11-8-2020 – Our Hope is in Christ
11-8-2020
1John 2:28-3:3, Our Hope is in Christ…
Last week (1John 2:18-27) we were exhorted to remain in the truth and not to be led astray by false teachers, false religions, cults and doctrines that deceive and lead people away from the forgiveness and eternal life provided in and through Jesus Christ, for He is (John 14:6) the only Way to receive God’s Salvation, the only revealed Embodiment of God’s Truth, and the only source of Eternal Life from God.
John 14:6
"6 Jesus said to him, “I am the way, and the truth, and the life; no one comes to the Father except through Me."
1John 2:28-29...
"28 Now, little children, remain in Him, so that when He appears, we may have confidence and not draw back from Him in shame at His coming. 29 If you know that He is righteous, you know that everyone who practices righteousness also has been born of Him."
1John 3:1-3...
See how great a love the Father has given us, that we would be called children of God; and in fact we are. For this reason the world does not know us: because it did not know Him. 2 Beloved, now we are children of God, and it has not appeared as yet what we will be. We know that when He appears, we will be like Him, because we will see Him just as He is. 3 And everyone who has this hope set on Him purifies himself, just as He is pure.
The world we live in is hopeless apart from Jesus Christ and God’s love expressed in and through Him to all those who believe; and those who have this hope are able to experience the great joy of forgiveness and the eternal security made effectual by the Spirit of God, through Whom we are able to prayerfully come into the throne room of God in heaven, and to have fellowship on earth with our brothers and sisters in Christ, purposing to offer ourselves as a living and holy sacrifice, acceptable to God, which is our spiritual service of worship.
The hope we have received is a gift of God’s grace that cannot be earned or acquired; it is (Titus 1:2), (Romans 15:4).
Titus 1:2
"2 in the hope of eternal life, which God, who cannot lie, promised long ages ago,"
Romans 15:4
"4 For whatever was written in earlier times was written for our instruction, so that through perseverance and the encouragement of the Scriptures we might have hope."
1Peter 1:3
"3 Blessed be the God and Father of our Lord Jesus Christ, who according to His great mercy has caused us to be born again to a living hope through the resurrection of Jesus Christ from the dead,"
John 11:25-26
"25 Jesus said to her, “I am the resurrection and the life; the one who believes in Me will live, even if he dies, 26 and everyone who lives and believes in Me will never die. Do you believe this?”"
1Corinthians 15:1-4
"Now I make known to you, brothers and sisters, the gospel which I preached to you, which you also received, in which you also stand, 2 by which you also are saved, if you hold firmly to the word which I preached to you, unless you believed in vain. 3 For I handed down to you as of first importance what I also received, that Christ died for our sins according to the Scriptures, 4 and that He was buried, and that He was raised on the third day according to the Scriptures,"
Romans 15:13
"13 Now may the God of hope fill you with all joy and peace in believing, so that you will abound in hope by the power of the Holy Spirit."
Read 1John 2:28…
"28 Now, little children, remain in Him, so that when He appears, we may have confidence and not draw back from Him in shame at His coming."
To “abide in [Christ]” means to persevere in the faith we receive at the moment of salvation: abide [Gk. men-o, meaning ‘to remain’ or ‘to stay’], i.e., we stay true to Christ, remaining in Christ, so that when “He appears” [Gk. in His presence], most likely talking about the Rapture, because that is when John’s audience and future believers will be joined with Christ, having been made perfect (see John 14:1-3; 1Corinthians 15:51-54; 1Thessalonians 4:16-18).
John 14:1-3
"“Do not let your heart be troubled; believe in God, believe also in Me. 2 In My Father’s house are many rooms; if that were not so, I would have told you, because I am going there to prepare a place for you. 3 And if I go and prepare a place for you, I am coming again and will take you to Myself, so that where I am, there you also will be."
