding something back from me !

  1. He really doesn’t want what is best for me after all ! He doesn’t want me to eat this because if I do I will become like Him
  1. Satan does the same thing today / gets people to question Gods word & to question Gods heart in his desire to get people thinking
    1. God really doesn’t have what is best for them in mind / that God is holding them back from things that they need & want !
  1. Then once a person sins / break Gods word / go against his plan in eating of the forbidden fruit / partaking of the forbidden thing
    1. Satan next move in his deception of distorting mans view of God is condemnation
  1. Now you have really done it you have made God mad & he doesn’t want anything to do w/ you / real looser in his eyes / so forget church
    1. Throw away your bible / I’ll be your friend / I’ve got some great stuff to show you / real fun / who needs God anyway !
  1. So he further seeks to distort mans view of God by using condemnation to present a picture of God as being a selfish uptight angry Tyrant / dictator type

 

Once he can get man in that mindset of questioning Gods word & doubting Gods heart / he is setting man up to be sucked into his program

  1. A Program whose ultimate end / goal is DESTRUCTION !
  1. Jesus said in Jn. 10 further described the works of the Devil when he said that Satan is a thief & a robber who comes seeking to kill rob & to destroy!
  1. Kill our hope / kill your marriage / ruin the lives of your kids / murder you spirit / he wants to rob you of your Joy & your reason for living
    1. But the ultimate end is destruction ! Destroy your family / destroy your life / he wants to bring you down - eternally / Not your friend !

But John says that Jesus was manifested that He might destroy the works of the Devil ! Devil seeks to distort mans view of God !

  1. Matt. 11:27 Jesus declared that He came to reveal the father ! If man had any questions as to what God was really like only need look at Jesus !

B) In John 14 on the night before His crucif. Jesus is telling His

Disciples some things they don't Quite Understand!

1) He says He is going away & they can't come w/ Him where

He is going but they know the way / really they Don't

C) Finally Phillip Blurts out " Lord just show us the father & that

will be sufficient for us"

1) Jesus answered V.9 Jesus said to him, "Have I been with you so long, and yet you have not known Me, Philip? He who has seen Me has seen the Father;

D) Jesus was saying Phillip - by now you should know the Father - Phillip you have been w/ me along time

1.) I and the Father are one!

Phillip was 1st man Jesus called to follow Him./ Jn. 1 turn there / The first to see Him were Andrew and John

A.) But we read in chpt 1:43 Jesus found Phillip - found means that he searched for him! "Follow me"

B.)And in V.45 - Phillip found Nathaniel and said to him "We have found Him of whom Moses in the Law and the prophets wrote of Jesus from Naz

C.) There Phillip saw in Jesus the faithfulness of God in keeping his promises!

1.) God promised through the Law and Prophets that He would send His son to be the Savior of the world

D.) Isaiah wrote 9:6 - For unto us a Child is born, unto us a Son is given; and the government will be upon His shoulder. And His name will be called Wonderful, Counselor, Mighty God, Everlasting Father, Prince of Peace.

1.) Jesus was that Son - born in Bethlehem

E.)And when Phillip met Jesus He saw the faithfulness of God to keep His word!

 

Later in Jn. 6 - Jesus was in a deserted area near Bethsaida ministering to people all day - getting late

A.) And turning to Phillip - Jesus said where can we buy some bread to feed this crowd! (said this to test him)

B.) Phillip replied - we don’t have enough money to feed this crowd!

C.) There Jesus took 5 barley and two fish and fed the crowd - Phillip helped pass out the food

    1. Helped pick up the remains - ate until glutted /full - 12 basket full leftover

Cc) And later that same day heard Jesus proclaim v.35 - "I am the bread of life comes ....hunger ...believes ... thirst"

D.) And Phillip saw there revealed in the ministry of Jesus

1.) That the Father was willing and able to satisfy the hunger of all men!

  1. That hunger that man has in his heart for meaning and for purpose - to fill void and emptiness

F) He heard Jesus say in Jn. 10 that the devil was a thief …. Destroy / but he also heard Jesus go on to say I’ve come might have life …… abundantly !

And then in John 12 we see Phillip again week of Passover and there were Greeks who came to worship at feast / turn there

A.) Desired to see Jesus (true worship results in see Jesus - not signs wonder or any other thing!)

B.) They went to Phillip said "We want to see Jesus and Phillip found Andrew and Andrew & Phillip went to Jesus

1) Phillip heard Jesus answer - v.23-32

A.) He heard the hesitancy in Jesus - "Father deliver me from this hour"

B.)But he also heard Jesus say that it was for this hour I have come into the world

1.) He came to reveal the Father's redeeming desire for mankind!

C.)To take that which was lost and being destroyed by the power of sin & forgive, cleanse bring lost men into fellowship w/ God!

Cc)He heard the voice of God answering the cry of the Son Father glorify your name!

1) There He saw the Father & Son working in harmony to fulfill this plan of redemption for man

Jesus said to Phillip - seen me you have seen the Father

A.) Jesus revealed the love, grace, mercy and heart of God to man who's view been distorted by sin - Satan

B.) Phillip saw Jesus taking children into his arms & blessing them

1.) Saw God's desire to take His children into His arms & bless them!

