Let us examine the First Letter of John from chapter 2 verse 8 to chapter 3 verse 3.
Like so often in the epistles of the apostles, John was here dealing with false claims of knowledge concerning the nature and deity of Yeshua being made by false teachers. They were making claims concerning Yeshua which contradicted the teaching of the apostles and this was causing dissension, confusion and loss of morale among the believers. John’s letter therefore was designed to return to the true fundamentals of the faith so that believers could enjoy the reality of the hope which the true gospel gives.
Our theme is therefore the Believers’ Hope and we will look at the First Letter of John chapter 2 verse 28, through to chapter 3 verse 3. We will look at the concept of Hope under five sections: – Hope abides in Yeshua (verse 28); Hope makes righteousness a habit (verse 29); Hope magnifies God’s love (verse 1); Hope anticipates Yeshua’s return (verse 2); and Hope desires to be like Him (verse 3).
1 John 2: 28
“And now, little children, abide in Him, and when He appears, we may have confidence and not be ashamed before Him at His coming.”
Our hope is in Yeshua. Our hope is that He will return and consider us to be worthy. We are to base our walk with the Lord on the trust He has given us. We are to have such fellowship with Him that when He returns, we will not feel ashamed of ourselves but have confidence in His acceptance of us.
Believers know God’s standards and His desire for us. But those who fail to put these standards into practice in their lives, will not mature in Him and will feel ashamed when He returns. This risk shows the need for continuing in fellowship with other believers for guidance and encouragement, and the necessity for consistent time spent in God’s word.
To “abide in Him” refers to persevering in the faith of salvation which is evidence of genuine belief. To “abide” is to remain or to continue. A believer who continues to obey the word is indeed a disciple. One who abides in the word knows the truth and becomes free from the bondage of sin. Obedience to the Lord means fellowship with Him, protection from sin and experiencing His love.
John 15: 1 – 5 (the words of Yeshua)
“I am the true vine, and My Father is the vinedresser. Every branch in Me that does not bear fruit He takes away; and every branch that bears fruit He prunes, that it may bear more fruit … Abide in Me, and I in you. As the branch cannot bear fruit of itself, unless it abides in the vine, neither can you, unless you abide in Me. I am the vine, you are the branches. He who abides in Me, and I in Him, will bear much fruit; for without Me you can do nothing.”
God saves but not apart from the personal faith of the one He is saving. Also, in sanctification, God conforms us to His Son but not apart from obedience.
In 1 John 2: 27 there is a command to abide in Him. That command signals that “to abide” is not a passive matter but is continual and active, to be pursued by every believer.
Philippians 2: 12
“… work out your own salvation with fear and trembling; for it is God who works in you both to will and to do for His good pleasure.”
Please note that the Philippians are to “work out” their salvation, not work for their salvation. Salvation is eternal because of the Lord’s part; He holds us. But we, for our part must persevere in faith and obedience.
John 8: 31 and 32.
“Then Jesus said to those Jews who believed Him, “If you abide in My word, you are My disciples indeed. And you shall know the truth, and the truth shall make you free.”
Our hope in Yeshua can be strong because we have been given the Holy Spirit and He is the Spirit of Truth.
John 16: 13 and 14. (the words of Yeshua)
“However, when He, the Spirit of Truth, has come, He will guide you into all truth; for He will not speak on His own authority, but whatever He hears He will speak; and He will tell you things to come. He will glorify Me, for He will take of what is mine and declare it to you.”
Yeshua still had things to tell HIs disciples but they could not understand or deal with them prior to the Lord’s ascension. They had to wait for the coming of the Holy Spirit at Pentecost. He is “the Spirit of Truth” and thus the source of truth.
The Holy Spirit would not compel or force the disciples into truth but rather He would “guide” (i.e., lead) and it was their job to follow. “All truth” refers to the truth necessary to make mature saints equipped for service.
The Holy Spirit glorifies Yeshua by declaring Him and Making Him known. It is the work of the Holy Spirit to throw light on Yeshua, who is the image of the living God. The apostles received truth from the Holy Spirit and under His guidance the truth found its way into scripture.
When we recognise that we do not measure up to God’s standard of love and obedience our “hearts condemn us”. We feel insecure in approaching God.
1 John 3: 21
“Beloved, if our heart does not condemn us, we have confidence toward God.”
However, we must remember that God is most compassionate and understanding towards us. Sometimes more so, than we are to ourselves. Nevertheless, we can put ourselves through a lot of unnecessary anxiety.
1 John 4: 17
“Love has been perfected among us in this: that we may have boldness in the day of judgment; because as He is, so are we in this world.”
