"How Great That We Should Be Called Children of God!" 1 John 3:1-3

Midweek Lenten Vespers 1                            21-February-2024

Sermon Series: “The Lord’s Prayer In the Light Of our Lord’s Passion”

Sermon Text: 1 John 3:1-3

Sermon Theme: “How Great That We Should Be Called Children of God!” I. Called In Christ To Be His Own! II. Blessed With His Holy Name!

I.N.R.I. Our Lord through the song of Asaph invites us Ps. 50:15 “Call upon Me in the day of trouble; I will deliver you, and you shall glorify Me." Jesus teaches us the words to pray, but it is under trials, temptations, losses, and all other various crosses that God the Holy Spirit teaches us to pray.  

     Tonight we learn from Jesus to pray to our heavenly Father by the Holy Spirit that His name be hallowed. Prayer is the privilege of the baptized. Paul wrote, Gal 4:4-6 But when the fullness of the time had come, God sent forth His Son, born of a woman, born under the law, (5) to redeem those who were under the law, that we might receive the adoption as sons. (6) And because you are sons, God has sent forth the Spirit of His Son into your hearts, crying out, "Abba, Father!" God the Father sent forth His only begotten Son to reconcile sinners to Himself - to bring us Home to Himself and reunite us by His Spirit. A mother in the delivery room after all her agony waits only to hear one sound - the cry of her newborn baby.  If after all her pain and labor the room is silent she panics - silence means the absence of life. When she hears the cry of her newborn infant - she is comforted - the labor wasn’t for nothing - now joy fills her that a newborn baby has been born into this world.

    Jesus labored for you. He fulfilled the Law perfectly for you as your Brother, facing all the temptations that assail you. He never sinned. He shouldered the burden of your sins sacrificing His innocent flesh for you. He swallowed your sentence of death and pour out His life giving blood that you might be His own and life under Him! King Jesus claims you as His own in baptism. His death is your death. His resurrection is your resurrection. His ascension and return to the Father is your Homecoming. His prayer is your prayer.

    St. John testified, 1Jn 3:1 Behold what manner of love the Father has bestowed on us, that we should be called children of God! Therefore the world does not know us, because it did not know Him.’  Behold! Look away from yourself and from your own thinking and doing. Behold the Father’s love showered upon you in Holy Baptism. Love that gave you His only begotten Son. Love that reclaims you His own! (LSB pg. 323. Intro. LP. W.D.T.M?) The only begotten Son teaches you by His cross and resurrection that His Father is now your Father - His God is now Your God. These Words given by the Father through His Son invite you by the work of the Holy Spirit to believe. Believe what? God is Your True Father. He isn’t an example of fatherhood - He is Your True Fatherhood. Us sinful fathers are a dim reflection of True Fatherhood - found in God the Father alone. Us sinful human fathers were called by God the Father through marriage to participate in His procreation of our children. Just as we are not our own - He has given us all we are, body, soul, eyes, ears, thinking. He has given us all we have richly and daily supplying what we need for life. He guards and protects us from all evil.

     Hear the tender invitation of your Heavenly Father - trust I am your Father - you are my True children - not because you’ve lived a perfect life, but because I chose you in Christ Jesus from the foundation of the world. I birthed you by the Holy Spirit in the waters of Holy Baptism. I have put My name on you - you are Mine! Ask Me boldly confidently for all needs. The world doesn’t know you, but I know you.

    The wonder of Christ speaking the Father’s words of invitation is that they take us into the very heart of God. We don’t drag our Father down from heaven - He takes us up in His arms, setting us on His lap, rejoicing to hear our voice. “Father” is His beautiful invitation. The prodigal son had rejected his father’s home, taken his inheritance wasted it all, now he was down to coveting pig slop for a meal. He came to himself - he was honest - saw that he was a sinner. He would return to his father, begging only to be a slave. He nears home, his merciful Father sees him from afar, runs to embrace him, lest he turn back to slop. The sinful son barely gets out the word, “Father” he is embraced, kissed, sty smelling clothes removed, clean robes placed upon him - a feast prepared.

     Dear Baptized - when you speak “Our Father” He is merciful - forgiving - washing you clean in Christ’s blood - renewing you by His Holy Spirit through His Promise. The world doesn’t know us, but God our Father knows us.

     St. John continues,1Jn 3:2-3 Beloved, 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, we shall be like Him, for we shall see Him as He is. (3) And everyone who has this hope in Him purifies himself, just as He is pure.” Father, glorify your Name! Jesus prayed after Greeks came seeking to see Him in the Temple. The Father’s Name is holy and would be glorified again. How? Listen to Jesus: Joh 12:31-32 Now is the judgment of this world; now the ruler of this world will be cast out. (32) And I, if I am lifted up from the earth, will draw all peoples to Myself."

God the Father’s name is glorified - hallowed - in Jesus’ passion. (LSB pg. 323, 1st Pet. W.D.T.M.?) God ‘s Name is holy in itself, but the Holy Angels sang songs of glory as our Creator laid the foundations of our world. The saints of heaven lift up their voices to hallow God’s Name in singing songs of victory to the Lamb Whose blood set us free to be people of God. How is God’s name kept holy among Christians in this world?(1st Pet. H.I.G.N.K.H?) We are now the children of God. The Father’s name brings us into His lap. He joins our voices in the eternal harmonious choir. Now on earth we join our voices with angels, archangels, and all the company of heaven. We echo back the Word of God taught to us in its truth and purity as our song of praise to our Father. He joins our voices and lives in perfect three part harmony with the Holy angels before His throne, with the saints who now rest from their labor awaiting the resurrection, and with all our brothers and sisters in Christ around the world.

    His Holy Name is our life! Faith in Christ is lived in love - we live as our Father’s children caring for each other caring for one another in our vocations - lived in the 10 commandments. The Father through the Son is our hope by His Spirit. Our hymn of glory leads us onward and upward. Again we cry to our Father for His help! He hears! He gives us His Holy Spirit - we live as His children! We cry to our Father! He protects us from profaning His Name! Rejoice to join His choir in heaven and on earth in singing the glory of Christ’s cross - Our Father’s love tenderly inviting you to believe. Amen.