This Hope Series

1 John 3:1-3 (NKJV)

“This Hope”

January 21, 2024

John begins passage with a question that we all must consider. What manner of love is this? Because Jesus said, “Greater love hath no man than this, that a man lay down his life for his friends...” John tells us that We have heard this same message before. We know what love looks like! - We have seen it before! Jesus said, (1 John 4:10) “Herein is love, not that we loved God, but that he loved us, and sent his Son to be the propitiation for our sins.” PROPITIATION is the divine side of the work of Christ on the cross. Christ's atoning death for the world's sin altered the whole position of the human race in its relationship to God, for God recognizes what Christ accomplished in behalf of the world whether men enter into the blessings of it or not. The cross has rendered God propitious toward the unsaved as well as toward the erring saint (1 John 2:2). The fact that Christ has borne all sin renders God propitious. Simply put God is satisfied with the price that was paid on calvary’s cross for our sin debt. “For the wages of sin is death; but the gift of God is eternal life through Jesus Christ our Lord.” Romans 6:23. In our chapter of study today in verse 16 Jesus said, “By this we know love, because He laid down His life and we ought to lay down our live for the brethren.” We Know Love! We saw it…

• One Friday some 2000 years ago!

• When the disciples were scattering and Peter was denying

• When our Saviour was beaten, mocked and spit upon

• When the Romans press a crown of thorns upon His head

• When He stumbled up that Dirty Road carrying the cross of His death

• At Calvary when they nailed His hands and feet

• When the Jews railed at Him, “If you are God, save yourself”

• When He said, Father Forgive them for they know not what they do

• Hanging on that tree - Cursed for our sin

• When He died for your sins and mine!

• He was buried in a borrowed tomb!

• BUT THAT WAS FRIDAY – And Sunday was Coming!

• And Because He got up from the grave, we have Hope for today!

I want to talk about ‘This Hope” which is Hope for Today, Hope for Tomorrow and Hope for Glory.

I. Hope for today! Who we are now - (Children of God) vs Children of the World. The world does not know us, because they don’t know him! Jesus says, “I am the good shepherd, and know my sheep, and am known of mine.” He teaches us that His sheep know His voice and a stranger they will not follow! Why? Because of the love the Father has bestowed on us, that we are the called children of God! Pastor Crawford Kimble said, “The defining act of love is revealed solely in the rituals of sacrifice.” For God so loved the world that He gave His only begotten Son, that whoever believes in Him should not perish but have everlasting life. God has never loved you more than he loves you right now AND God has never loved you less than He loves you right now! Our Hope for today is that God’s love is immutable, it does not change! Jesus said, "If the world hates you, you know that it hated Me before it hated you. If you were of the world, the world would love its own. Yet because you are not of the world, but I chose you out of the world, therefore the world hates you.” We can’t waste our time worrying about what people say that don’t know us, because they don’t know Him! When the world accuses you and curses you and treats you with disdain and disrespect we have to say, “You Don’t Know Me!”

II. Hope for tomorrow! How we will be - (Like Him) we shall see Him as He is. Paul taught us in 1 Corinthians 15:19, If in this life only we have hope in Christ, we are of all men most miserable. That’s means that we have hope for tomorrow. And what is this hope? That we shall be like Him! “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.” Paul said (v54) “In a moment, in the twinkling of an eye, at the last trump: for the trumpet shall sound, and the dead shall be raised incorruptible, and we shall be changed.” The Christian hope is that Jesus has not left us here to stay but that He is coming back for us and when He does we will be like Him! “if I go and prepare a place for you, I will come again, and receive you unto myself; that where I am, there ye may be also.” And we shall see Him as He is… 1 John 4:12 says, “No one has seen God at any time. If we love one another, God abides in us, and His love has been perfected in us. By this we know that we abide in Him, and He in us, because He has given us of His Spirit.” The Bible teaches that EVEN with His Spirit in us sometimes we will get discouraged and sometimes we won’t feel saved and sometimes we will fail! John ALSO tells us that sometimes your heart is not going to be in it, and you are going to feel condemned – So he gave us verse 20, “For if our heart condemns us, God is greater than our heart, and knows all things.” Our hope for tomorrow is that God is greater than our understanding and greater than our thoughts! God said, “For as the heavens are higher than the earth, so are my ways higher than your ways, and my thoughts than your thoughts.” Isaiah 55:9