Preparing for Christ's Appearing
Notes
Transcript
Handout
Please turn to 1 John 2:28-3:3 as we look at Preparing for Christ’s Appearing.
When you prepare for the coming of house guests, what do you do? The day our recent house guests arrived we (or should I say, Gail) cleaned all of the bedrooms from top to bottom. She washed the sheets on all of the beds, vacuumed, dusted, and a bunch of other things. (While she did that I was working on music). Prior to that she did a lot of grocery shopping. My brother and his wife are both following the same Carnivore Diet that I am, and so Gail had to purchase food in keeping with that. Their grandson, Liam, who came with them had different dietary needs, so we prepared for that as well. Along with cleaning the bedrooms, we cleaned the rest of the house as well.
In my mind, our text for today deals with preparing for the return of Jesus Christ in all of His glory. So, how should people prepare for His second coming?
For anyone who has never embraced Jesus Christ as their Lord and Savior, the first thing to do to prepare is to repent and believe the gospel. That is the message that Jesus preached everywhere He went.
Now after John was arrested, Jesus came into Galilee, proclaiming the gospel of God,
and saying, “The time is fulfilled, and the kingdom of God is at hand; repent and believe in the gospel.”
During his second missionary journey, Paul and his companion Silas were wrongfully arrested. After being beaten and thrown in prison, they were holding a praise and worship service. At midnight there was an earthquake, and the foundations of the jail were so shaken that all of the prison cell doors opened. The jailer, believing that his prisoners had all escaped, was about to commit suicide, but Paul stopped him by reporting that no one had escaped. Then we see this conversation.
Then he brought them out and said, “Sirs, what must I do to be saved?”
And they said, “Believe in the Lord Jesus, and you will be saved, you and your household.”
To believe in Jesus Christ in a saving way is to first of all believe that He is whom He claimed to be. He is the visible representation of God. He is God become man. Next, it is to believe in His mission. During His first advent His mission was to save His people form their sins. He accomplished this task by living the perfect life which man cannot live, and by dying as the sin bearer for His people, and by rising from the dead. Finally, to believe in Jesus Christ is to fully rely on His person and His work to save you from your sins.
Our text for today, is not really addressing unbelievers, although there is a constant contrast in this letter between true and false believers. And we can certainly find that contrast in our text and its surrounding passages. Our text for today offers two specific commands for believers to obey as they prepare for the return of Jesus Christ. The first command has to do with abiding in Christ, and the second has to do with beholding the love of the Father. From these two commands we will draw several principles upon which we can use to prepare for the return of Christ.
Let’s read our text together.
And now, little children, abide in him, so that when he appears we may have confidence and not shrink from him in shame at his coming.
If you know that he is righteous, you may be sure that everyone who practices righteousness has been born of him.
See what kind of love the Father has given to us, that we should be called children of God; and so we are. The reason why the world does not know us is that it did not know him.
Beloved, we are God’s children now, and what we will be has not yet appeared; but we know that when he appears we shall be like him, because we shall see him as he is.
And everyone who thus hopes in him purifies himself as he is pure.
Let’s begin by looking at
Abiding in Christ
Abiding in Christ
This is not the first time that John has mentioned the concept of abiding in Christ. In verse 24 it was mentioned that believers should abide in the word of God.
Let what you heard from the beginning abide in you. If what you heard from the beginning abides in you, then you too will abide in the Son and in the Father.
From this we can find
Principle #1 — To Prepare for the Return of Christ we Must Abide in His Word
This means that Christ’s word must be our constant companion. As the song which I sang last Sunday afternoon states:
May the Word of God dwell richly in my life from hour to hour
So that all may see I triumph only through His pow’r.
There is a group out there, often referred to as Red Letter Christians. They believe that only the words of Christs are authoritative. If Jesus didn’t say it, then they don’t have to follow it. That is a bunch of hogwash. All Scripture is authoritative for us.
All Scripture is breathed out by God and profitable for teaching, for reproof, for correction, and for training in righteousness,
We see next that the next time the concept of abiding mentioned in verse 27.
But the anointing that you received from him abides in you, and you have no need that anyone should teach you. But as his anointing teaches you about everything, and is true, and is no lie—just as it has taught you, abide in him.
