The Blessings of Abiding in Jesus

That last song we just sung, the words were written by a well-known Presbyterian evangelist of the late nineteenth century named John Wilber Chapman (1859–1918). The song is titled “One Day.” Casting Crowns has popularized it once again with the title “Glorious Day.” Telling the wonderful drama of redemption, verse 5 brings the story to its climactic conclusion with these words concerning King Jesus:

One day the trumpet will sound for His coming,

One day the skies with His glory will shine;

Wonderful day, my beloved ones bringing;

Glorious Savior, this Jesus is mine!

Then the refrain:

Living He loved me; dying He saved me;

Buried, He carried my sins far away;

Rising He justified freely forever;

One day He’s coming—Oh glorious day!

That glorious day is indeed coming and the apostle John sees it as an awesome hope for the future and a powerful motivation for the present. Because I am going to be like Him in the future and for all eternity, such a promise has a wonderful transforming power in the present. My future impacts my life today!

In 1 John 2:28–3:3, God’s Word tells us we are destined to look like, think like, talk like, act like, and be like Jesus (3:2).

As God’s sons and daughters through the new birth (2:29–3:2), we have a future hope that, in one sense, cannot be put into words.

John is so honest when he writes, “What we will be has not yet been revealed” (3:2).

However, what we do know, as we abide in Jesus, is more than enough!

In fact, there are four wonderful truth blessings John points out for us in today's text—blessings that are promised to everyone who keeps on abiding in Christ.

You Will Be Confident at His Coming

1 John 2:28 NKJV

28 And now, little children, abide in Him, that when He appears, we may have confidence and not be ashamed before Him at His coming.

John again addresses his readers with the tender term “little children.” And he continues the theme of remaining or abiding in Christ, which was a key concern in 2:18–27 and an essential protection against false teaching.

The word “remain” is a present imperative. It is a word of command and calls for consistent action. Remain in union and communion with Christ. Soak in the Savior and the gospel message that you heard at the beginning of your Christian experience (2:24).

I believe both salvation and sanctification are on John’s radar screen as he encourages us to stay with Jesus.

And abiding brings with it a wonderful companion: and that companion is assurance, which is confidence at the second coming of the Lord Jesus.

Here is John’s point:

Christ is coming again. He will appear on this earth again officially and in full public display as King of kings and Lord over all lords.

So, “when He appears” (Gk parousia), will you “have boldness” or will you “be ashamed before Him”?

Will you run toward Him as a child runs to a loving father, or will you draw back and attempt to hide from His glorious, regal coming?

After all, in Mark 8:38 Jesus said,

Mark 8:38 NKJV

38 For whoever is ashamed of Me and My words in this adulterous and sinful generation, of him the Son of Man also will be ashamed when He comes in the glory of His Father with the holy angels.”

And in Revelation 6:15–16 we read these terrifying words:

Revelation 6:15–16 NKJV

15 And the kings of the earth, the great men, the rich men, the commanders, the mighty men, every slave and every free man, hid themselves in the caves and in the rocks of the mountains, 16 and said to the mountains and rocks, “Fall on us and hide us from the face of Him who sits on the throne and from the wrath of the Lamb!

Reflect on your reaction to seeing Jesus at His second coming.

It can be very revealing in terms of your spiritual status and health.

This much I do know: He wants you to have the confidence of a child jumping into the arms of a loving daddy. He doesn’t want you running to a closet or cave, hiding in shame.

So the blessing of those who abide in Jesus has confidence in Christ return. Another promise John shares is that:

You Will Be Certain You Are His Child

1 John 2:29–3:1 NKJV

29 If you know that He is righteous, you know that everyone who practices righteousness is born of Him. 1 Behold what manner of love the Father has bestowed on us, that we should be called children of God! Therefore the world does not know us, because it did not know Him.

In Revelation 19:11–21 we have a full and majestic description of Christ’s second coming. In verse 11 it says,

Revelation 19:11 NKJV

11 Now I saw heaven opened, and behold, a white horse. And He who sat on him was called Faithful and True, and in righteousness He judges and makes war.

The coming King is a righteous King. We already saw this in 1 John 2:1. And because He is righteous, one thing is certain: “Everyone who does what is right has been born of Him” (2:29).

Here, John uses what I call a root/fruit argument. He tells us that the fruit of doing what is right reveals that in our roots, i.e., our hearts, we have been born again.

The new birth produces new behavior. Being born of God has definite and abiding results.

Therefore, children of God will grow to look like God their Father. Our practice is proof of our parentage. The righteous Savior produces righteous saints.