1Corinthians 15:51-54
"51 Behold, I am telling you a mystery; we will not all sleep, but we will all be changed, 52 in a moment, in the twinkling of an eye, at the last trumpet; for the trumpet will sound, and the dead will be raised imperishable, and we will be changed. 53 For this perishable must put on the imperishable, and this mortal must put on immortality. 54 But when this perishable puts on the imperishable, and this mortal puts on immortality, then will come about the saying that is written: “Death has been swallowed up in victory."
1Thessalonians 4:16-18
"16 For the Lord Himself will descend from heaven with a shout, with the voice of the archangel and with the trumpet of God, and the dead in Christ will rise first. 17 Then we who are alive, who remain, will be caught up together with them in the clouds to meet the Lord in the air, and so we will always be with the Lord. 18 Therefore, comfort one another with these words."
There are some commentators who say this is talking about the Lord’s Return to the earth, at the Second Coming; but I’m sure not going to support that claim, as I believe the Greek words and their syntax, here in 1John 2:28, do not allow such an interpretation.
1John 2:28
"28 Now, little children, remain in Him, so that when He appears, we may have confidence and not draw back from Him in shame at His coming."
As I study to show my self approved to God (2Timothy 2:15), as a worker who does not need to be ashamed, accurately handling the word of truth, I try to seek the most accurate, clear, contextually coherent, concise yet comprehensive meaning in such cases.
2Timothy 2:15
"15 Be diligent to present yourself approved to God as a worker who [a]does not need to be ashamed, accurately handling the word of truth."
I believe the priority of this verse is that our hope (our confidence) in Christ’s return should encourage and even exhort us to live in a manner that honors God and aligns with His Word.
Our hope is in Christ, not in ourselves, or our works, or in our religious performance; Jesus alone is righteous and only through Him are we made acceptable to God, now and forever (see Romans 3:10-12, 23-26; 2Corinthians 5:21; Ephesians 2:1-10).
Romans 3:10-12
"10 as it is written: “There is no righteous person, not even one; 11 There is no one who understands, There is no one who seeks out God; 12 They have all turned aside, together they have become corrupt; There is no one who does good, There is not even one.” "
Romans 3:23-26
"23 for all have sinned and fall short of the glory of God, 24 being justified as a gift by His grace through the redemption which is in Christ Jesus, 25 whom God displayed publicly as a propitiation in His blood through faith. This was to demonstrate His righteousness, because in God’s merciful restraint He let the sins previously committed go unpunished; 26 for the demonstration, that is, of His righteousness at the present time, so that He would be just and the justifier of the one who has faith in Jesus."
2Corinthians 5:21
"21 He made Him who knew no sin to be sin in our behalf, so that we might become the righteousness of God in Him.
Ephesians 2:1-10
"And you were dead in your offenses and sins, 2 in which you previously walked according to the course of this world, according to the prince of the power of the air, of the spirit that is now working in the sons of disobedience. 3 Among them we too all previously lived in the lusts of our flesh, indulging the desires of the flesh and of the mind, and were by nature children of wrath, just as the rest. 4 But God, being rich in mercy, because of His great love with which He loved us, 5 even when we were dead in our wrongdoings, made us alive together with Christ (by grace you have been saved), 6 and raised us up with Him, and seated us with Him in the heavenly places in Christ Jesus, 7 so that in the ages to come He might show the boundless riches of His grace in kindness toward us in Christ Jesus. 8 For by grace you have been saved through faith; and this is not of yourselves, it is the gift of God; 9 not a result of works, so that no one may boast. 10 For we are His workmanship, created in Christ Jesus for good works, which God prepared beforehand so that we would walk in them."
But then, what does the phrase (1John 2:28), “we may have confidence and not shrink away from Him in shame at His coming [lit., in His presence] mean? We are convinced of our salvation, the forgiveness of sins, and we are confident of Christ’s return, so we continue to do that which pleases Him, according to His Word. Why? He gave His life for us, took our punishment for sin; and so we belong to God, having been purchased with the very blood of Christ.