So, indeed our hope is in Yeshua. If we do the necessary work of keeping in fellowship with Him, accepting the guidance of the Holy Spirit, God’s love will grow is us making us acceptable to the Lord on His return.
Hope Makes Righteousness a Habit.
1 John 2: 29
“If you know that He is righteous, you know that everyone who practises righteousness is born of Him.”
Since God is righteous, those who practise righteousness will be recognised as being born of God. Believers practise righteousness because the One in whom they dwell is righteous. God’s righteousness is revealed in His children through their conduct. Righteous conduct does not produce righteous character, rather it reveals its presence in us.
1 John 3: 7
“He who practises righteousness is righteous, just as He is righteous.”
The purifying hope of every believer is for the return of Yeshua. That hope has a sanctifying effect on our moral behaviour. In anticipation of Yeshua’s return we will walk in holiness of life.
2 Corinthians 5: 9 and 10
“Therefore, we make it our aim, whether present or absent, to be well pleasing to Him. For we must all appear before the judgment seat of Christ, that each may receive the things done in the body, according to what he has done, whether good or bad.”
Waiting to be with Yeshua produces the desire to do that which would please Him. Believers will stand before Yeshua with their true character revealed. That knowledge should dramatically affect the way we live. All our activities will be evaluated by the Master.
Revelation 22: 12 (the words of Yeshua)
“And behold, I am coming quickly, and My reward is with Me, to give everyone according to his work.”
Yeshua’s rewards provide a powerful incentive for an obedient life. The judgment seat of Yeshua can be a time of great regret as well as great joy. His assessment will be entirely just.
The hope of Yeshua’s return produces the effect of continual abiding (persevering in the faith of salvation through God’s grace by faith) in the believer as he longs for the glorious future prepared for him.
1 Peter 1: 3 – 5
“Blessed be the God and Father of our Lord Jesus Christ, who according to His abundant mercy has begotten us again to a living hope through the resurrection of Jesus Christ from the dead, to an inheritance, incorruptible and undefiled and that does not fade away, reserved in heaven for you, who are kept by the power of God through faith for salvation ready to be revealed in the last time.”
He “has begotten us again”. God has given believers a new spiritual life that enables us to live in an entirely different dimension than our physical birth allowed. We are born to “a living hope”. This is not wishful thinking rather a dynamic confidence that does not end in this life but continues through eternity. Knowing that his death was near, Paul wrote his second letter to Timothy.
2 Timothy 4: 8
“Finally, there is laid up for me the crown of righteousness, which the Lord, the righteous Judge, will give me on that day, and not to me only but also to all who have loved his appearing.”
Paul knew the eternal potential of a life of service for Yeshua. He will have rewards for those who stick it out for the long haul. “The crown of righteousness” is a special reward for those who serve Yeshua faithfully on earth. There are as many crowns as there are those who finish the race; i.e., those who have lived faithfully in the hope of His return and have “abided in Him”.
“Abiding” signifies a permanent remaining in Yeshua and guarantees the believers’ hope. Those who truly abide, continue in the faith and in fellowship with their fellow saints. Abiding is not passive. It is continual and active; pursued by every believer.
Conclusion. Therefore, we have seen that the hope of Yeshua’s return, whereby He would find us acceptable and worthy of reward, makes righteousness a habit for us. But we must work on our moral conduct. But we have the benefit, in so doing, of the indwelling Holy Spirit and the righteousness which His divine character brings.
Hope Magnifies God’s Love for Us.
1 John 3: 1
“Behold what manner of love the Father has bestowed on us, that we should be called children of God!”
1 John 2: 5
“But whoever keeps His word, truly the love of God is perfect in him.”
John expresses amazement at God’s love for us. But greater amazement and appreciation is for fact that God’s love is so great that not only salvation is offered to us but that believers are adopted into His family.
1 John 4: 10
“In this is love, not that we loved God, but that He loved us and sent His Son to be the propitiation for our sins.”
But in John 1: 12 we see the additional step which God took; not merely to deal with our sin, but to adopt us and give us an inheritance.
John 1: 12
“But as many as received Him, to them He gave the right to become Children of God, to those who believe in His name: who were born, not of blood, nor of the will of the flesh, nor of the will of men, but of God.”
In this passage “His name” represents all the things He taught I.e. that Yeshua is the word, the life and the light. “To them He gave the right”: this phrase refers to the legitimate entitlement to the position of “children of God”. By believing, undeserving sinners can be forgiven and become members of God’s family. The believers’ hope is strengthened by the acknowledgment that it was God who initiated our salvation.
