"You Are What Our Father Calls You!' 1 John 3:1-3

All Saints’ Day (Observed)                                 3-November-2024

Sermon Text: 1 John 1:1-3

Sermon Theme: “You Are What Our Father Calls You!” I. Our Father’s Word Creates You -His Child!(vs.1) II. Our Father’s Son Lovingly Recreates You To Be His Own! (Vs.2) III. Our Father Through His Son Renews You Daily By the Holy Spirit! (Vs.3) by Rev. Nathan J. Rusert

I.N.R.I. Did you see what “THEY” are doing? “THEY” are doing it again! If “THEY” win “I” loose! If “I” can’t stop “THEM” all hope is gone! Sound familiar. Warring words fill our media. Fear-filled words drive to despair. Doubt-creating words tear marriages, families, cities, and nations apart. Lying words bring death. Words of a false father - Satan in disguise. Jesus exposes him warning us as He preaches in the Temple: Joh 8:42-47 Jesus said to them, "If God were your Father, you would love Me, for I proceeded forth and came from God; nor have I come of Myself, but He sent Me. (43) Why do you not understand My speech? Because you are not able to listen to My word. (44) You are of your father the devil, and the desires of your father you want to do. He was a murderer from the beginning, and does not stand in the truth, because there is no truth in him. When he speaks a lie, he speaks from his own resources, for he is a liar and the father of it. (45) But because I tell the truth, you do not believe Me. (46) Which of you convicts Me of sin? And if I tell the truth, why do you not believe Me? (47) He who is of God hears God's words; therefore you do not hear, because you are not of God."

     Satan, masquerading as a more loving serpentine father than our Creator, speaks lying words. He and his demons still whisper the LIE - God doesn’t care. Seize power for yourself. Hate and murder all who get in your way. It’s you against “THEM.” The LIE - evil is good, and good is evil. Satan is the father of lies, double speak, hate, murder, death, and despair. He lies that he is your father - don’t listen to him.

     Our Father, Our Creator speaks to you again this morning saying, ‘Hush My children, “Psa 46:10 Be still, and know that I am God; I will be exalted among the nations, I will be exalted in the earth!” Isa 43:1-2........"Fear not, for I have redeemed you; I have called you by your name; You are Mine. (2) When you pass through the waters, I will be with you; And through the rivers, they shall not overflow you. When you walk through the fire, you shall not be burned, Nor shall the flame scorch you.” Hear Him! He speaks through His only begotten Son breathing forth the Comforter! He births us, reclaims us, renews us daily to be His beloved saints!

     It isn’t you against “THEM”! By His grace through His Son He knits you into His family - the community of saints! Hear Him! Heb 12:1-4 Therefore we also, since we are surrounded by so great a cloud of witnesses, let us lay aside every weight, and the sin which so easily ensnares us, and let us run with endurance the race that is set before us, (2) looking unto Jesus, the author and finisher of our faith, who for the joy that was set before Him endured the cross, despising the shame, and has sat down at the right hand of the throne of God. (3) For consider Him who endured such hostility from sinners against Himself, lest you become weary and discouraged in your souls. (4) You have not yet resisted to bloodshed, striving against sin.”

     Saints of Emmanuel don’t listen to the false father of fear. Listen only to Our Heavenly Father ruling our fallen creation through His Son as His Spirit renews it through Jesus’ Word. Flee from doubt, despair, and hate! Walk by faith, not by sight - for you are: “You Are What Our Father Calls You!” I. Our Father’s Word Creates You -His Child!(vs.1) II. Our Father’s Son Lovingly Recreates You To Be His Own! (Vs.2) III. Our Father Through His Son Renews You Daily By the Holy Spirit! (Vs.3)

I.  St. John, the evangelists, “Boanerges” as Jesus nick named his older brother James and him. “Sons of Thunder” who were ready to call down fire from heaven upon a Samaritan village that refused to receive Jesus as He traveled to bring Passover to completion at Jerusalem by His sacrifice. Sons of Zebedee, fishermen from Capernaum in Galilee - called by Jesus to follow Him!

      John knows God’s Word matters! His gospel begins in eternity with the Trinity. The Word dwelt with God and is God. Breathing forth His Word all things are created and sustained by the Lord and Giver of Life through His Word. The Word becomes flesh with us to reclaim us as the Father’s own beloved children. On the cross as Jesus lays down His life into our death, He breathes forth His Spirit to bring us His life. Then John sees the solider’s spear pierce our Savior’s sinless side and out pours blood and water - to reclaim us as the Father’s own. Breaking death’s bars and robbing our grave forever - Jesus speaks - Joh 20:21-23 So Jesus said to them again, "Peace to you! As the Father has sent Me, I also send you." (22) And when He had said this, He breathed on them, and said to them, "Receive the Holy Spirit. (23) If you forgive the sins of any, they are forgiven them; if you retain the sins of any, they are retained.". John ends the historical narrative of Jesus testifying that the world couldn’t contain all the books that could be written of Jesus’ deeds.

       Now John is old. His brother James was the first of the twelve to be martyred at Jerusalem by wicked King Herod (Acts12). John was old, now close to 90 or above. He had cared for Jesus’ mother - Mary in Ephesus, until she died. He had been persecuted by the Roman government for preaching the Truth - Jesus - crucified, risen, ruling, and coming again. He had been exiled to Patmos, but he wasn’t alone - Jesus and His Church were there - we heard his comforting vision this morning in our first reading. Now he writes to comfort you - today! Listen! (Vs.1)

      Who are you? Satan wants to chain you with the lie that you are your sin - an apostate, a hypocrite, a liar, a lukewarm hearer, a rebel, a murderer, an adulterer, a thief, a vindictive gossip, lusting for your neighbor’s property, people, and place. Your conscience convicts you - for his accusations are true - you haven’t loved the Lord your God with all your heart, soul, mind, and strength. This is evident in how you treat your neighbor whom you can see - you haven’t loved them as you love yourself. If you say you have no sin, you lie only to yourself - the truth isn’t in you!

