WEBVTT 00:00:00.020 --> 00:00:03.280 Most of us don't struggle to believe that God loves us. 00:00:03.880 --> 00:00:07.920 What we struggle with is believing that His love actually defines us. 00:00:08.290 --> 00:00:12.620 We say the words, child of God, easily, sometimes automatically. 00:00:13.380 --> 00:00:18.440 But we rarely stop to consider what that means or what kind of love would make it true. 00:00:19.400 --> 00:00:21.780 Today's verse doesn't let us rush past that. 00:00:22.150 --> 00:00:27.040 It tells us to stop, to look, and maybe even be stunned. 00:00:35.020 --> 00:00:40.860 Welcome back to Verses We Missed, your midweek breath of Scripture and grace. I'm Steve Webb, 00:00:41.220 --> 00:00:48.600 your OG Godcaster. This is the show where we slow down, take a second look at familiar passages of 00:00:48.700 --> 00:00:53.960 Scripture, and ask whether, because they're so familiar, we may have missed something important. 00:00:54.960 --> 00:00:59.380 Today's verse is short, it's familiar, and it's easy to rush past. 00:01:00.200 --> 00:01:04.580 But if we do, we miss the very foundation of the Christian life. 00:01:06.080 --> 00:01:12.280 Our verse today is 1 John 3, verse 1, and I'll be reading from the English Standard Version. 00:01:12.820 --> 00:01:13.340 Here it is. 00:01:13.800 --> 00:01:19.980 See what kind of love the Father has given to us, that we should be called children of God, and so we are. 00:01:20.620 --> 00:01:24.880 The reason why the world does not know us is that it did not know Him. 00:01:26.120 --> 00:01:28.200 John begins this chapter with a command. 00:01:28.880 --> 00:01:31.500 But it's not a command to do something. 00:01:32.300 --> 00:01:39.620 It's a command to stop, to look, to notice, to take something in. 00:01:40.580 --> 00:01:42.480 The command is, see. 00:01:43.240 --> 00:01:48.520 Notice that John doesn't say, remember what kind of love, and he doesn't say, believe 00:01:49.240 --> 00:01:50.020 what kind of love. 00:01:50.900 --> 00:01:54.580 He doesn't even say, be thankful for what kind of love. 00:01:55.540 --> 00:01:56.900 He says, see. 00:01:58.400 --> 00:01:59.840 That word implies time. 00:02:00.400 --> 00:02:01.680 It implies attention. 00:02:02.360 --> 00:02:04.000 It implies stillness. 00:02:05.100 --> 00:02:07.720 I'm a grandfather to seven wonderful children. 00:02:08.340 --> 00:02:09.600 Of course they're wonderful, right? 00:02:10.320 --> 00:02:14.020 I can't tell you how many times I've heard a sentence that sounds something like this. 00:02:14.480 --> 00:02:15.940 Pop, look what I'm doing. 00:02:16.500 --> 00:02:17.000 Look, Pop. 00:02:17.960 --> 00:02:23.360 Now, when they say that, they don't mean for me to just turn my eyes toward them for a brief moment. 00:02:23.980 --> 00:02:25.840 I can do that and look at them. 00:02:26.360 --> 00:02:31.440 My brain will register that they're doing something, but that isn't really what they want me to do, is it? 00:02:32.340 --> 00:02:39.060 They want me to stop whatever it is I'm doing and really pay attention to them, to really see them. 00:02:40.120 --> 00:02:41.820 Well, that's what John is saying here. 00:02:42.680 --> 00:02:45.940 It's as if John is saying, don't rush past this. 00:02:46.320 --> 00:02:47.740 Don't skim over it. 00:02:48.400 --> 00:02:50.800 Don't assume you already understand it. 00:02:51.560 --> 00:02:56.340 Because, if we're honest, many of us already think we know this verse. 00:02:57.260 --> 00:02:58.420 Yes, God loves us. 00:02:58.980 --> 00:02:59.960 Yes, we're His children. 00:03:00.540 --> 00:03:01.660 Yes, I've heard that before. 