62-15The Hope That Purifies—Part 1

1 John 3:1-3

TV Show: "The Moment of Truth" advertise-"do your friends and loved ones tell you the truth?" "What deep, dark secrets are they hiding from you?"

This show (different names: To Tell the Truth, Who Do You Trust? ... ) has had audiences over the years.

Sad commentary on our society which is glorifying falsehood. We are well on our way to trusting no one. Young people are taught to trust nobody, to learn everything based on their own experience. In a "post-modem" society-truth is not absolute, each one determines what is truth for himself.

Further, promises are made by everyone. Many times those promises are made so lightly with little little to no intent of keeping them. Peers, professors, parents, and people in general let us down.

Gone is the day when a person's word was his bond. Lying is the norm which shouldn't surprise- 1 John 5:19b ''the whole world lies in the power of the evil one."

John 8:44--lying is the essence of his nature and the world is under his influence.

I think people truly look for something tangible they can trust in. Yet it cannot be found in the world's system. But as Xians we should be ready to stand up and give an account of the hope that is in us (1 Peter 3:15).

Hope implies trust. The words the Bible uses to describe hope also translate trust or confidence. In what or whom can we really trust?

As believers we can say unequivocally that our hope is in God.

Prov 3:5-6; Ps 37:3-4

Hope is a Christian virtue that strengthens every believer and provides a hedge against the progressive evil of this world.

1 Cor 13:13 Hope doesn't always receive the treatment that love and faith do but it is necessary to understand the theology of hope set forth in God's Word. This is0because the goal of hope is the realization of God's redemptive plan in eternity.

What we study will be an introduction to 1 Jn 3:1-3 where apostle describes the hope that purifies the children of God.

Defining Hope

Secular Hope: Expressing a desire that something might happen (wish). There is no expectation of something actually happening-merely a wish.

Biblical Hope: The expectation of a believer that God will fulfill His promises He made in the past. It is always founded upon God's character and provision.

Theology of Hope:

1) Hope rests securely on God's character

The ones who hope in God are the ones who trust Him and His promises. We are reminded that we can expect good things from God (Matt 5:45; Jas 1:17)-we wait patiently for the consummation of the promises He made in the past by living according to faith. Inextricable link between faith & hope.

There is no greater illustration of faith in Scripture than Abraham— Hebrews 6:13-20

Abraham lived 2000 years before Christ came to earth and yet he trusted God. Abraham faced adversity, uncertainty, human impossibility, and still simply trusted God for everything.

Paul uses him as a great example of faith in Rom 4. Before he was Abraham his name was Abram. His name meant "father of many" irony-he was the father of no one: he had no children, no descendants, no posterity to carry on the family name. The worth of a man was largely measured by his physical descendants. It would have been humiliating for him to be walking down the streets of Haran and someone to ask “so what are your childrens' names?"

Sons were important in Bible times: they would care for parents in old age and give a proper burial.

Abram was raised pagan--descendant of Shem-heritage was to worship false gods. Gen 12:1-3

God told him to go to the land I will show you. With no guarantee but God's word-he believed God and went.

God promised to give the land of Canaan, innumerable descendants and that all families of the earth would be blessed on account of him.

The impossibilities were apparent: Abram had no children, Sarah was barren. Added to this was their age-7 5 years old.

It would be another 25 years before he would see the fulfillment thru Isaac.

Isaac is born and God commands Abraham to sacrifice the son God promised to bless him thru. He had no idea what the Lord's reasons were but nevertheless obeyed God. God miraculously intervened. Abraham saw the greatness of God's character as the reason for trusting Him.

Hebrews 6:13-20-4 reasons for putting hope in God.

(1) His veracity-truthfulness.

There is no one greater than God. God swore by Himself and b/c He is God of truth and cannot lie, what He says must be true. God's promises are kept b/c He is truthful. He cannot change or break the promises He has made and will never deviate from them. Abraham understood that and gave him confidence to follow God in obedience.

(2) His purpose

God had a purpose for Abraham and the world thru him. Abraham didn't ask to go to Canaan. This was God's purpose/plan/will. The covenant God made with Abraham was unconditional-it was not based on Abraham's faithfulness but His own.

(3) His oath

We hear people swear an oath on something or someone greater than themselves. When the oath is made, the argument over the truthfulness was over. The dispute ended. In Bible times, people didn't make an oath unless they intended to keep it.

God didn't need to make an oath. His word is every bit truthful without it. But He made the oath to accommodate those with weak faith. 2 unchangeable things: God's promise & oath.

(4) His Mediator

The hope that is set before us is JC Himself-the anchor of the soul, the one who forever keeps us from drifting away from God. Jesus entered the holy place where sacrifices were made on yom kippur, and where Jesus would make a sacrifice once for all. Jesus is our High Priest, mediator giving us the assurance of future resurrection.

