Extreme Make-Over. I John 3:1-3 (NKJV)

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1 Message for THE LORD'S DAY EVENING, July 27, 2014 Christian Hope Church of Christ, Plymouth, North Carolina by Reggie A. Braziel, Minister TOPIC: Heaven, Return of Christ Extreme Make-Over I John 3:1-3 (NKJV) Please turn with me in your Bibles to our scripture text in I JOHN, chapter 3. And let's read verses John 3:1-3 (NKJV) 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. 2 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. P R A Y E R ************************************************************ I N T R O D U C T I O N Back in 2002, ABC began airing a new reality show called Extreme Makeover. Each week the show would bring in a team of make-up specialists...fitness trainers...fashion experts...hairdressers...dentists...and even plastic surgeons, who would all work their magic on these average-looking Joes and Janes and transform them into handsome Princes and beautiful Princesses, all to the stunning amazement of their family and friends.

2 When you and I acccepted Jesus Christ as our Lord and Savior, we underwent an Extreme Make-over ; NOT outwardly, but inwardly. II Corinthians 5:17 (NKJV) Therefore, if anyone is in Christ, he is a new creation; old things have passed away; behold, all things have become new. John says it this way in verse 1 and the first part of verse 2 of our text... I John 3:1,2a (NKJV) Behold what manner of love the Father has bestowed upon us, that we should be called children of God! Therefore the world does not know us, because it did not know Him. Beloved, now we are children of God; and it has not yet been revealed what we shall be... When you and I accepted Jesus Christ we became a new creation. We were transformed from children of the devil into children of God. We put off our old garments of unrighteousness and put on Jesus Christ. And ideally as we grow and mature as Christians we become more and more like JESUS CHRIST in our attitude, our habits, our relationships, and our life-style. But so long as we are in this world, The Extreme Make-Over will never be complete! The Real Extreme-Makeover will happen when Jesus comes to get us.

3 In our text, JOHN reveals two wonderful truths about our Extreme Makeover. Truth #1: We Shall See Jesus As He Is (v.2c) I John 3:2c (NKJV) For we shall see Him as He is. 1. Because we have never visibly seen JESUS, our human minds can only picture Him in His humanity. *We can picture JESUS as a baby lying in a manger. *We can picture JESUS as a 12 year old boy being left behind at the Temple in Jerusalem. *We can picture JESUS as a 30 year old man being baptized by John the Baptist in the Jordan River. *We can picture JESUS with olive toned skin, and long dark hair and a long beard, wearing a white robe, a sash and sandals as He walked the dusty roads of Israel preaching and teaching the gospel and performing miracles. *And we can picture JESUS bruised and bleeding body as He hangs on the cross. 2. But notice JOHN says in the latter part of verse 2... verse 2c We shall see HIM as HE IS.

4 3. What John is saying is this: If you think you know what Jesus looks like now, just wait until you see Him face to face! When John was exiled on the Isle of Patmos, he was given that wonderful privilege of seeing Jesus in His radiant glory. And in Revelation chapter one, John describes Jesus' appearance in vivid detail. Turn with me to REVELATION 1, and let's read VERSES Revelation 1:12-16 (NKJV) 12 Then I turned to see the voice that spoke with me. And having turned I saw seven golden lampstands, 13 and in the midst of the seven lampstands One like the Son of Man, clothed with a garment down to the feet and girded about the chest with a golden band. 14 His head and hair were white like wool, as white as snow, and His eyes like a flame of fire; 15 His feet were like fine brass, as if refined in a furnace, and His voice as the sound of many waters; 16 He had in His right hand seven stars, out of His mouth went a sharp two-edged sword, and His countenance was like the sun shining in its strength. HIS LONG ROBE symbolizes Jesus as the King of all kings. THE GOLDEN SASH ACROSS HIS CHEST symbolizes His role as the Great High Priest.

5 HIS GLOWING WHITE HAIR symbolizes His infinite wisdom and knowledge. HIS BLAZING EYES symbolizes His judgment of all evil. HIS FEET LIKE BRONZE symbolizes omnipotent power. AND HIS VOICE LIKE RUSHING WATERS symbolizes His divine authority. 4. Think of a person you knew as an acquaintance long before you ever met them face to face. Perhaps you had talked with that person several times on the phone, and from the sound of their voice you formed an image of what you thought they might look like. And then the first time you actually met the person face to face they didn't look at all like what you had imagined! 5. I believe that is what it is going to be like the first time we see Jesus face to face. He will not look at all like what we have imagined, not in a disappointing way, but in an unbelievable way. John was so over-whelmed by the appearance of Christ that he fell at Jesus' feet as though he were dead! I can't imagine us having any less of a response the first time we lay eyes on Jesus. We Shall See Jesus As He Is!

