Having Confidence at Messiah's Return
Journey through 1 John • Sermon • Submitted • Presented
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Introduction
Introduction
Last week we talked about the need to beware of anti-christs. We talked about how they were not necessarily a single embodiment of some future world ruler that will try to take over the world, but that they were the epitome of people who did things and taught things that were contrary to the teachings of Christ. We even looked at an example of a modern day anti-christ who claims to be a man of God and determined that it was just a modern day manifestation of gnosticism about which, so many of the apostles warned.
Today we continue our series on a slightly different but related theme, and this is especially true if we are talking about anti-christs in the manner in which we are more accustomed to hearing and that is, in the context of the last days. Because while we may not have been talking about anti-christ in the traditional manner, the time is coming, and it may be sooner than we thing, when we will have to stand before the judgment seat of Christ.
God has ordained the Son to be the judge of the world.
The Father does not judge anyone, but has handed over all judgment to the Son
For just as the Father has life in Himself, so also He has granted the Son to have life in Himself. Also He has given the Son authority to judge, because He is the Son of Man.
Although God overlooked the periods of ignorance, now He commands everyone everywhere to repent. For He has set a day on which He will judge the world in righteousness, through a Man whom He has appointed. He has brought forth evidence of this to all men, by raising Him from the dead.”
Therefore we must all appear before Messiah.
For we must all appear before the judgment seat of Messiah, so that each one may receive what is due for the things he did while in the body—whether good or bad.
If we’re honest most people might actually have a really good reason to be afraid. They just don’t have their lives right with God. But there are some who fear the coming of that Day, who really shouldn't, but can look forward to that day knowing they will stand before Him with great boldness!
John wrote his first epistle with the desire to help his readers understand that they can have confidence before the Lord when He comes.
And now, children, abide in Him, so that when He appears we will have confidence and not be ashamed in His presence at His coming.
In today’s study, I would like for us to take a close look at John's goal for his “children” and his solution for obtaining this goal.
John’s Goal for His Children
John’s Goal for His Children
To Have Confidence When Messiah Appears
To Have Confidence When Messiah Appears
The Greek word for “confidence” is parrhesia, and it refers to an “outspokenness” In other words, frankness, bluntness, publicity. it implies assuredness, boldness and confidence.
Parrhesia appears a few times in scripture.
The boldness of Peter and John before the council.
Now when they saw the boldness of Peter and John and figured out they were laymen without training, they were amazed. They began to realize that these men had been with Yeshua.
The boldness of Paul's preaching
But Barnabas took him in and brought him to the emissaries. He described to them how Saul had seen the Lord on the road and the Lord had spoken to him, and how he had spoken boldly in the name of Yeshua.
Even now, in Messiah we can have “...boldness and access with confidence” to God
In Him we have boldness and access with confidence through trusting in Him.
We also have bold access to the throne of God for mercy and grace to help.
Therefore, since we have a great Kohen Gadol who has passed through the heavens, Yeshua Ben-Elohim, let us hold firmly to our confessed allegiance. For we do not have a kohen gadol who is unable to sympathize with our weaknesses, but One who has been tempted in all the same ways—yet without sin. Therefore let us draw near to the throne of grace with boldness, so that we may receive mercy and find grace for help in time of need.
Therefore it is John's goal that we have the same sort of “boldness and confidence" at Christ's appearing that we have now!
Just as we can now boldly approach God's throne of grace. so we can then stand with confidence before Christ's throne of judgment!
To Not be Ashamed When He Comes
To Not be Ashamed When He Comes
The Greek word for ashamed is aischunomai {ahee-skhoo'-nom-ahee}. It comes from the word aischos which means disfigurement, or disgrace; to feel shame (for oneself):—to be ashamed. It is used to describe the unjust steward's attitude toward begging.
“Then the manager said to himself, ‘What shall I do, since my master is taking the management away from me? I’m not strong enough to dig; I’m ashamed to beg.