From this we can draw
Principle #2 — The Indwelling Holy Spirit Enables Believers to Prepare for the Return of Christ
On the night of His betrayal Christ promised the eleven faithful apostles that He was not going to leave them as orphans to fend for themselves in His absence. Rather, He was sending them the Holy Spirit to indwell them, empower them, lead them, and teach them.
Let’s look at verse 28.
And now, little children, abide in him, so that when he appears we may have confidence and not shrink from him in shame at his coming.
This verse is a transitional statement linking what was previously said to what is going to be said. Boice contended that the words and now, would be better translated “since this is so,” or “that being the case.” Since the Holy Spirit indwells the believer we have the ability to prepare for Christ’s return.
For the believer, abiding in Christ is not a suggestion, nor is it an option, it is a command. This is the first of two imperative commands found in our text for today. This is not a one and done type of command either, since it is in the present tense it describes a continuous action.
And since the imperative commands in the Bible express the will of God for our lives, I can confidently say that it is the will of God that every believer continuously abides in Christ.
How does one abide in Christ. It begins with cultivating a personal relationship with Him. We learn of Him by studying His word — from Genesis 1 to Revelation 22. We learn of Him by praying to Him. We learn of Him by being obedient to His commands. And the commands which John emphasizes in this letter are to believe in Jesus, and love one another as Christ commanded us to do.
This bring us to consider
Principle #3 — The Certainty of Christ’s Future Return is intended to Motivate the Believer to be Prepared for His Return
Look at verse 28 again.
And now, little children, abide in him, so that when he appears we may have confidence and not shrink from him in shame at his coming.
John wants his audience to have confidence when they stand before Christ at His return. MacArthur wrote, “Confidence translates a Greek word (parrēsian) that means “outspokenness” or “freedom of speech.” Elsewhere in the New Testament it refers to believers’ boldness in approaching God (Heb. 4:16; 10:19; 1 John 3:21; 5:14). In this verse it indicates an assurance derived from a holy life of abiding in Christ (cf. Eph. 5:27; Col. 1:22; 1 Thess. 3:13; 5:23).” (John MacArthur, 1, 2, 3 John, MacArthur New Testament Commentary (Chicago, IL: Moody Publishers, 2007), 113.)
Sadly, rather than having confidence on that day, many believers will shrink from Him in shame. I remember when we had a dog named Sam. I actually wrote a song about him that I would use with my kindergarten students:
Sam is my dog,
And he’s big as a hog,
But he won’t hurt a frog,
That’s my dog, his name is Sam.
Occasionally Sam would do something that would get him in trouble (like break his leash and go chasing after a Moose!). And after such an event, when I would call him to me, he would shrink back in shame. You could see it in his demeanor. And that is the very picture of believers who do not adequately prepare for the coming of Christ. They will shrink in shame before Christ.
Look at verse 28 again.
And now, little children, abide in him, so that when he appears we may have confidence and not shrink from him in shame at his coming.
The Greek term used here is Parousia. John Stott wrote, “There is ample evidence in the papyri that in the East at that time ‘the word (parousia) was the usual expression for the visit of a King or Emperor’ (Brooke). Parousia means literally ‘presence’, and the two words together imply that our Lord’s return will involve the personal presence of one now absent, the visible appearing of one now unseen.” (John R. W. Stott, The Letters of John: An Introduction and Commentary, vol. 19, Tyndale New Testament Commentaries (Downers Grove, IL: InterVarsity Press, 1988), 120–121.)
So, as believers we are to be preparing for the coming of the King of Kings and Lord of Lords. If we are unprepared for His coming then we will shrink from Him in shame. This does not mean that we will lose our salvation and be kicked out of the kingdom of Christ. But there will be loss of reward. But if we abide in Him and in His word then we will have no reason to shrink from Him in shame. Rather, we will relish in His appearing.
Are you abiding in Christ? Are you preparing for His return?
Principle #4 — To Prepare for Christ’s Return Believers Should Exhibit Practical Signs of Righteous Living
Look at verse 29.
If you know that he is righteous, you may be sure that everyone who practices righteousness has been born of him.
