1 John 2:28-3:3 | Adult Sunday School | Adult Sunday School

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Opening Prayer and the Hope of Christ’s Return

Going. Glad to see you all this morning. It's good to be in the house of the Lord.

We're gonna be in the book of 1st John this morning so if you want to turn to 1st John chapter 2 that's where we'll we'll get started and before we you know.

Get going a little bit. We'll open up with a word of prayer and let's pray.

Father we just thank you so much that you're an amazing God that you've given us a book that is absolute truth that gives us wisdom. It helps us to learn how to live make good decisions and ultimately know that one day we'll be with you in eternity.

Thank you for the cross and what that means for our lives. What a what an amazing gift you've given us in salvation. And today Lord I pray that you'll just open the word up to us each and every one of us that you'll penetrate our hearts and minds with your truth and it'll ultimately change us and conform us into the image that you have and that we should be seeking.

And thank you for everything that you do in our lives in Jesus name. Amen. We're gonna be in chapter 2 verse 28 all the way through verse 3 3. And the title of this this message today is living in hope of Christ's return.

We as Christians are to be living our lives just as though Jesus Christ were coming back at any moment. That's what we're supposed to be doing from the second we were born again. Until this very moment our whole lives should be focused and geared for maturing in our faith and growing because one day Christ is coming back when you think back to your own salvation.

Do you remember that the before and after the before the motives of your heart were all focused on worldly things. Your mind was set on worldly things. Your goals were different your desires and passions were different.

God really was left out of your life before salvation. After though you had a new purpose in life when Christ enters into you all of a sudden it seems like the light bulb comes on in your life. Things become new.

You have a new purpose that you never had before. Your mind becomes aware of future hope and the return of Christ. You're thinking about things differently. You began to have new priorities new passions new desires.

God became the primary focus after salvation. At least that's what I'm hoping and praying for all of us is that God became the primary focus in your lives after salvation. The light bulb came on. Every believer should be preparing for that glorious day when we will see him face-to-face.

At the new birth. We were looking back in time envisioning what the life of Christ was like. What did he look like. What did his voice sound like. Can you picture the cross. We were looking back in time.

But this will not be the same Jesus who will be coming back. No he's coming with great power and glory to judge the earth. So it matters how we live our lives today. Matters how we live our lives today.

In the book of 1st John we see two kinds of people we've been talking about quite a bit. Those that say they love Jesus and do what he says. And then those that say they walk in the light but yet walk in the darkness.

And we see these same two kinds of people in the world today. Don't we. Paul speaks about them in Romans very clearly. In chapter 8 he says there's the fleshly life. These people set their minds on the things of the flesh.

That's Romans 8 5. Then we have the mind set on the flesh is hostile toward God. Romans 8 7. Then he says the mind set on the flesh is death. That's Roman 8 6. And those who are in the flesh are not able to please God.

That's the fleshly life. That's those that say they walk in the light but walk in the darkness. But then there's also the godly life. Those are the ones that set their minds on the spirit of him. They are focused on him.

The mind set on the spirit is life and peace. Romans 8 6 notice that in the fleshly life and in the godly life there is a focus on the mind not emotions. But the mind. What goes into your mind makes a huge difference.

And it is a focus. It says the mind set on the flesh is death. The mind set on the spirit is life and peace. There's a contrast there. What goes into your mind then is of utmost importance. I've had people tell me you know garbage in garbage out.

You probably heard that saying our lives though must be continually focused on living godly lives for Christ. And I think John's very clear in our passage today that we as believers are to focus on the godly life.

So we're going to read our passage this morning which is 1st John chapter 2 starting in verse 28 and we'll read down to 3 3. And now little children abide in him so that when he is manifested we may have confidence and not shrink away from him in shame at his coming.

If you know that he is righteous you know that everyone also who does righteousness has been born of him. See how great a love the Father has given to us that we would be called children of God. And we are for this reason the world does not know us because it did not know him beloved.

Now we are children of God and it has not been manifested as yet what we will be. We know that when he is manifested we will be like him because we will see him just as he is. And everyone who has this hope fixed on him purifies himself just as he is pure.