00:03:03.360 --> 00:03:05.660 But John is not aiming for information here. 00:03:06.240 --> 00:03:07.900 He's aiming for wonder. 00:03:09.400 --> 00:03:16.360 The phrase, what kind of love, points to something foreign, unexpected, or even otherworldly. 00:03:17.060 --> 00:03:18.940 This is not normal love. 00:03:19.480 --> 00:03:22.360 It isn't earned love or cautious love. 00:03:23.460 --> 00:03:27.000 This is love that interrupts us and demands to be seen. 00:03:28.080 --> 00:03:29.580 And notice where John starts. 00:03:30.220 --> 00:03:32.280 Not with us, but with the Father. 00:03:32.800 --> 00:03:37.060 He wrote, see what kind of love the Father has given to us. 00:03:37.760 --> 00:03:39.760 That word given matters. 00:03:40.770 --> 00:03:43.000 This love is not discovered through effort. 00:03:43.580 --> 00:03:45.760 It isn't unlocked by maturity. 00:03:46.820 --> 00:03:49.540 It isn't granted as a reward for good behavior. 00:03:50.380 --> 00:03:51.660 It is given. 00:03:52.940 --> 00:03:56.480 Which means it flows from God's initiative and not ours. 00:03:57.720 --> 00:04:03.440 John doesn't say the Father admired us or fixed us or waited for us to improve. 00:04:04.060 --> 00:04:05.800 He loved us. 00:04:06.860 --> 00:04:09.460 And that love results in something astonishing. 00:04:10.300 --> 00:04:12.560 That we should be called, what? 00:04:13.040 --> 00:04:14.560 The children of God. 00:04:15.500 --> 00:04:16.260 Not servants. 00:04:16.940 --> 00:04:17.540 Not employees. 00:04:18.340 --> 00:04:20.680 Not some sort of spiritual freelancers. 00:04:21.299 --> 00:04:23.160 We are called children. 00:04:23.940 --> 00:04:26.220 Beloved, that's adoption language. 00:04:27.100 --> 00:04:29.060 We didn't naturally belong here. 00:04:29.560 --> 00:04:31.020 We were brought in. 00:04:31.560 --> 00:04:32.720 We were named. 00:04:33.340 --> 00:04:35.540 We were given a place at the table. 00:04:36.440 --> 00:04:43.280 think of it. And just in case we're tempted to soften that, to treat it as poetic or symbolic, 00:04:44.220 --> 00:04:49.460 John immediately removes all doubt. He says that we should be called children of God, 00:04:49.980 --> 00:04:59.240 and so we are. And so we are. That short phrase carries enormous meaning. Of course, John, 00:04:59.540 --> 00:05:04.859 like every other Bible author, is inspired by the Holy Spirit as he writes. And through the Holy 00:05:04.900 --> 00:05:11.520 Spirit, John knows how easily we doubt. He knows how quickly we disqualify ourselves, 00:05:12.540 --> 00:05:19.000 how often we treat our identity as conditional. And so he says, this isn't just what you're called, 00:05:19.400 --> 00:05:25.280 this is what you are. Not someday, not after you've become a more mature Christian, 00:05:25.650 --> 00:05:33.920 and not when you finally feel worthy. Right now. If you are in Christ, this is your present reality, 00:05:34.520 --> 00:05:40.700 your present identity. And this matters because many of us try to live the Christian life 00:05:41.300 --> 00:05:48.400 backwards. We try to behave our way into belonging. We try to obey our way into acceptance. 00:05:48.980 --> 00:05:56.740 We try to earn what God has already given. Well, John flips that upside down. You belong first. 00:05:57.740 --> 00:05:59.060 You are loved first. 00:05:59.580 --> 00:06:01.060 You are named first. 00:06:02.200 --> 00:06:03.880 Obedience flows from identity. 00:06:04.200 --> 00:06:05.240 It doesn't create it. 00:06:06.100 --> 00:06:06.840 Here's an example. 