In this verse there is a change of subject. In verse 28 the pronouns He and Him refer to Christ. But on verse 29 they refer to God the Father.
Look at verse 29 from a different translation.
If you know that He is righteous, you know that everyone also who practices righteousness is born of Him.
I put this verse up in the NASB95 because I feel it gives the better sense of the verse. There are two distinct words which are translated as know in this verse. The first term is oida, which means to perceive, notice or discover. So that first phrase could be translated like this:
If you perceive (or discover) that God the Father is righteous ...
The second term translated “know” in our text is ginosko which means to know by experience. This second term is often used in the sense of intimacy.
Putting this together we might come up with something like this:
If you perceive (or discover) that God the Father is righteous, you know by experience that all who practice righteousness are born of the Father.
But what does it mean to practice righteousness?
Principle #5 — We Prepare for Christ’s Return by Living a Life which Conforms to the Divine Will
The OT prophet, Micah wrote,
He has showed you, O man, what is good. And what does the Lord require of you? To act justly and to love mercy and to walk humbly with your God.
God is always just in His dealings with mankind. And He expects His redeemed image bearers to be just in our dealings with one another. Further, God is a merciful God, and He expects His children to be merciful as well. And of course, God’s Word frequently exhorts believers to walk humbly before Him.
Look again at verse 29.
If you know that he is righteous, you may be sure that everyone who practices righteousness has been born of him.
John Stott wrote, “If you know as a fact (eidēte) that God is righteous, John says, then you will perceive as a logical consequence (ginōskete) that everyone who does what is right has been born of him. The child exhibits the parent’s character because he shares the parent’s nature. A person’s righteousness is thus the evidence of his new birth, not the cause or condition of it. The false teachers (in their incipient Gnosticism) may have called their initiation into gnōsis a ‘regeneration’; John shows that righteousness, not knowledge, is the principal mark of the regenerate.” (John R. W. Stott, The Letters of John: An Introduction and Commentary, vol. 19, Tyndale New Testament Commentaries (Downers Grove, IL: InterVarsity Press, 1988), 121.)
We have been looking at the command for believers to abide in Christ. Let’s turn our attention now to
Beholding the Father’s Love
Beholding the Father’s Love
Look at the first part of verse 1.
See what kind of love the Father has given to us, that we should be called children of God; and so we are.
The first phrase of this verse contains our second imperative command. Remember, an imperative command is not merely informational, nor is it optional.
Principle #6 — We Prepare for Christ’s Return by Focusing on the Love of the Father
This principle makes me want to sing:
How deep the Father’s love for us,
How vast beyond all measure,
That He should give His only Son
To make a wretch His treasure!
How great the pain of searing loss,
The Father turns His face away,
As wounds which mar the Chosen One
Bring many sons to glory!
Words can never express the depth of the love the Father has for His children. Glen Barker wrote, “The phrase “born of him [God]” (2:29) leads the author to marvel at the wonder of God’s redemptive activity. See how great the gift of his love really is! Why he has identified us as being his very own children! And this is exactly what we have become through his acts. We have really been born of him. Clearly the author means to encourage his readers by reminding them of the grace of God they have received through the lavishness of God’s own love. Such grace and love are missing from his opponents’ lives. Love appears to be of no concern to them. They fail to recognize God’s love and feel no obligation to express it. But apart from love, there would have been no children of God.” (Glenn W. Barker, “1 John,” in The Expositor’s Bible Commentary: Hebrews through Revelation, ed. Frank E. Gaebelein, vol. 12 (Grand Rapids, MI: Zondervan Publishing House, 1981), 330.)
Look at verse 1 again.
See what kind of love the Father has given to us, that we should be called children of God; and so we are.
The Greek term translated what kind literally means from what country. The love of God the Father for His adopted children is a love which is foreign to the world in which we live. In fact, it’s not merely foreign, it is otherworldly!
It is a love of the will in which God chooses to love us even though we are, by all accounts, unlovable. It is a sacrificial love — a willingness to experience personal loss and suffering for the sake of the objects of His love. It is a demonstrable love, the depth of which was demonstrated at the cross of Christ, since while we were still sinners Christ died for us.
It is this same kind of love which Christ commands us to have toward one another.