Abiding in Christ and Preparing for His Appearing

Remember that the reason John used for abiding in our last lesson was because he didn't want the believers to be led astray by those trying to deceive them. Now though he writes for another reason and that is because one day Christ is coming back and we need to be ready for that.

We need to be ready for that. I think it's interesting and we've been talking about this a little bit in John is that the word abide. He uses that word abide abides and abiding 45 times in the gospel of John and in first and second John.

So it's an important concept to consider the concept of abiding is remaining in Christ. It's very critical. John told the disciples in John 831 he said if you abide in my word then you are truly my disciples.

Is it any different for us today if we say that we're saved we abide in his word. Is it any different that we are his disciples. Because that's what the concept in first John's about those that say and those that do.

That's the big difference. But I was thinking about this and my mind was drawn back to the book of John and the lesson of the true vine. And I love this verse. In John chapter 15 verse 3 he said you are already clean because of the word which I have spoken to you you are already clean.

You're already saved. You are already a child of the King because of the words that I have spoken to you you are clean and your peer basically contrasting them between the scribes and the Pharisees. You are clean and pure compared to your own salvation.

One day think about for our own selves we were doomed to hell blackness of darkness forever. And then the next day when after salvation we had all the riches of the most richest King on the planet. And that's a blessing to me.

But then he comes down in John 15 for and he says this abide in me and I in you as the branch cannot bear fruit from itself unless it abides in the vine. So neither can you unless you abide in me. And I think that's something we have to grasp on to.

We have to gravitate toward because it's like when you're saved you don't know a lot right. There's a little bit you kind of got a grasping of it. But as you live your life that progressive sanctification you're continually growing and maturing your faith in the Lord and that's called abiding in him.

You're focused on whatever the scriptures have to teach us and you're maturing. That's the goal in our lives is to do. That is to have such a passion and a love for the words in the Bible that you would sacrifice time and money to know God more deeply.

That's why we come to conferences. That's why we you know invite speakers in to get more more understanding more knowledge and to just be about the business of the Word of God to learn it and to mature it.

I love what Spurgeon has to say about the idea of abiding in Christ. You probably heard this from Jim when he's teaching John. It's possible. But if you if you haven't heard it this quote is is interesting he says.

And I quote because you are little children you are not of traveling years. Therefore stay at home and abide in your Lord. Does he not hint that their feebleness. Even if you were grown and strong you would not be wise to gather all together and wander away into the far country.

But as you are so young so dependent so feeble it is essential that you abide in him. Is he not your life. You're all end. Quote. The message paints a beautiful picture for us. Doesn't it. Stay at home.

Stay at home in the Lord. Don't wander off. Don't go out into the into the streets where there's danger where there's false teachers where there's every kind of impurity. Out there stay home. Stay in this word.

Don't be seeking out into other areas that are going to cause you danger and struggles having your minds polluted with every kind of false doctrine. That's out there that you could be swayed away from the true and simplicity of the gospel.

That's what he's saying. I love that. And that's the lesson that John wants us to understand by abiding. And the reason for that is because one day look at verse 28. There he's going to be manifested.

It says he's going to be manifested. And that word manifested means to be clear to be visible. He will be revealed to us. That's amazing to me. Because in John revelation he tells us in Revelation 1 7.

Behold he is coming with the clouds and every eye will see him. Even those who pierced him. And all the tribes of the earth will mourn over him. Yes amen. And you think about that. What. Why will all the tribes of the earth mourn for him.

Some will grieve because the Jews will recognize that they have killed the Messiah. Some will realize that maybe they had made a mistake. Maybe all the times that they heard Jesus they will realize that they had made a mistake.

And some will just harden their hearts and never follow after him. But for us the Saints it should be a glorious time. It should be an amazing time that we are waiting in expectation for our Savior and we finally see him.

We have no concept of what that's going to be at all in our minds. But we need to be ready is what John is urging us to do is to shove all the distractions aside. Take every opportunity to look into the gospel look into the scriptures.

