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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