What if, at the time of the rapture, you are involved in committing a sin, or at the very least, you are doing something that is not pleasing to God at that moment, then you are immediately caught up, transformed, perfected in Christ. I believe anyone who genuinely loves the Lord would hate to be doing something that did not honor Him, at the moment of the Rapture.
Read 1John 2:29…
"29 If you know that He is righteous, you know that everyone who practices righteousness also has been born of Him."
Everyone who genuinely belongs to Christ will seek to find out what pleases Him and attempt to do it! When we express our desire to please and obey God, we are showing that we are “in Christ,” and have indeed been born again by God’s Spirit.
When Jesus Christ returns to receive those who belong to Him, we can be confident of our acceptance by Him, because He loves us, and He loses none of those who belong to Him (see John 10:27-28; Romans 8:24-25, 28-30).
John 10:27-28
"27 My sheep listen to My voice, and I know them, and they follow Me; 28 and I give them eternal life, and they will never perish; and no one will snatch them out of My hand."
Romans 8:24-25
"24 For in hope we have been saved, but hope that is seen is not hope; for who hopes for what he already sees? 25 But if we hope for what we do not see, through perseverance we wait eagerly for it."
Romans 8:28-30
28 And we know that God causes all things to work together for good to those who love God, to those who are called according to His purpose. 29 For those whom He foreknew, He also predestined to become conformed to the image of His Son, so that He would be the firstborn among many brothers and sisters; 30 and these whom He predestined, He also called; and these whom He called, He also justified; and these whom He justified, He also glorified.
Read 1John 3:1…
"See how great a love the Father has given us, that we would be called children of God; and in fact we are. For this reason the world does not know us: because it did not know Him."
God calls us, forgives us, and saves us; and when Christ returns all true Christians will be brought together with God. God is the one who initiated our salvation and He will see it through to our glorification.
John 15:16
"16 You did not choose Me but I chose you, and appointed you that you would go and bear fruit, and that your fruit would remain, so that whatever you ask of the Father in My name He may give to you."
Why God the Father should love us so much as to sacrifice His own Son, we’ll never fully understand (cf. John 3:16). But one thing we do know; if we belong to Him, we will want to live our life on earth in a way that exemplifies Christ, and this will be totally foreign and most likely objectionable to those who aren’t saved.
No wonder Christians are described as aliens and strangers among those who live on the earth. God’s divine nature should be seen in and through the lives of those who belong to Him (see 1Peter 2:11-12, 1Peter 2:15).
1Peter 2:11-12
"11 Beloved, I urge you as foreigners and strangers to abstain from fleshly lusts, which wage war against the soul. 12 Keep your behavior excellent among the Gentiles, so that in the thing in which they slander you as evildoers, they may because of your good deeds, as they observe them, glorify God on the day of visitation."
1Peter 2:15
"15 For such is the will of God, that by doing right you silence the ignorance of foolish people."
2Peter 1:3-4
"3 for His divine power has granted to us everything pertaining to life and godliness, through the true knowledge of Him who called us by His own glory and excellence. 4 Through these He has granted to us His precious and magnificent promises, so that by them you may become partakers of the divine nature, having escaped the corruption that is in the world on account of lust."
Read 1John 3:2…
"2 Beloved, now we are children of God, and it has not appeared as yet what we will be. We know that when He appears, we will be like Him, because we will see Him just as He is."
From the very moment of salvation, every Christian should begin to exhibit saving faith through a desire to know and to obey God’s Word.
John 1:12-13
"12 But as many as received Him, to them He gave the right to become children of God, to those who believe in His name, 13 who were born, not of blood, nor of the will of the flesh, nor of the will of a man, but of God."
John 3:5-8
"5 Jesus answered, “Truly, truly, I say to you, unless someone is born of water and the Spirit, he cannot enter the kingdom of God. 6 That which has been born of the flesh is flesh, and that which has been born of the Spirit is spirit. 7 Do not be amazed that I said to you, ‘You must be born again.’ 8 The wind blows where it wishes, and you hear the sound of it, but you do not know where it is coming from and where it is going; so is everyone who has been born of the Spirit.”"