C.) He saw Jesus opening the eyes of the blind and healing all manner of sickness

    1. He saw God's desire of the heart of God to restore man from the destruction that sin brought into world

D.) He saw Jesus weeping over the city of Jerusalem - "Oh Jerusalem, Jerusalem - how I have wanted to gather you under my wings like a mother hen does her chicks but you would not"

E.)Saw the heart of God broken over man's failure to recognize His redemptive plan/ man's failure to see the gift He provided in His Son!

 

Satan came to distort man's view of God - but Jesus , He came to reveal the Father's heart! Love for His children

A.) 1 John 3:1 Behold what manner ............His Children

B) Satan came to distort - to rip off to destroy - he is a liar who seeks to deceive men into choices that will ruin their lives

1)Jesus came to rebuild - restore that which has been broken

Bb)Nothing more exciting than seeing lives - rebuilt - families He has put back together

C.) That is what Christmas is about - that is the purpose of why He came

1.)man dead - alive! Lost - found; /broken - restored! Hopeless - Hope; / guilt ridden - freed! That is why He came !

D) That is why He left the glory of heaven & came to this earth

  1. And if you are here today and you haven't met him who is the true meaning of Christmas Open your heart!
    1. Celebrate a real Christmas this year / every day / give opportunity in a moment but lets go back to Jn. Quickly finish our study

 

So Jesus came to destroy the works of the devil by revealing the father / and by dying on the cross to take away our sins completely v.5

  1. Penalty - Paid / Presence removed cleansed / power been released /

for who ever opens their heart to Him !

  1. When they do something happens ! Life begins to change / the Lord begins to do a work in him .

1) That is what is meant here in v. 9 that those who have been born of God does not sin because His seed remains in Him & he cannot sin because he has been born of God !

  1. Six times in this letter John uses the phrase Born of God which speaks of being born again .
    1. Jesus said in Jn. 3:3,6,7 "Most assuredly, I say to you, unless one is born again, he cannot see the kingdom of God." "That which is born of the flesh is flesh, and that which is born of the Spirit is spirit. "Do not marvel that I said to you, 'You must be born again.'
  1. Being born again means we are born of the spirit / means when we give our lives to Christ He places His H. S. inside of us
    1. Term His Seed speaks of His nature
  1. John says whoever has been born of God /has His seed remains in him & he cannot sin. ( Lit. He is not able to live in sin )
    1. Remember context of v. 4 contrasting those who practice sin / lifestyle / habitual vs. Those who practice righteousness

Cc) Person who has been born again cannot live in sin ! Why? Simple

1)Because the H.S. is in us & we have been made partakers of a new nature a divine nature. nature that is after God / delights in the things of God !
  1. And the Spirit of God in you is constantly working in you fashioning your heart to follow after the Lord !
    1. And when you find yourself in a situation where you shouldn’t be the H.S. lets you know / Like an alarm going off inside /
  1. That is what the conviction of the Spirit is all about / conviction vs. Condemnation !
    1. The H.S. alarm goes off / begins to convict you / you feel miserable until you do something about the sin.
  1. So the person who is living in fellowship w/ the Lord is going to be one who is responding to that conviction of the H.S.
    1. It is going to be seen in the way that he lives his life !

 

John makes this point very clear in v. 7 & in v. 10 (Read )

  1. John is saying that what you practice is going to reveal where your heart is really at !
  1. John says the person who knows Jesus & is walking w/ Him will have a life marked by a purity ( righteousness & Love )
    1. How you walk / live / reveals where you are really at reveals your heart

Abundance of heart mouth speaks / Lang. Hell vs. Lang. Of heaven !

John ends this section by using Cain as a illustration in v. 12

  1. Cain is a good picture of the modern day church goer who is caught up in religion but doesn’t have a real relationship w/ the Lord !
  1. Cain had the right words / right actions / he had the appearance of a worshipper like his brother Abel he is seen worshipping & bringing a offering to the Lord

1) Cain's actions seemed right but Cain's heart was not right !

Bb) He was merely going through the motions & when his sacrifice was rejected by the Lord we see where his heart really was at ! Kills his brother !

  1. Johns point in this analogy is to say Cain's heart & life were revealed by his actions ! He was unrighteous !
    1. True that where a person is really at will come out in times of adversity & disappointment !
  1. If garbage is always coming out / it is an indication that your heart is not right !

10 In this the children of God and the children of the devil are manifest: Whoever does not practice righteousness is not of God, nor is he who does not love his brother.

Satan came to distort - to rip off to destroy - he is a liar who seeks to deceive men into choices that will ruin their lives

A) But Jesus was manifested that He might Destroy the works of the Devil & give us the Power to live after Him !

1)Jesus came to rebuild - restore that which has been broken/ destroyed

B) He is totally able & willing to work in the hearts of men who yield themselves to Him! that is the purpose of why He came

1.)Take man who was dead - alive! Lost - found; /broken - restored! Hopeless - Hope; / guilt ridden - freed!

  1. If you don’t Know Him really missing out ! Meet Him today !