Take every opportunity to share our faith with anybody that is willing to listen to us to bring them into the light. And then he says in that same verse a little bit further he says we so we may have was it.

When he has manifested we may have confidence and not shrink away. That's what we want to have. Right. When Christ comes back we want to have a confident faith not one that is doubting or unsure or unprepared.

And confidence is just having a full assurance. It's having a full assurance but it also conveys a boldness. It conveys a boldness of having courage and a freedom of speech. Think about that when we see Christ we want to have the courage and the boldness to face him.

We want to have the freedom of speech to tell him how much we love him. We want to have that strength. Don't you find that in the scriptures you find that strength that you can't be swayed you can't be moved.

That's the kind of boldness that we want to have when Christ comes back. It's like a father coming home from work and the house is clean and everything is in order. You know he's going to be pleased. That's exciting to me.

And then John uses a couple words here in talking about confidence said we want to have confidence. How come. So that we will not shrink away and shame at his coming. Those two words are pretty similar in in their meaning.

And to those that are not fully engaged this is what he's talking about. Those are shrink away. Shrink and shame. Interesting wording here we are not to shrink away from him at his coming. I think about this man.

Have you ever washed your wife's clothes or you what happens what happens when you wash wash them in the wrong temperature. They don't get bigger. I just want you to know because I've done this they get smaller.

So if you shrink away you you get smaller. It's to fall away in total disgrace. We want to have confidence so we don't shrink away. I I watched a newscaster one time on ESPN and he just said the most terrible thing.

It was a just a huge gaffe on on his show and he just went. You know he just kind of shrunk back and and that's the picture when Christ comes back we don't want to go. What have I done. That's that's the picture by continually abiding.

I think we just don't want to cringe when he comes back. We want to have that boldness that courage that strength. And the other word he uses is in this is shame. Shame at his coming. And the the idea is of a consciousness of guilt.

It's a consciousness of guilt. It emphasizes sins effect on our lives. We're we're shameful. We're exposed for our failures of not following him. And we have that shame in our lives. It's that guilt that shame.

And it's like I don't know. It's like you've seen at a dog one time and I came home and it had eaten this salami that was about this big and the dog was only like this big and came through the door and it just kind of went.

You know just it just you even the dog knows shame. We should be able to to recognize it in our own lives as well. And so you kind of look at what John's trying to convey here is when we stay in his word when we're focused on living our lives according to his will then we don't have anything to be shameful about because we are about the father's business.

And we don't need to worry about shrinking back and worrying about his coming because it could be at any moment as we know. And I think all of us at times probably look back and go. Yeah I wish that day I would have been ready because if he came that day I don't want to be that guy.

I want to be the guy that is ready and confident and bold and courageous at his coming. So that's verse 28. Any question. There's a lot they're rambling on like no other. Yeah. Sure comment. Right. Yeah.

No. I think that's true. I mean we can go through our lives without necessarily focusing our whole lives on it. And and that brings shame. Is that kind of what you're saying. And then now that you realize it now it becomes even you know it fades away because you realize that Christ is who he is and you're following after and learning and growing.

And I think that's a progress of sanctification. You're growing and maturing in your faith. And that's a good thing. Anybody else. Okay. Let's look at verse 29. If you know that he is righteous you know that everyone also who does righteousness has been born of him.

Righteousness as Evidence of New Birth

And I think here's the reason why we abide. This is one of the things that we look at why we strive in confidence. Because he is if you know that he is righteous and to know there is absolutely. If you know absolutely that he is righteous then he says you know that everyone who does righteousness and that to know there is experientially.

If you know absolutely Jesus is righteous then you know experientially you can see it in people's lives that they are righteous because they are doing the things that Christ does says to do for us. So that's that's the difference.

And the he here is referring to Jesus. If you know he if you know Jesus is absolutely righteous then everyone that practices righteousness or does righteousness is born of him. And that's that's exciting.

So when you think about it how is Jesus righteous. How's he right. How is he righteous. And that's that's something that kind of pops into our head. But sometimes there might be a little confusion on what that actually means.