00:06:07.440 --> 00:06:11.500 My wife, the lovely Lady Leanne, loves me and is devoted to me. 00:06:12.440 --> 00:06:14.880 And I love her, and I'm devoted to her. 00:06:15.560 --> 00:06:22.640 And because of that love, I do everything in my power to care for her and to put a smile on her face every single day. 00:06:23.180 --> 00:06:28.900 I do those things because of my love for her, not because I'm trying to earn her love or keep her 00:06:29.060 --> 00:06:35.960 love. I do those things simply because of the reality of our relationship. And then John adds 00:06:36.050 --> 00:06:43.480 one more clarifying thought. He says, the reason why the world does not know us is that it did not 00:06:43.760 --> 00:06:52.099 know him. In other words, if this identity feels misunderstood, if it feels invisible or out of 00:06:52.120 --> 00:06:59.320 place, that isn't a mistake. It's resemblance. If you belong to the Father, you will sometimes be 00:06:59.600 --> 00:07:07.300 treated the way the Son was treated. This verse actually reframes rejection. It doesn't mean that 00:07:07.420 --> 00:07:13.640 you're doing everything right, but it does mean that being misunderstood is not evidence that 00:07:13.820 --> 00:07:21.180 something has gone wrong. It may simply mean that you belong to a different family, and so it does. 00:07:23.000 --> 00:07:28.540 Now, John will go on to talk about holiness and about obedience and about love in action. 00:07:29.130 --> 00:07:37.420 But he doesn't start there. He starts with wonder. See what kind of love. Because when we forget who 00:07:37.520 --> 00:07:51.240 we are, we distort how we live. Fear replaces confidence. Striving replaces rest. Performance 00:07:51.260 --> 00:07:58.220 when identity is settled, obedience becomes a response, not a desperate attempt to qualify. 00:08:01.940 --> 00:08:07.840 Let's pray. Our Heavenly Father, we confess that we often rush past things that deserve our 00:08:08.080 --> 00:08:15.180 attention. We say words like, child of God, without stopping to really see the love behind them. 00:08:16.240 --> 00:08:22.240 Lord, help us to slow down. Help us to see and to receive what you have already given. 00:08:23.520 --> 00:08:30.240 Remind us, Lord, that our identity comes from your love, not our performance. And let that 00:08:30.420 --> 00:08:37.599 assurance shape how we live, how we love, and how we trust you. We thank you that we are not only 00:08:37.900 --> 00:08:44.680 called your children, but that in Christ, so we are. We pray this in Jesus' precious and holy name. 00:08:45.800 --> 00:08:46.020 Amen. 00:08:56.400 --> 00:09:00.820 Beloved, if this episode of Verses We Missed has been meaningful or helpful to you, 00:09:01.120 --> 00:09:06.040 I'd like to remind you that this show is supported through the Value for Value donations of the LifeSpring family. 00:09:06.680 --> 00:09:07.160 That's you. 00:09:08.040 --> 00:09:13.840 That simply means you decide what value you've received and respond in whatever way makes sense to you. 00:09:14.480 --> 00:09:20.260 That might be prayer, sharing the episode with a friend, sending feedback, or financial support. 00:09:21.340 --> 00:09:27.500 For more information or to donate, I invite you to go to lifespringmedia.com support. 00:09:37.320 --> 00:09:41.160 Beloved, before John tells us how to live, he reminds us who we are. 00:09:42.060 --> 00:09:43.460 Don't rush past that this week. 00:09:43.940 --> 00:09:45.880 Take time to see the love that named you. 00:09:46.880 --> 00:09:49.940 And now, until next time, may the Lord bless you and keep you. 00:09:50.520 --> 00:09:53.580 The Lord make his face to shine upon you and be gracious to you. 00:09:54.320 --> 00:09:57.160 The Lord lift up his countenance upon you and give you peace. 00:09:58.120 --> 00:09:59.420 My name is Steve Webb. 00:10:00.400 --> 00:10:00.540 Bye.