Ephesians 1: 3 – 6
“Blessed be the God and Father of our Lord Jesus Christ, who has blessed us with every spiritual blessing in the heavenly places in Christ, just as He chose us in Him before the foundation of the world, that we should be holy and without blemish before Him in love, having predestined us to adoption as sons of Jesus Christ to Himself, according to the good pleasure of His will, to the praise of the glory of His grace, by which He made us accepted in the Beloved.”
The blessings of Yeshua are largely spiritual. God does not promise us health or wealth. But the term “in heavenly places” suggests that a believer living anywhere on earth even now in a spiritual sense is seated with Yeshua on high. “Having predestined”: this term indicates a loving choice on God’s part. Our hope is confirmed by the Holy Spirit.
Romans 8: 16 and 17
“The Spirit Himself bears witness with our spirit that we are children of God, and if children, then heirs – heirs of God and joint heirs with Christ … “
Thus, we see that believers are children of God. John’s readers would understand that under the laws of Ancient Rome, an adopted son had all the rights and privileges of a son born in the family. Believers accepted into God’s family have the right to receive an eternal inheritance.
Conclusion. Now as we acknowledge God’s great love for us, and His adoption of us into His family and giving us the hope of a glorious eternity with Him, we should be well motivated to practise the righteousness appropriate for a child of God. And as we walk in obedience and love for Him, His love for us (as we saw in 1 John 2: 5) is “perfected” i.e., it becomes complete and mature. Thus, our hope magnifies God’s love for us.
Hope anticipates Yeshua’s return.
1 John 3: 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.”
“Now we are children of God”: that phrase makes our future hope very exciting! Although we do not know all the specifics of our future existence when Yeshua returns, we can be sure that we will have a body like His.
Philippians 3: 20 and 21
“For our citizenship is in heaven, from which we also eagerly wait for the Saviour, the Lord Jesus Christ, who will transform our lowly body that it may be conformed to His glorious body, according to the working by which He is able even to subdue all things to Himself.”
“We shall be like Him”: this phrase does not mean that we will all look alike; we will be able to recognise one another. But we will be like Him morally. We will also be free from the possibility of defilement, sin, sickness, sorrow and death. In life the process of becoming like Yeshua is on-going as we behold Him by faith in the word. But that process will be absolutely complete when we “see Him as He is”.
Believers will put on immortality and become free from the sin nature which has plagued us in life. Everyone who has the hope of seeing Yeshua anticipates that day and seeks to be morally pure as He is.
Romans 8: 18
“For I consider that the sufferings of this present time are not worthy to be compared with the glory which will be revealed to us.”
We have been predestined to be conformed to the image of Yeshua. And the glorious nature of that conformity defies description but as much as glorified humanity can be like incarnate deity, believers will be.
1 Corinthians 15: 42
“… The body is sown in corruption, it is raised in incorruption. It is sown in dishonour, it is raised in glory. It is sown in weakness, it is raised in power. It is sown a natural body, it is raised a spiritual body.”
Conclusion. Living in the very real hope of Yeshua’s return makes a marked difference to our behaviour because we want to be as like Him as possible when we appear before Him.
Philippians 3: 12, 14
“Not that I have already attained, or am already perfected, but I press on, that I may lay hold of that for which Christ Jesus has also laid hold of me …I press toward the goal for the prize of the upward call of God in Christ Jesus.”
Hope Desires to be like Him
1 John 3: 3
“And everyone who has this hope in Him purifies himself, just as He is pure.”
So, everyone who has the hope of seeing Yeshua, purifies Himself as Yeshua is pure. The hope of His immanent return has a sanctifying influence on the life of the believer. He does not want to be doing anything, that he would not want to be found doing when Yeshua returns. For us purification is a gradual process; for Yeshua it is a constant state.
1 John 4: 17
“Love has been perfected among us in this: that we may have boldness in the day of Judgment; because as He is, so we are in this world.”
“Love has been perfected in us”: this phrase does not concern our love, but God’s love for us is made perfect in us. The mature expression of God’ love produces confidence in the believer as he anticipates Yeshua’s judgment of the world. A person who abides in love will not be ashamed when Yeshua returns because of his work to become like Yeshua. We know that our sins have been dealt with on the cross. We are beyond the reach of condemnation.
2 Corinthians 7: 1
“Therefore, having these promises, beloved, let us cleanse ourselves of all filthiness of the flesh and spirit, perfecting holiness in the fear of God.”
Conclusion. The believers’ hope is a very precious thing. It is a hope that abides in Yeshua; it makes righteousness a habit; it magnifies God’s love for us; it anticipates Yeshua’s return in the hope that He will find us like Him, that we can be accepted by Him.
Amen.