And the word righteous means conformity to a standard conformity to a standard. He is righteous because of the conformity to a standard and that's his own standard. He conforms to his own standard of righteousness his work perfectly conformed.

He carried out every aspect of the law he did everything perfectly. He is righteous because he is able to fully understand and keep his own standard. Okay. So when we say that for us it means a little different.

Because of that it says you know that everyone also who does righteousness has been born of him. Everyone that word everyone every believer every believer that knows that that understands that it says is to practice righteousness or is to do righteousness.

And that's I think there's different wording like the NASB I think says practice righteousness. And then LSB and King James and and probably some other ones say do righteousness. So it's a little bit different.

And I love Proverbs 15 9 it says the way of the wicked is an abomination to Yahweh. But he loves one the one who pursues righteousness. I love that. That's a that's the contrasting that John has been teaching us in first John is this.

The one who is the way of the wicked is an abomination but the one who pursues righteousness that's that's the beauty of it. All that's our goal is to pursue righteousness. We are to practice righteousness and it you think about practicing something.

What does that bring into your mind. It's you're doing something over and over again. There's repetition there. This summer I decided I'm going to take some golf lessons. You know trying to bring down my score.

You know do that. And it's interesting because he'll take the video and I'll see it. No it's terrible you know. And then I go back and and I start to look at that video again and I'm on the driving range and I'm I'm honing it in and practicing it.

And eventually I'm starting to you know not slice as bad but it's it's making a difference. And I think that's the concept here. It's practicing it. It isn't something the average person thinks about.

An unbeliever really doesn't think about practicing righteousness much less know even what righteousness might mean or understand. But for us the true believers there is a focus on it there is a knowledge of it that we are supposed to pursue.

It's because to live righteous lives you have to know the Savior. You have to know the Savior. I mean you can be morally good as an unbeliever and those kinds of things are true. But you can't live righteous lives apart from Christ.

There's no possible way to do it. They the unbelievers just don't understand that. So what does it mean to practice righteousness. What does that mean in this context is morally correct behavior. That's what it's talking about.

Morally correct. It's God's standard the moral law. That's what we're talking about here. Tell the truth. No stealing flee adultery stand up for for life. No sexual immorality. All of these things are practicing righteousness and we do them consistently every day of our lives.

It should be on the forefront of our minds to think how am I going to please the Lord today and not on the things of the world and drawn away by our own lusts and things that get us into trouble. Because we can look here and see the standard that we're to live by.

And that's why I think it's important that we know our Bibles and understand it and read it. Because sometimes I don't know about you but I just forget. I forget things I read every my memory is not the greatest and so I have to go back and constantly mull over it and to think about what that means.

And you always learn new things. When you go back and focus on it again you're like oh I never saw that before. So the life that is real is a is a life that is doing. That's the key not just talking about it but it's a life of doing because the scriptures say not everyone who says to me Lord Lord will enter the kingdom of God.

Doing what is right is the sign of the spiritual birth. That's why he says you know everyone who does righteousness is born of him. And when you think about that if you're born of him then that's what you would do.

If you're not born of him then you're of course you're not going to live righteousness in your lives. And that's the idea here is you practice righteousness because you are born of him. And and this is a distinguishing of the false teachers in this book.

They're not practicing righteousness. They're teaching contrary doctrine to Christ as we've talked about before here the false teachers are literally denying the deity of Christ in this book. But for us we're practicing because we're born again the Spirit of God lives in us.

You can't say that about false teachers. It's not possible to say that about them because they're teaching contrary to what the scriptures teach. So that's 29. Is there any questions on verse 29 that you want to discuss or talk about.

Yeah.

That is unfortunate. Yeah yeah it's a good point. Her question or her comment.

Was just it's unfortunate. I said it's unfortunate. She would because she was listening to Joyce Joyce Meyer and you know that's the word of faith false teacher. And she had said that God became her. Yeah Christ became perfect when God him.

And that's sometimes obviously that's the wrong standard 100 And so I think this is just one more reason why we abide in Christ to be able to sift through the mountain of evidence of false doctrine and false teaching out in the world.

