Our Web Site: cbcbedford.com
-----------------------------
ASHAMED AT HIS COMING
I JOHN 2:28
THE TITLE:
My grandma use to say to me (when I was caught doing something I shouldn’t be doing) "You ought to be Ashamed of Yourself". The passage we read this morning talks about those who will be caught by the Savior when He returns and will be ASHAMED at His coming.
One of the greatest truths in all of the Bible is the truth that the Lord Jesus Christ is going to come one of these days. "Are you ready for the coming of the Lord?"
This verse form a bridge between the two main parts of the little letter of 1st John. The first 2 chapters have to do with the theme of fellowship, abide in Him. The remaining three chapters have to do with Relationship.
Now what I want to do is to just get you to circle or mark in your Bible three words in verse 28 and I’m going to be talking about these three words.
[ABIDE] [APPEAR] [ASHAMED]
I. THE FIRST WORD IS ABIDE.
And now, little children, little born ones, those of you who have been born again, those of you who are members of the family of God, abide in Him.
This is a very important phrase. Abide In Him
One part of this phrase is "in Him." The N.T. is just filled with the admonition to us to be "IN HIM" To be in Christ.
Our faith is in Christ - Acts 24:24
We are saved in Christ - Rom 12:5
Our wisdom is in Christ - 1 Cor 4:10
Those saved dead are spoken of as "Asleep in Christ - 1 Cor 15:18
Our hope is in Christ - 1 Cor 15:19
We have a new Birth and a new life in Christ - 1 Cor 15:22
Our Victory is In Christ - 2 Cor 2:14
There is no Judgment nor condemnation in Christ. Rom 8:1
The Spirit of Life is in Christ - Rom 8:2
The Love of God is In Christ - Rom 8:39
God the Father was In Christ Reconciling - 2 Cor 5:19
We are a brand new Creation In Christ - 2 Cor 5:17
But the other part of that phrase that is vital to our understanding of what Christianity is all about. It is "abide in Him."
The tense of the verb is a present imperative and it is simply saying to us that we are to continually abide in Him.
Now, Jesus used the same terminology in John chapter 15 when He talked about the vine and the branches.
John 15:1 - 5 I am the true vine, and my Father is the husbandman. Every branch in me that beareth not fruit he taketh away: and every branch that beareth fruit, he purgeth it, that it may bring forth more fruit. Now ye are clean through the word which I have spoken unto you. 4 Abide in me, and I in you. As the branch cannot bear fruit of itself, except it abide in the vine; no more can ye, except ye abide in me. I am the vine, ye are the branches: He that abideth in me, and I in him, the same bringeth forth much fruit: for without me ye can do nothing.
How does a child of God Abide in Christ?
BY PRAYER & MEDITATION
Psa 91:1 He that dwelleth in the secret place of the most High shall abide under the shadow of the Almighty.
BY WALKING IN THE SPIRIT
John 14: 16 And I will pray the Father, and he shall give you another Comforter, that he may abide with you for ever;
BY ABIDING IN HIS LOVE:
John 15:9 -10 As the Father hath loved me, so have I loved you: continue ye in my love. If ye keep my commandments, ye shall abide in my love; even as I have kept my Father’s commandments, and abide in his love.
BY ABIDING IN HIS GIFTS:
1 Cor 13:13 And now abideth faith, hope, Love, these three; but the greatest of these is love.
BY ABIDING IN HIS WORD
Psa 1 Blessed is the man that walketh not in the counsel of the ungodly, nor standeth in the way of sinners, nor sitteth in the seat of the scornful. But his delight is in the law of the LORD; and in his law doth he meditate day and night. And he shall be like a tree planted by the rivers of water, that bringeth forth his fruit in his season; his leaf also shall not wither; and whatsoever he doeth shall prosper.
BY ABIDING IN THE CHURCH:
Now in I Tim. 3:15, the Bible calls the local church, "the pillar and the ground of the truth." We need to put our light on the lamp stand. Now that simply means that I owe my church my presence.
CONCLUSION TO OUR ABIDING IN HIM:
1 John 2:6 He that saith he abideth in him ought himself also so to walk, even as he walked.
.
II. WE WANT TO LOOK AT THE WORD APPEARING
Now that is talking about the personal return of the Lord Jesus. There are three words used for the return of our Lord. Two of them in this one verse.
One of the words is the word "coming" erchomai, "to come" - The other word is the word "appear" - "Prousouia", Meaning the "Bodily Presence"
You and I think everybody knows that Jesus is going to come again, but I’ve got news for you, there are multitudes of people out here who do not know that one day the invisible Christ is going to be visible. One of these days the Lord Jesus is going to descend from Heaven with a shout and He shall appear. Oh, that’s the blessed hope of the child of God. That is the thing that thrills us and fills our hearts with glad anticipation.
III. THE THIRD WORD IS "ASHAMED".
Now...the first word is the word "abide;" the second word is the word "appear." Now then, back to I John 2, the third word I want you to circle is that word "ashamed." Now let me read the verse.
28. And now, little children, abide in Him (fellowship); that when He shall appear (that’s His appearing), we may have confidence, and not be ashamed before Him at His coming.
Now the Bible says that the Lord has an appearance He’s going to make, but there is also an appearance that you and I are going to make.
II Cor.5:10, says... For we must all appear before the judgment seat of Christ; that every one may receive the things done in his body, according to that he hath done, whether it be good or bad.
One of these days you’re going to appear at the judgment seat of Christ, and at the judgment seat of Christ you are going to give an account of how you have conducted yourself as a child of God.
Now there are only two ways you can appear before the Lord Jesus Christ. You can either be acceptable before Him when He comes or ashamed before Him when He comes.
Look back up in II Cor. 5:9,... . Wherefore we labor, that, whether present or absent, we may be accepted of him.
If you and I are trusting Jesus as our Savior, if we’re in Him, we’re accepted in the Beloved, but the Bible says we are to so labor that whether present or absent we may be acceptable to Him. Are you going to be acceptable to Him or are you going to be ashamed before Him at His coming?