Those who are outside of Christ and see this love which is exhibited between believers have one of two reactions. Either they will recognize this love for what it is, and want to become part of this faith community and experience this love for themselves; or else they will reject this love and the source of this love.
Look at the last part of verse 1.
See what kind of love the Father has given to us, that we should be called children of God; and so we are. The reason why the world does not know us is that it did not know him.
Why are true believers so hated by the world? We are hated because the world hates Christ and those who belong to Christ. I firmly believe that the antisemitism which has been so powerfully displayed over the last two years will eventually turn on Christians — and the Jews whom Christians have been supporting may turn on us as well. They certainly turned on the first century Christians. Almost every time Paul faced opposition in his ministry it began will Jewish people stirring the pot.
We shouldn’t be surprised if the world hates us. Look at verse 13-14.
Do not be surprised, brothers, that the world hates you.
We know that we have passed out of death into life, because we love the brothers. Whoever does not love abides in death.
On many occasions Jesus taught that the world would hate those who belong to Him. At the end of the beatitudes, which introduce the sermon on the mount, Jesus said this:
“Blessed are those who are persecuted for righteousness’ sake, for theirs is the kingdom of heaven.
“Blessed are you when others revile you and persecute you and utter all kinds of evil against you falsely on my account.
Rejoice and be glad, for your reward is great in heaven, for so they persecuted the prophets who were before you.
On the night of His betrayal Jesus said this:
These things I command you, so that you will love one another.
“If the world hates you, know that it has hated me before it hated you.
If you were of the world, the world would love you as its own; but because you are not of the world, but I chose you out of the world, therefore the world hates you.
Remember the word that I said to you: ‘A servant is not greater than his master.’ If they persecuted me, they will also persecute you. If they kept my word, they will also keep yours.
But all these things they will do to you on account of my name, because they do not know him who sent me.
If you were to take the time to read through Foxes Book of Martyrs you would read story after story of those from long ago who were persecuted for the sake of Christ. So, if you find yourself facing persecution, you are in good company.
In Peter’s first epistle he focuses on suffering. His premise that if we are called upon to suffer for Christ’s sake it is honorable. But if we suffer for the sake of wrongdoing, that is not a worthy form of suffering. I’m quite certain that while I have faced some suffering for Christ’s sake, I have faced far more suffering because of my own wrong doing!
This brings us to
Principle #7 — We Prepare for Christ’s Return by Looking Forward to our Future Glorification with Christ
Look at verse 2.
Beloved, we are God’s children now, and what we will be has not yet appeared; but we know that when he appears we shall be like him, because we shall see him as he is.
Even John who is a prophet as well as an apostle doesn’t know exactly what believers will be in their glorified state. Even though he witnessed the transfiguration of Jesus, he still cannot answer what it is that we will be once we have exchanged our sin tainted bodies for a sinless, spotless, glorified body. But he does know that when that happens will will be like Christ.
Though God chose for mankind to be His image bearers throughout creation, that image which we bear has been tarnished due to the effects of sin. But someday that image will be fully restored.
F. F. Bruce stated it so well when he wrote,
These first two verses of 1 John 3 celebrate the accomplishment of God’s eternal purpose concerning man. This purpose finds expression in Genesis 1:26, where God, about to bring into being the crown of creation, says: “Let us make man in our image, after our likeness.” In other words, he declares his intention of bringing into existence beings like himself, as like himself as it is possible for creatures to be like their Creator. In words which echo the language of Genesis 1, the status and function of man in the purpose of God are celebrated in Psalm 8:5ff.: “thou hast made him little less than God, and dost crown him with glory and honor. Thou hast given him dominion over the works of thy hands; thou hast put all things under his feet.” But Genesis 3 tells how man, not content with the true likeness to God which was his by creation, grasped at the counterfeit likeness held out as the tempter’s bait: “you will be like God, knowing good and evil.” In consequence, things most unlike God manifested themselves in human life: hatred, darkness and death in place of love, light and life. The image of God in man was sadly defaced. Yet God’s purpose was not frustrated; instead, the fall itself, with its entail of sin and death, was overruled by God and compelled to become an instrument in the furtherance of his purpose.