Romans 8:12-16
"12 So then, brothers and sisters, we are under obligation, not to the flesh, to live according to the flesh— 13 for if you are living in accord with the flesh, you are going to die; but if by the Spirit you are putting to death the deeds of the body, you will live. 14 For all who are being led by the Spirit of God, these are sons and daughters of God. 15 For you have not received a spirit of slavery leading to fear again, but you have received a spirit of adoption as sons and daughters by which we cry out, “Abba! Father!” 16 The Spirit Himself testifies with our spirit that we are children of God,"
The presence and power of God is to be seen in our life, as God’s Holy Spirit works to conform us into the nature of Christ while we serve Him on this earth.
I don’t believe anyone can really understand, let alone describe, what it will be like for mortal man to put on immortality and live in heaven with God. And yet, that is what the Bible says will happen!
1Corinthians 2:9,
“Things which eye has not seen and ear has not heard, And which have not entered the human heart, All that God has prepared for those who love Him” [pp. Isaiah 64:4, Isaiah 65:17]. 1Corinthians 2:10, “To us God revealed them through the Spirit; for the Spirit searches all things, even the depths of God.”
We are to live as if the hope we have of Christ’s return makes a difference right now, right here; as we live in accordance to His Word in conformity to His nature, we give testimony that we are continuing in Him; we are to be exemplifying Him (1John 2:6).
1John 2:6
"6 the one who says that he remains in Him ought, himself also, walk just as He walked."
Read 1John 3:3
"3 And everyone who has this hope set on Him purifies himself, just as He is pure."
Those who genuinely belong to God will live in a manner that brings honor and glory to Him; exemplary of the character and nature of Jesus Christ, the full embodiment of the Godhead, in the flesh.
Do Christians sin (1John 1:8-9).
1John 1:8-9
"8 If we say that we have no sin, we are deceiving ourselves and the truth is not in us. 9 If we confess our sins, He is faithful and righteous, so that He will forgive us our sins and cleanse us from all unrighteousness."
Often we fail to obey God’s Word, and at times we even turn a deaf ear [spiritually] to God’s Spirit nudging us to do what is right (Romans 8:6-9)
Romans 8:6-9,
"6 For the mind set on the flesh is death, but the mind set on the Spirit is life and peace, 7 because the mind set on the flesh is hostile toward God; for it does not subject itself to the law of God, for it is not even able to do so, 8 and those who are in the flesh cannot please God. 9 However, you are not in the flesh but in the Spirit, if indeed the Spirit of God dwells in you. But if anyone does not have the Spirit of Christ, he does not belong to Him."
Paul offers a test (2Corinthians 13:5).
2Corinthians 13:5,
"5 Test yourselves to see if you are in the faith; examine yourselves! Or do you not recognize this about yourselves, that Jesus Christ is in you—unless indeed you fail the test?"
This is a simple Pass/Fail test! If you haven’t repented and you are not trusting Jesus Christ to provide forgiveness (for all your sins: past, present and future) then you “fail” the test, and you have not received eternal life.
If you are seeking to live in obedience to God’s Word, allowing God’s Spirit to conform you to the image of God’s Son, as you wait expectantly for Christ’s Return, then you will have full confidence that you “pass” the test!
1John 5:11-13
"11 And the testimony is this, that God has given us eternal life, and this life is in His Son. 12 The one who has the Son has the life; the one who does not have the Son of God does not have the life. 13 These things I have written to you who believe in the name of the Son of God, so that you may know that you have eternal life."
All our hope rests in Jesus Christ, God’s Son, Lord and Savior: Crucified, Resurrected, and Coming Again, to take all those who belong to Him to be with Him in heaven, forever.
Pastor Mike
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