     Confess your sin! Our True Father is faithful and just. On the day of our rebellion in our first father Adam - he promised to rescue us through His only begotten Son born of the virgin woman alone - He has - His promise cannot be broken! He is just - the accusations of the Law that justly condemn us to hell and eternal torment were placed on the shoulders of our Scapegoat - Jesus, the innocent Lamb of God - He alone takes the world’s sins away - your sins and mine! Now listen! (Vs.1) “Behold!” look away from yourself, don’t trust your gut, your experiences, your feelings - look up to behold our Father’s love for you - sinner!

    Our Father didn’t wait for you to find Him. He sought you out dead in your trespasses and sin. While you hated Him - His love for you is from everlasting to everlasting! He called you His own! He said, “I baptize you into My Name! You belong to Me - yesterday, today, and forever!” Behold! Baptism is never your work, choice, or decision - God our Father called you forth in His Son by His Spirit! He births you by His mercy! His Word creates you to be His own. It was His Word blessing our first parent’s marriage, “Be fruitful and multiply” that blessed your parent’s marriage. Male and female He created us to become one in marriage that He might bless our world with life - newborn babies. He had you in mind on the sixth day of creation as He instituted marriage to bring forth your life. He knit you together in your mother’s womb (Ps.139) creating you at the moment of your conception - sustaining you to this day - by His Word and Spirit!

     You are Our Father’s children! The world scoffs and hates you because you are not of this world, not of the father of lies. It doesn’t know you, because in willful foolish ignorance it says in its heart, “There is no God!” Don’t listen to the lies of its father - the devil. Our Father calls you His beloved children!

II. What of my sins? How can our heavenly Father love a poor miserable sinner like me? The good I would, I don’t do - the evil I try to avoid, I return to as a dog to its vomit! Oh, wretched man that I am, who will deliver me from this body of death! - Jesus - only Jesus!

      “You look just like your father!” when son’s hear this they burst with pride. Holding my grandson the other day, another guest at the hotel commented, ‘Is that your grandson...he looks just like you.” You see the face of our Father only in His only begotten Son Jesus. In Jesus our Father’s face shines upon us - the face of true Love! (Vs.2) Turn from your sin, the world’s scoffing, Satan’s accusations - look only to Jesus - love nailed to the cross FOR YOU!

     Our Father loves you perfectly in His only begotten Son - you are “Beloved!” never “forgotten” or “forsaken!” Jesus became your Brother by the power of the Holy Spirit in the womb of the Virgin Mary. He rescued you from all sin, from death, and from the power of the devil. You are His own! NOW! Here and now you are children of Our Father! Don’t fear! What can man do? Imprison you - you are free in Christ! Murder you - your life is hidden in Jesus and is eternal! The world and its false father Satan may rage, murder, steal, imprison, and threaten - they have lost - Jesus lives! Our victory is won! We are citizens of His kingdom - not a political party - the Kingdom of Heaven!

      Now we are hidden in Jesus! He recreates us daily through His Word and sacraments. He fills us with His cross won - empty tomb certified forgiveness, life, and salvation. My body will grow old, die, and rot in the grave - but King Jesus is coming again in great glory - He will speak His Word - “Arise!” and I shall be like Him - I shall see our Jesus face to face! Our Father’s gift to you in His Son makes all things new again - in Christ you are a new creation! Rejoice!

III. These words aren’t empty promises. John in the midst of exile saw you in church as your voice joins with “angels, archangels, and all the company of heaven” at the feast of the Lamb! We are blessed to suffer, to be reviled, persecuted, spoken evil against - for this is the lot of God’s children since the father of lies slithered into our world. Don’t listen to the evil spirit of despair and death. Hear God the Holy Spirit in Christ’s Word reconciling you daily and richly with our heavenly Father through forgiveness! (Vs.3).

       Dear saints - you have sure and certain HOPE! Jesus suffered and died for your sins once for all! Now He lives! He was raised to declare you the Father’s beloved children by His Spirit! He comforts you here in His Church daily and richly. He sanctifies you - purifying you as Christ is pure. Daily you die to sin! Daily you rise to new life in Jesus by the Holy Spirit in your baptism. HOPE is secure! It can’t be taken away! Cry out daily to Our Father in prayer through His Son by His Spirit!

      A political outlaw wrote, “ For this we must know, that all our shelter and protection rest in prayer alone. For we are far too feeble to cope with the devil and all his power and adherents that set themselves against us, and they might easily crush us under their feet. Therefore we must consider and take up those weapons with which 31 Christians must be armed in order to stand against the devil. For what do you think has hitherto accomplished such great things, has checked or quelled the counsels, purposes, murder, and riot of our enemies, whereby the devil thought to crush us, together with the Gospel, except that the prayer of a few godly men intervened like a wall of iron on our side? They should else have witnessed a far different tragedy, namely, how the devil would have destroyed all Germany in its own blood. But now they may confidently deride it and make a mock of it; however, we shall nevertheless be a match both for themselves and the devil by prayer alone, if we only persevere diligently and not become slack. 32 For whenever a godly Christian prays: Dear Father, let Thy will be done, God speaks from on high and says: Yes, dear child, it shall be so, in spite of the devil and all the world.” Saints Pray - You are what Our Father calls you! His Own! Amen.