To be “ashamed”, then, is the opposite of having “boldness and confidence”. John does not want us to be ashamed of ourselves when Messiah returns! To stand before Jesus at His coming, with confidence and no shame, is John's goal for his “children”! Is that not the goal that we should have for ourselves as well?
How can we be sure of that for ourselves? Well I’m sure glad that the Bible never speaks of a problem without offering a solution, and here, John does just that.
John’s Solution
John’s Solution
Abide in Him
Abide in Him
This is the simple answer to not being ashamed when Jesus returns - abide in Him. Well, that sounds easy, but how do we actually go about doing this?
Abiding in Messiah
Abiding in Messiah
To abide in Messiah involves a few very simple but powerful things.
Let His Word Abide in You
Let His Word Abide in You
We actually talked about this earlier in our study didn’t we?
As for you, let what you heard from the beginning remain in you. If what you heard from the beginning remains in you, you also will continue to live in the Son and in the Father.
John actually tells us in his Gospel that Jesus himself also explains this.
He who has My commandments and keeps them is the one who loves Me. He who loves Me will be loved by My Father, and I will love him and reveal Myself to him.”
Judah (not the one from Kriot) said to Him, “Master, what has happened, that You are about to reveal Yourself to us and not the world?”
Yeshua answered and said to him, “If anyone loves Me, he will keep My word. My Father will love him, and We will come to him and make Our dwelling with him.
If you keep My commandments, you will abide in My love, just as I have kept My Father’s commandments and abide in His love.
Letting His Word abide in us therefore involves two important concepts:
That we “know” His Word
That we “do” His Word
I am convinced that the lack of confidence many Christians have is the result of not “knowing" the words of Jesus. It’s like the test-taking anxiety that you may have felt in school when you didn’t study the material. Compare that to someone who has mastered the material. To them the test is a piece of cake and so they have a great deal of confidence going into the test.
When people do not read and study God's word, it is understandable why they would be apprehensive about being judged by it! But the solution to not knowing God's Word, and those of His Son, is a simple one: READ!
It is not enough, though, to “know”, we must also “keep” His Word. Remember back in OSL? we need to be doers of the Word as well as hearers.
. Mt 7:21
“Not everyone who says to Me, ‘Lord, Lord!’ will enter the kingdom of heaven, but he who does the will of My Father in heaven.
“Therefore everyone who hears these words of Mine and does them will be like a wise man who built his house on the rock. And the rain fell, and the floods came, and the winds blew and beat against that house; and yet it did not fall, for its foundation had been built on the rock. Everyone who hears these words of Mine and does not act on them will be like a foolish man who built his house on the sand. And the rain fell, and the floods came, and the winds blew and beat against that house; and it fell—and great was its fall.”
So, only the one who does what is right is truly born of God and abiding in Jesus -
If you know that He is righteous, you also know that everyone who does what is right is born of Him.
If you know what Yeshua actually taught, it’s not that hard to do what He said.
For this is the love of God—that we keep His commandments. And His commandments are not burdensome.
Additionally we can have confidence because of the purifying power of the Blood of the Lamb.
If we confess our sins, He is faithful and righteous to forgive our sins and purify us from all unrighteousness.
Putting it All Together
Putting it All Together
Two little boys sat watching their grandmother reading her Bible. The younger turns to the older and asks, “Why does she read her Bible so much?” The older shrugs his shoulders and says, “I think she’s cramming for finals.”
Saints, do wait until you are advanced in years and feel like you can “cram” for your finals. The test is happening every single day of your life, and we don’t know when we’ll have to stand and give account before God.
The more we “know”, and the more we “do” the words of our Lord, the greater our confidence that we shall stand before our Lord on that great Day of Judgment with all boldness!
As John says, “Abide in Him,” which we have seen occurs when we follow his earlier admonition:
“Therefore let that abide in you which you heard from the beginning. If what you heard from the beginning abides in you, you also will abide in the Son and in the Father.”
As for you, let what you heard from the beginning remain in you. If what you heard from the beginning remains in you, you also will continue to live in the Son and in the Father.
Are you letting the Word of God abide in you, so that you are truly abiding in the Son and in the Father?