Saturday, December 7, 2024

PT-1 Intro to "The Purifying Hope" (1 John 2:28-3:3)

 

EVENING SPIRITUAL DIARY FOR 12/7/2024 7:55 PM

 

My Worship Time                                                      Focus:  PT-1 “Intro to ‘The Purifying Hope’

 

Bible Reading & Meditation                                                   Reference:  1 John 2:28-3:3

 

            Message of the verses:  28 Now, little children, abide in Him, so that when He appears, we may have confidence and not shrink away from Him in shame at His coming. 29 If you know that He is righteous, you know that everyone also who practices righteousness is born of Him.  1 See how great a love the Father has bestowed on us, that we would be called children of God; and such we are. For this reason the world does not know us, because it did not know Him. 2 Beloved, now we are children of God, and it has not appeared as yet what we will be. We know that when He appears, we will be like Him, because we will see Him just as He is.  3 And everyone who has this hope fixed on Him purifies himself, just as He is pure.”

 

            Sometimes the introductions that are found in MacArthur’s chapters are very short and sometime they are very long, this one is very long and so it will take us a few days to comment on the introduction to these verses.

 

            As seen in the “Focus” the title to this 10th chapter in MacArthur’s commentary is “The Purifying Hope.”  Let me just say something about the word hope that is seen here and also in many parts of the Scripture.  Hope is a noun, which means that it is a sure thing, now I realize that the word hope is found in the title of this chapter, but I would have to say that it is a noun so what we are looking at when it says “The Purifying Hope” means that it will happen to us, meaning that believers will be purified.

 

            MacArthur begins his introduction by writing about the three benchmark virtues that are found in 1 Corinthians 13:13 which I will quote now:  “But now faith, hope, love, abide these three; but the greatest of these is love.”  This is the final verse in what has been called the “love Chapter.”  As seen in the highlighted part of the verse that faith, hope, and love are the three benchmark virtues, and they are benchmarks of biblical Christianity.  Now of the three frequently discussed subjects, “faith” and “love” have engendered (created) the most discussion  among believers; while “hope” at least by comparison, has often been overlooked or neglected.  MacArthur writes “Yet, like faith and love, hope is not only a fundamental biblical concept, but the ultimate reality to which all others point—one that all Christians need to understand in its profound richness and full significance if they are to maintain a right true perspective regarding both this life and the next.”

 

            He goes on by writing “The concept of spiritual hope is” equivalent “to turning on a blazing light in a dark place.  It immediately illuminates one’s outlook, uplifts the soul, and produces joy in the heart.  Hope produces life and happiness into this sin-stained and death-filled world (cf. Ps. 146:5; Prov. 10:28; Rom. 5:1-2; 12:2; 15:13; Gal. 5:5; 2 Thess. 2:16; Heb. 3:6).  Yet sadly, most people in this world know nothing of the advantages and privileges that true hope brings.  Unbelievers simply do not have ‘and anchor of the soul, a pop both sure and steadfast’ (Heb. 6:19. In fact, all they have are superficial sources of security—things like narcotics, alcohol, sex, entertainment, materialism, surface-lvvel relationships, and a man-centered desire for a better future.  But all of these false hopes are only spiritual mirages that instantly vanish when this life ends (Job 8:13; 27:8; 31:24-28; Prov. 10:28; Cf. Eph. 2:12).  For the word, ‘hope’ is a mere wish based on a desire or plan, but not grounded in the promise of God who always speaks the truth and is faithful to all His Word.  Biblical hope is not a wish but an absolute future reality guaranteed by the Lord.”  Now I mentioned that in the Bible the word “hope” is a noun, as it is not a wish.  I suppose that Christmas time for little kids is a time when they use the word hope as a verb, “I hope Santa brings me a new computer.” 

 

            Now the truth is that the world’s hopelessness stands in stark contrast to the genuine and lasting hope that God offers.  The following verses in Romans 8:22-25 helps to describe that.

 

“22 For we know that the whole creation groans and suffers the pains of childbirth together until now. 23 And not only this, but also we ourselves, having the first fruits of the Spirit, even we ourselves groan within ourselves, waiting eagerly for our adoption as sons, the redemption of our body. 24 For in hope we have been saved, but hope that is seen is not hope; for who hopes for what he already sees? 25 But if we hope for what we do not see, with perseverance we wait eagerly for it.”

 

            How about you, are you eagerly awaiting for the hope that is described in these verse.  You can you know by realizing that you are a sinner because you were born a sinner and then confessing your sin to the Lord and realize that when Jesus Christ died on the cross that He died for you, so thank Him for that and invite Him into your heart to save you.  You don’t have to “hope” that He will because He promises He will.

 

12/7/2024 8:50 PM

 

 

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