Hope rests solidly on the Character of God. Abraham understood God's veracity, purpose, oath and in faith simply obeyed God and b/c of his faith God justified him.

2) Hope finds its increase thru the HS

Rom 15:13; Eph 1:13-14

3) Hope brings relief from present difficulties

Ps 42:5,11

4) Hope is the believer's source of joy and blessing

Ps 146:5

Jeremiah 17:7 "Blessed is the man who trusts in the LORD And whose trust is the LORD.

5) Hope eliminates a believer's fear of death.

Every believer understands that the sinful violations of God's law brought a severe judgment and serious consequences. But thru justification, God makes a permanent declaration of everyone who trusts Him that they are no longer guilty and held liable to sin's ultimate consequence--etemal death.

So-b/c of our justification, we will never face the righteous judgment of the holy God and we can face death, not as the means of divine judgment but we can actually look forward to death- 1 Cor 15:54-57; Phil 1:21-23

Here is a brief theology of hope-beginning in 1 Jn 3-apostle delineates 3 characteristics of Christian hope: Root of hope, realization of hope, results of hope.

I. Root of Hope (vs 1)

The root from which hope springs forth in the believer's life is once again solidly connected to the greatness of God's character. But John adds another dimension to that in the form of membership in God's family-the foundation, or the basis of our hope. Christian hope is given only to Xians.

John expects his readers to know what it is that includes them

in the family of God. He calls upon them to take a heart-moving look ("see") at the amazing love God has given those who call upon Him in faith.

You can see the connection to what we studied last tim (parousia & new birth-vv 28-29) John desires that in light of those great realities all believers would contemplate the magnitude of the Father's love.

"how great" comes from Gk word that originally meant "from what country?" It was a question used to understand the class or kind of foreigner-from another country.

Disciples used this phrase early of Jesus--Matthew 8:27 And the men marveled, saying, "What kind of a man is this, that even the winds and the sea obey Him?"

One unnamed disciple said to Jesus in Mark 13:1 "Teacher, behold what wonderful stones and what wonderful buildings!"

The word implies astonishment/wonder and usually admiration over an object. John is using it to point out the great, amazing, incomprehensible love of the Father.

John is saying that God's love is so magnificent that it is completely foreign to humanity-an unearthly love! We are called to look upon this great love-to understand it as best as we can, to contemplate the love of God---which by the way will always produce adoration.

If you truly contemplate, meditate upon the greatness of God's love you will have no other response than adoration/worship.

Rom 5:1-11

Despite our sinful condition God's great love makes us members ofHis family.

Ps 31:19; 89:1-2; Eph 2:4-5; 3:18-19

The rest of John's letter will spend a great deal of time developing agape love-divine love which originates only from God (noun 16x; vb 25x; adj 5x)

Paul says God demonstrated love-showed us love. John takes it a step further-God not only demonstrated but He gave us love. "see how great ... bestowed on us ... " lit. given us.

Perfect tense-given in the past with on-going results now.

When God gives us His love-it becomes our own.

"Love" agape love is not a primarily emotional word. It is not feeling that one has but involves the will and intellect. God loves the sinner and gives Him His love not because they are loveable but despite man's unlovely nature, God's sets His will and mind upon loving them. God loves us not b/c we are worthy of His love but b/c He chooses to love us.

The fact that God would condescend to give us love is precisely a cause for wonder and amazement.

Let me show you what love does:

God gives us His love "that we ... " God's gift of love produces new birth in those who trust Him and it is only this gift that makes it possible to claim membership in God's family.

Jn 1:12; Rom 8:14-17

To be called "children of God" means to have the characteristics of God. 1 John 3:10

Phil 2:14-15; Eph 5:1

God doesn't give us His love-special grace, that we should be called children of God by name only-but as John assures us: “and such we are."

Believers are not just called children--we are children. It speaks of our character, the familial relationship we have with the Father, the nature of God's gifts that He lavishes upon us, the newness of our hearts that have been created anew thru regeneration. God's love is an unearthly love. It makes us children of God which provides a foundation for Christian hope. Not only do we rejoice in its greatness but when we contemplate His love which He graciously has given us thru Christ, we are moved to worship Him who saves us from divine judgment and eternal separation from Him.

Mastering the Concepts:

What key distinction does the sermon make between secular hope and biblical hope?

According to the lesson, how does God's character serve as the basis for our Christian hope?

How should understanding the greatness of God's love affect a believer's worship and daily life?

In what ways can believers actively remind themselves of God's promises in challenging times?

What role does Abraham serve as an example of faith and hope in the sermon?