And you know you have to know your Bibles to be able to dissect that. And I think it's yes you're correct. You have to be a Berean. You you have to search and you have to read. You know before I was saved I never read a book.

I'm serious I never read a book. And the second that I got saved I couldn't get enough. You know I read all the time. And I think readers are learners and they understand. And I would say if you're not now a reader pick up a book and start to read and learn and understand.

Because this is how we're able to deal with false teachers. We know our scriptures and really embrace it. And to have an answer for anybody that will ask us. So that's a good comment. Anybody else just don't pick up.

Joyce Meyer. I would have to agree. Yeah unless it's in the context of Justin Peters. Yeah he has a few things to say about her. I don't. I've never heard anything good. All right. Let's look at first chapter 3 verse 1 where it says.

The Father’s Great Love and Our Identity as Children of God

See how great a love the Father has given to us that we would be called children of God. And we are for this reason the world does not know us because it did not know him. So I really love how John moves from the concept of born of him to the love of God.

Because when you are born of God you're seeing things differently than you were before. It's it's not the same. And to see here in this verse means to see with perception to pay attention. It means that you have your you have fixed your focus on something.

This it's not just a simple glance where you're looking at something. You're looking intently at this love. He says how. See how great a love you're seeing with spiritual eyes how great the love of Christ is.

You're seeing it because you're saved. You're looking at it with the spiritual set of eyes now. And he says that word great means what sort of what sort of what kind of love is this. And it can also mean from another country.

So you're seeing this great what sort of what kind of love out of this planet. Love that's what he's talking about. It's an intense focus with eyes that have been opened because of the love of the Father.

Isn't that really how we can see how great a love it is. Can the world know the great love of Christ without him interacting with their souls and and reaching down and saving them. Can the world know the love of the Father like that like we can.

The answer is no. They cannot know that. And that's why the gift that we have within us is so precious. It reveals the great love that the Father has for us. God in us godly output. God in us godly output.

The world that once was out of focus for us now comes into view clearly because of his love on the cross. It just it all makes sense. It comes into focus for us where it wasn't into focus before. See how great the love of the Father it says.

I had mentioned its meaning could be from another country. He is from another country which is so beyond anything that we can grasp or comprehend that. That's that's kind of the image I think here it's not man-made teaching.

This is from another realm. When you think about Christ being from another planet. When we say what kind of love the Father has for us it is the kind of love that this world cannot possibly understand from another country is like us not being able to speak the language.

It's foreign to the world. God's love is foreign to them. But to us this his other dimension of love is amazing. It's out there it's it's so different it's so unique. It's so motivating for us. The love of the Father is that before time he chose us.

Is that not love everyone that is saved. That kind of love that motive. We didn't do anything to get this love. God gave it to us. He gave it to us through choosing us. He chose a nation from all the others he didn't have to choose is really could have chosen other nations but he chose them.

Why. Because he's God and he can do what he wants. He raised up Pharaoh so he could display his glory. He chose Jacob over Esau all these things. It's because God wanted to do that. And you know what he also chose some of us.

I think this is an amazing verse here. Because if you look at it says in verse 1 there it says for this reason or excuse me um see how great a love the Father has given to who. How great a thought I love the Father has given to who.

To the world. No he's given it to us. He's given it to the to the believers that the ones that he has chosen that that to me is amazing. The love of the Father is that he chose us for salvation. And the cross makes it all possible.

When we begin to see his love with spiritual eyes we must be in total awe because he has chosen you as the firstfruits for salvation as 2nd Thessalonians 2 13 says. It didn't say man chose God in that verse but rather God chose you.

That's what it says. But he has chosen you. If that doesn't humble you. I don't know what can that is amazing to me. That should bring all of us to our knees and praise and worship. The result of the Father's love is that we would be called children of God.

And we are think about this for a second. To become a child requires the love of God. And the result of that is that we become children of God. We once were called children of wrath. Did you know that children of wrath.