In the fulness of time the image of God, undefaced by disobedience to his will, reappeared on earth in the person of his Son. In Jesus the love, light and life of God were manifested in opposition to hatred, darkness and death. With his crucifixion it seemed that hatred, darkness and death had won the day, and that God’s purpose, which had survived the fall, was now effectively thwarted. But instead, the cross of Jesus proved to be God’s chosen instrument for the fulfillment of his purpose.… This purpose is stated by Paul in terms which go back far beyond the act of creation in Genesis 1: “those whom he foreknew he also predestined to be conformed to the image of his Son, in order that he might be the first-born among many brethren” (Rom. 8:29). The children of God, who enter his family through faith in his Son, display their Father’s likeness, because of their conformity to him who is the perfect image of the invisible God.
Now, as God’s children, we are made like Christ progressively. In that day we shall be fully like him, for we shall see him no longer dimly but “face to face” (1 Cor. 13:12).’ (James Montgomery Boice, The Epistles of John: An Expositional Commentary (Grand Rapids, MI: Baker Books, 2004), 81.)
This brings us to our final principle for this morning.
Principle #8 — The Certain Hope of the Believer Encourages us to Prepare for Christ’s Coming by Decontaminating our Lives from our Former Sinful Ways
Look at verse 3.
And everyone who thus hopes in him purifies himself as he is pure.
MacArthur wrote, “The idea of purifying oneself does not mean believers can generate their own sanctification. Rather, it emphasizes that the sanctifying work of the Holy Spirit does not take place apart from the believer’s obedience and use of the means of sanctifying grace. This is a typical call to Christians to obey Scripture in all things.” (John MacArthur, 1, 2, 3 John, MacArthur New Testament Commentary (Chicago, IL: Moody Publishers, 2007), 117.)
How does a believer go about purifying himself? It is all a part of the process of sanctification in which the believer gradually becomes more and more like Jesus Christ. Paul admonished:
But that is not the way you learned Christ!—
assuming that you have heard about him and were taught in him, as the truth is in Jesus,
to put off your old self, which belongs to your former manner of life and is corrupt through deceitful desires,
and to be renewed in the spirit of your minds,
and to put on the new self, created after the likeness of God in true righteousness and holiness.
So, as believers we are to put off the things which belong to our old way of life. Secondly, we are to be renewed in the spirit of our minds. And then we are to put on the things which belong to our new life in Christ.
Last Monday, I took my day off so that I could mow my lawn. Now if you recall that day was very hot. So, I began with the hardest part first — I used the push mower to mow the ditch, and around the trees, and between my raised bed garden boxes. Then I hopped on the riding mower and mowed the rest of the lawn. I had put a cold water bottle in the cup holder of the riding mower, and by the time I finished the lawn I could have steeped tea in that bottle! I was a filthy dirty mess. So, when finished (after eating a quick bite of brunch) I went upstairs and took off my filthy garments, I washed up, and then put on clean garments. And that is exactly what Paul is talking about by putting off the old self, being renewed in the spirt of our minds, and putting on the new self.
This morning we have considered two commands which, if obeyed, will help the believer in Jesus Christ to prepare for His second coming. We are commanded to abide in Christ, and to focus on the love which the Father has for us. May we commit ourselves to obey these commands, not just today, but every day from here forward.
Let’s pray.
Holy Father,
We are awed by Your love for us — You demonstrated this love by sending Your Son to die on that cruel cross in order to pay the penalty of our sins. Words cannot express our gratitude for Your provision for us in Christ Jesus.
Father, I pray that Your Holy Spirit would teach us to abide in Christ continually. I pray that He would teach us to purify ourselves in preparation for Christ’s return. And Lord, I pray that You would hasten the day of His Return.
Father, I pray for any here today who are not true believers in Jesus Christ, I pray that this would be the day in which Your Spirit makes them alive in Christ.
In His precious name I pray. Amen.
Closing Song: #67
Closing Song: #67
The love of God is greater far than tongue or pen can ever tell,
It goes beyond the highest star and reaches to the lowest hell;
The guilty pair, bowed down with care, God gave His Son to win:
His erring child He reconciled and pardoned from his sin.
O love of God, how rich and pure!
How measureless and strong!
It shall forevermore endure
The saints’ and angels’ song.