John continues to point out the blessing of those who abide in Jesus by sharing that:

You Will Be Conformed to Christ

1 John 3:2 NKJV

2 Beloved, now we are children of God; and it has not yet been revealed what we shall be, but we know that when He is revealed, we shall be like Him, for we shall see Him as He is.

Our salvation through the gospel of Jesus Christ is more than a rescue. It is a complete and total renovation—or transformation—that transcends what any human words can describe.

This becomes evident in what we can know and what we cannot know in verse 2.

First, we can know we are loved (“Beloved” ESV or “Dear friends” HCSB) and that we are God’s sons and daughters right now, this very moment.

Second, what we will ultimately be is not completely known to us at the present time.

There is a tension in our Christian experience that theologians often refer to as the “already/not yet” of Christian salvation.

We are already, today, children of God. However, we do not yet realize or experience all the benefits that salvation promises for God’s children.

We are still in process, a work under construction, a divine work of art that is not yet complete. We cannot even imagine the glory in store for us.

First Corinthians 2:9 puts it like this:

1 Corinthians 2:9 NKJV

9 But as it is written: “Eye has not seen, nor ear heard, Nor have entered into the heart of man The things which God has prepared for those who love Him.”

This leads to a third observation, and one of the most amazing truths in the whole Bible: “We know that when He appears, we will be like Him because we will see Him as He is.” Praise the Lord!

We shall be like Him! As Jonathan Edwards said, “Grace is glory begun, and glory is grace completed” (Edwards and James, “Growth in Grace,” 56).

The perfection of God’s grace will be realized in our full, complete, total, and permanent glorification.

Psalm 17:15 says it so beautifully:

Psalm 17:15 NKJV

15 As for me, I will see Your face in righteousness; I shall be satisfied when I awake in Your likeness.

Romans 8:29 teaches us that we are being conformed to the image of Jesus, and 1 John 3:2 tells us it will reach that intended goal when we see Him as He is, as the resurrected and glorified King of glory.

We don’t know all that being made like Jesus means.

What we do know is it will be better than we could ever hope for or imagine, and it will be the occasion for an eternal lifetime of praise, worship, and adoration.

Next John continues to point out the blessing of those who abide in Jesus by sharing that:

You Will Be Consistent in Your Consecration

1 John 3:3 NKJV

3 And everyone who has this hope in Him purifies himself, just as He is pure.

First John 3:2 is the very definition of Christian hope, and 1 John 3:3 is the natural response to that hope.

Every one of us who has this hope in us, the hope of someday being like Jesus, cannot help but respond in a very specific manner.

In fact we are delighted to do so. This hope is the confident certainty that God is going to conform me to the exact image of His Son, and consequently it motivates me to continually pursue a life of purity and holiness, just as Jesus is pure and holy.

The word pure means “free from contamination” and is used of ceremonial cleansings (John 11:55), cleansing of the heart (Jas 4:8), and even cleansing of the soul (1 Pet 1:22).

Here it is used in reference to one’s total life. My hope for the future enables me to pursue holiness in the present.

Being heavenly minded actually makes me fit for earthly good. Paul said the same thing in Colossians 3:1–4 where he writes,

Colossians 3:1–4 NKJV

1 If then you were raised with Christ, seek those things which are above, where Christ is, sitting at the right hand of God. 2 Set your mind on things above, not on things on the earth. 3 For you died, and your life is hidden with Christ in God. 4 When Christ who is our life appears, then you also will appear with Him in glory.

Isn’t it great to know, as Paul wrote in Philippians 1:6,

Philippians 1:6 NKJV

6 being confident of this very thing, that He who has begun a good work in you will complete it until the day of Jesus Christ;

Conclusion

We sing songs of praise and worship, from hymns of old to new songs. Every song has a background story and an author who wrote the words. I began this mornings message talking about a song called Glorious Day. Well there is another one I want to end with.

It was written by Frances Jane “Fanny” Crosby (1820–1915). She was an American rescue mission worker and songwriter who penned more than 8,000 hymns. And she was blind. That is why one of her most popular songs is all the more remarkable. Its title: “Blessed Assurance, Jesus is Mine.” In the context of 1 John 2:28–3:3, stanzas 1 and 3 really stand out.

Blessed assurance, Jesus is mine!

Oh, what a foretaste of glory divine!

Heir of salvation, purchase of God,

Born of His Spirit, washed in His blood.

Perfect submission, all is at rest,

I in my Savior am happy and blest:

Watching and waiting, looking above,

Filled with His goodness, lost in His love.

Just as Fanny Crosby was, in her blindness, “watching and waiting,” we must likewise set our eyes on the hope we have, that we will one day see His face and be like Him.

These are just some of the blessings of abiding in Christ. If this is so, why would you want to abide anywhere else but in Jesus?!