But now we are called children of God. I mean how cool is that we go from wrath having that whole image of being poured down on us judgment to now children of God. That that's just mind-blowing to me.

And I. And I think he says this in that same verse. For this reason the world does not know him. The world does not know us for that. For what reason that's in that verse. For what reason. It's because we're children of God.

It's it's prior to so for this reason because you are children of God. The world does not know us when there's no spirit of God living inside the people of God there's no understanding of God. And there's no children of God what it comes down to.

When there's no spirit of God living inside the people of God there's no understanding of God and there's no children of God. You have to have the spirit living inside of you. And when you think about it we're an utter mystery to the world.

They have no idea how to categorize us. They don't understand why we would come here listen to somebody preach the gospel. They don't understand that. They think we're probably crazy people. Call you a Bible nuts and all these things right.

Like why are you doing this. Why are you giving all your money to this cult. This is the way the world sees us. They don't understand. You ever had somebody you know unbeliever try to tell you what the Bible has to say.

Well that's funny. They just don't understand. And I think it's because they don't have the spirit. That's why we urge so much to preach the gospel to try to help them to see the love that Christ has.

And it's it in verse 2 look at that we live this way because it says beloved. Now we are children of God. And it has not been manifested as yet what we will be. We know that when he is manifested we will be like him.

Because we will see him as he is. Christ is coming back and we will see him as he is. Remember. Not. Not like his first appearing right meek and mild turn the other cheek kind of a image. He's not. It's not coming back like that.

John says in Revelation 1912. His eyes are a flaming fire. You're going to be coming back in great power great force great judgment. And that's a different Jesus than was portrayed in the in the New Testament.

There will be no place to hide for those that practice wickedness. Because he is coming to judge the earth. We know that when he appears we will be like him. We know very little honestly of how we will be like him.

But we know that a little bit. We know a couple things in 1st Corinthians 1552. In a moment in the twinkling of an eye at the last trumpet. For the trumpet will sound. And the dead will be raised incorruptible.

And we will be changed in the in just that instance we're going to be transformed from this world into that space. I mean that's amazing. We also know that we're going to have glorified bodies. Don't we just like Jesus had after the resurrection.

I wonder if I'll be able to just appear somewhere like he did. I don't know about that. I'd be nice be nice to do that. And also we know that sin is no longer going to have any kind of mastery over our lives.

We're going to be shed from all of that. No more lust no more you know anything evil in our minds. Our minds are going to be free from any sinful thoughts. Man won't that be freeing. And then the last verse at verse 3 we're going to look at.

Purifying Ourselves in Light of Christ’s Pure Hope

And everyone who has this hope fixed on him purifies himself just as he is pure. To purify means to cleanse to make clean. And you think about the purification process. It's to remove impurities. Never watch a video on how to you know purify gold or silver.

I mean it's a huge process. And it doesn't just happen by accident. To purify ourselves requires us to take some kind of action to do something to purify it because it doesn't just happen on its own and it means that we are to to live clean lives free from sin.

We must purify every facet of our lives as James 4 8 says. He says this in 4 8. Draw near to God. And he will draw near to you. Cleanse your hands you sinners and purify your hearts. You double-minded.

That's what we're supposed to do. We're supposed to purify it and to put in the fire of God's Word into our lives and remove all of those impurities away from us. So in conclusion to purify our hearts we abide in Christ and in his Word.

To abide is a command. It's an imperative. It's a command. We are to do this and it's motivated by the love of the Father. We abide because he loved us. We live godly lives because we are so grateful that the Father's love for us was decided by him.

This love causes us to practice righteousness out of a heart that is so abundantly grateful because we have passed out of death into life. That's my verse John 5 24. I read that I got saved. We passed from death into life.

This love adopted us out of a hostile world and placed us into a new family. We have a new family. This love rejoices that when he appears we will be like him and we will be with him. This love is fixed on him.

And we kill sin in our lives. At every turn we purify. We cleanse. We clean up our lives because he is pure he is holy and he is righteous. This love we pursue because when he appears again we want to be confident and not shrink away in shame and his coming.