EVENING SPIRITUAL DIARY FOR 12/15/2024 8:32 PM
My Worship Time Focus: PT-8 “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.”
I
hope that those who read this Spiritual Diary that they would also look at the
one from yesterday as it was my intent to finish this introduction to these
verses, but the Lord had some different ideas for me, and the previous SD will
explain that.
Again
I try to finish these last two sections on hope in this SD and the first one is
actually the tenth feature of hope and that is that it removes the fear of
death. Now those who are genuinely saved
are acutely aware of their sinful violations of God’s holy law. I will now give you a list of verses that
help with that thought: Psalm 25:11;
38:3-4; 5:13; 69:5; Rom. 7:17-24; 1 Tim. 1:15; cf. Isa. 6:5) and the severity
of earthly permanence of its consequences (cf. Gen. 3:7-24; Rom. 5:12; 1 Cor.
6:9-11; Gal. 6:7-8). MacArthur writes “But
at the moment of salvation their sins are forgiven, they receive eternal life,
and though gaining a stronger sense of sin, they lose the fear of death and
divine judgment. Believers may still not
relish the pain and suffering that can accompany death (hence the Bible’s
commands to trust God and not be anxious; cf. Ps. 55:22; Jonah 2:7; Phil.
4:6). However, they possess a hope that
removes the ultimate sting of death, which is part of the penalty for those who
reject God’s law. Like Paul, they can
look forward to death with joy, because the Savior has fulfilled the death
penalty for all who believe:
“54 But when this perishable will have put on
the imperishable, and this mortal will have put on immortality, then will come
about the saying that is written, "DEATH IS SWALLOWED UP in victory. 55 “O
DEATH, WHERE IS YOUR VICTORY? O DEATH, WHERE IS YOUR STING?" 56 The sting
of death is sin, and the power of sin is the law; 57 but thanks be to God, who
gives us the victory through our Lord Jesus Christ” (1 Cor. 15:54-57; cf. Col
1:5, 22-23-27).”
It is said that it is good to save the best to last
and this last facet on hope for the Christian will be consummated when Jesus
Christ returns (1 Cor. 1:8; Col. 3:4; 1 Thess. 3:13; 5:23; Heb. 9:28). I have to say that this was one of the very
first things that I learned when I first became a believer as that is what the
Lord used to draw me to Him. MacArthur
writes about this: “His return
(referring broadly to both the rapture and the second coming) will encompass
all that believers hope for, including glorified resurrection bodies (1 Cor.
15:50-52); 1 Thess. 4:13-18), the privilege of reigning with Christ in His
earthly kingdom (2 Tim. 2:12; Rev. 20:4), and hope will not be entirely
complete until that time of resurrection; then it will be fully realized at His
coming—and it will continue in its full splendor for all eternity. Hence Paul could write that the saints are
continually ‘looking for the blessed hope and the appearing of the glory of
[their] great God and Savior, Christ Jesus’ (Titus 2:13; cf. 1 Thess. 4:16-18;
1 Peter 1:3-5).”
Well we have looked at a lot of things about hope
and from the beginning I mentioned that this kind of hope that we are looking
at here is a noun, a sure thing. Hope is
not only foundational to Christian doctrine and the believer’s confidence, but
it also has immense ethical implications.
Genuine hope will purify the lives of those who possess it. “3 And
everyone who has this hope fixed on Him purifies himself, just as He is
pure.” This hope verifies that they are
true believers. MacArthur writes that “This
is one of the primary themes of the apostle John’s writings, especially in this
passage.”
Now
in this letter that we are looking at from the pen of John he has already
presented doctrinal and moral tests that can determine one’s true spiritual
condition, and in the section we are no looking at he further elaborates on the
moral (ethical) test. Now Orthodox
beliefs about the nature of sin and the person of Christ, the practical
presence of sincere love and obedience, and now a personal pursuit of purity
and holiness are all evidences that a person has true, eternal hope, and that
is the greatest thing to have.
MacArthur
concludes this introduction by previewing what we will be looking at in the
rest of this chapter from his book. “This
passage contains five perspectives that further define and clarify the essence
of biblical hope: It is secured by
abiding, it is manifested by righteousness, it is established by love, it is
fulfilled by Christlikeness, and it is characterized by purity.”
12/15/2024 9:10 PM
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