6 Now here is the second truth... Truth #2: We Shall Be Like Jesus I John 3:2b But we know that when He is revealed, we shall be like Him. 1. John is telling us when our ultimate extreme make-over is going to take place: He says, When He is revealed. When something is revealed it is made visible. When will Christ be revealed or made visible? When He comes to get His Church. 2. When He is revealed or made visible, WE SHALL BE LIKE HIM Now what does that mean? In what way or ways will we be like JESUS? (A) We shall be like Jesus in SPIRIT. This process began the day you and I accepted Jesus Christ as our Lord and Savior, but it will not be complete until the return of Christ. II Corinthians 3:18 (NKJV) But we all, with unveiled face, beholding as in a mirror the glory of the Lord, are being transformed into the same image from glory to glory, just as by the Spirit of the Lord.

7 Right now you and I cannot be fully and completely like Jesus in Spirit, because we are still struggling with our old sinful nature. Paul says in Galatians 5:17 (NKJV) For the flesh lusts against the Spirit, and the Spirit against the flesh; and these are contrary to one another, so that you do not do the things that you wish. You see, even though you and I became a new creation in Christ at our baptism, we continue to struggle with such things as pride...and selfishness...and an un-controlled tongue...and a critical spirit...and impatience...and a host of other sins. Even though the Holy Spirit is working in us to transform us into Christ-likeness, that transformation will never be complete so long as we remain in these human bodies. We will continue to struggle with sin as long as we live. We will fight that inward battle between the flesh and the spirit until the day we die. But when He is revealed, we shall be like Him in SPIRIT. Like Christ, our Spirit will no longer desire sin. Like Christ, our Spirit will only desire those things which are HOLY and RIGHTEOUS and PURE and PERFECT. Like Christ, we will become sinless. We will never have another sinful thought...we will never speak another sinful word...we will never do another sinful deed or do anything out of a sinful motive.

8 But not only shall we be like JESUS in SPIRIT... (B) We shall be like Jesus in BODY. Listen to what the apostle Paul wrote in Philippians 3:20,21... Philippians 3:20,21 (NKJV) 20 For our citizenship is in heaven, from which we also eagerly wait for the Savior, the Lord Jesus Christ, 21 who will transform our lowly body that it may be conformed to His glorious body, according to the working by which He is able even to subdue all things to Himself. We know all-too-well the weakness and frailties of these human bodies we now have. These bodies are so prone to sickness and disease and pain and disabilities and injuries and aging and finally death. These bodies constantly remind us of our lowly position. These bodies were made from the dust of the earth. They are sustained by products that grow up from the dust of the earth. They walk and move about upon the dust of the earth. And when these bodies die they are returned to the dust of the earth. If you have ever gone to an event such as a 25 th High School reunion you have witnessed first hand how our bodies deteriorate over time. Guys that were slender and athletic in high school often go bald and get a pot belly in time. And its amazing what having two or three kids will do to the bodies of those High School beauty queens and Cheerleaders. But you see, these changes just remind us that our bodies are under the curse of sin, and they deteriorate over the course of time and eventually die.

9 The word Paul uses in Philippians 3:21 for transformed is the word summorphos which refers to a change in QUALITY rather than a change in APPEARANCE. Like the body of CHRIST, we will have PERFECT BODIES. Rev. 21:4 tells us There will be no more death, nor sorrow, nor crying. There shall be no more pain, for the former things have passed away. Like the body of CHRIST, we will have PERMANENT BODIES. I Corinthians 15:42 (NKJV) So also is the resurrection of the dead. The body is sown in corruption, it is raised in incorruption. Our current bodies are sown or buried in corruption. That means our bodies eventually wear out and die from living in a sin-cursed world. But we will resurrect with incorruptible bodies, bodies that will never experience the curse of sin, bodies that will endure for all eternity. Like the body of CHRIST, we will have POWERFUL BODIES. I Corinthians 15:43 (NKJV) It is sown in dishonor, it is raised in glory. It is sown in weakness, it is raised in power. We are very limited in these bodies. These bodies can only work for a certain period of time before they need rest. We can only go without sleep for a certain period of time. We have to have water to drink and food to eat in order to keep our strength up. We have to have oxygen in order to live. These bodies are weak. But when we see JESUS we will have powerful bodies like His. Think of the body of Jesus after His resurrection.

10 In Luke 21:41-43 we find Jesus eating some broiled fish with His disciples, but there is nothing that indicates Jesus' body was dependent upon food to live. And remember in John 20:26 when Jesus appeared to His disciples behind locked doors? The implication is that Jesus simply appeared out of nowhere without entering through the door. Will we be able to do things like that? Right now we can only imagine. But there is one thing we know for sure and that is When Jesus is revealed, WE SHALL BE LIKE HIM IN SPIRIT AND IN BODY. ************************************************************ CONCLUSION I love Warren Wiersbe's simple conclusion to this passage of scripture. He says, Verse 1 tells us WHAT WE ARE...We are the children of God. Verse 2 tells us WHAT WE SHALL BE...We shall be like Christ. And Verse 3 tells us WHAT WE OUGHT TO BE... We ought to be pure. The day will come when the LORD is going to do an Extreme Make-over on us and WE SHALL BE LIKE HIM. But in the mean-time, let us purify ourselves and continue to grow and mature into Christ-likeness each and every day.