Sermon Tone Analysis

1 John 2:28-3:3

 

 

 

 

 

 

 

 

 

 

 

 

 

 

 

 

 

 

 

Stephen Caswell © 2003

Ready for the Rapture

 

After church, where she had been taught about the Second Coming, a little girl was quizzing her mother.

" Mommy, do you believe Jesus will come back?

"    "Yes."

" Could he come this week?

"    "Yes."

" Could he come Today?

"     "Yes."

" Could he come in the next hour?

"  "Yes."

" Could he come in a few minutes?

" "Yes, dear."

" Mommy, would you comb my hair?"*/ /*

*/ /*

/This little girl wanted to be ready to meet Jesus!* Are you ready?*

Will you be confident or ashamed when Christ returns?

Can we be confident at Christ's coming?

Or is that being presumptuous?/

John gives believers three instructions to enable them to be confident at Christ's return.

*/Appropriate Christ's Presence, Appreciate the Fathers Love, Anticipate Christ's return  /*

 

*/Firstly  /*Appropriate Christ's Presence

 

*1 John 2:28 *says this:  /And now, little children, abide in Him, that when He appears, we may have confidence and not be ashamed before Him at His coming./

/a.

The Command/ / - Little children, abide in Him/

 

John *commands* believers to*/ abide/* in Him.

God has made it possible for us to abide in Christ.

In fact, He sent His Son to give us new life.

We only need to */appropriate/* His presence by faith.

/We walk by faith not by sight/.

The word /abide/ menw means */to remain, to continue, to indwell, to be in a close and settled union with./*

Probably, the greatest passage on the abiding life is John 15.

Here Christ describes abiding in Him to a branch abiding in a vine.

This illustration highlights the individual's responsibility to have a personal relationship with Jesus Christ.

Believers aren't connected to other branches, but to Christ Himself.

We must have a personal relationship with Jesus Christ to receive His life and power.

*John 15:4-5 *says: /Abide in Me, and I in you.

As the branch cannot bear fruit of itself, unless it abides in the vine, neither can you, unless you abide in Me.

I am the vine, you are the branches.

He who abides in Me, and I in him, bears much fruit; for without Me you can do nothing.

/

 

High Divorce Rate - Poor Communication

 

In society today many marriages are failing.

/Why?

/The couples live together in the same house./

So why do they get divorced?/

Because they don't share their lives with each other.

They don't take the time needed to establish good communication.

They don't build a strong relationship by sharing their lives, plans and dreams.

They selfishly live for themselves.

Abiding in Christ is the secret to a fruitful Christian life.

Basically it is sharing our lives with the Lord.

It is accomplished through simple faith in Christ's promises.

It is maintained by prayerful reliance upon God for grace and cleansing of sin.

These simple, yet necessary steps allow us to abide in the vine.

Christ alone brings forth fruit, because He is the vine.

The command is/ to abide/, not to bear fruit.

Having Internal Life

 

Dr.

Walter Wilson shared the following story.

He was visiting in a home and the members of the family were asked to quote Bible verses.

A little girl quoted *John 3:16* as follows: /For God so loved the world, that He gave His only begotten Son, that whosoever believeth in Him, should not perish but have INTERNAL LIFE./

Needless to say, he didn't correct her, for it is internal life, as well as eternal life.

It is internal life because we draw power to live from the Holy Spirit abiding in us.

*/Before Christ can transform our lives we must give Him the keys to every room in our life.

It would be crazy to ask a cleaning lady to clean our home and then lock half of the doors./*

*/She can't clean the rooms that she can’t access./*

In the same way we must allow Jesus to have access to all our life.

We share everything with Him.  

/b.

The Promise/  -  /That when He appears we may have confidence /

 

Those who abide in Christ will rejoice at His coming.

They will have a quiet assurance within that they will receive a reward.

John promised those who abide in Christ that they will know that all is well.

/Do you desire to have confidence at Christ's return?/

If you do then you must abide in Him.

*1 John 4:17-18* *says:* /Love has been perfected among us in this: that we may have boldness in the day of judgment; because as He is, so are we in this world.

There is no fear in love; but perfect love casts out fear, because fear involves torment.

But he who fears has not been made perfect in love.

/If you love Christ, you will share your life with Him.

 

/c.

The Warning/ /- And not be ashamed before Him at His coming./

John also gives a warning.

Those who don't abide in Him will be ashamed at Christ's coming.

The New American Standard Bible says, /and will not shrink away from Him in shame at His coming.

*Why will abiding in Christ give us confidence at His return?* /Because nothing spoils the fellowship of someone abiding in Christ!/ /Tragically, some will be uncomfortable at His return because they're not sharing their lives with Christ.

They’re living for themselves!

Application 

/ /

/Are you abiding in Christ?

Do you have a quiet time each day?

Are you sharing your life with Him?

Is He Lord of your life?

Do you talk to Him throughout the day?

Are you drawing power from Him to live the Christian life?/ /Will you have confidence at Christ's coming or shrink away in shame?

*Let us choose to abide in Christ.

Let us appropriate His presence!*/

/ /

/Secondly * */Appreciate the Fathers Love

* *

*1 John 3:1*:/ Behold what manner of love the Father has bestowed on us, that we should be called children of God! Therefore the world does not know us, because it did not know Him./ 

 

John commands believers to /- Behold what manner of love the Father has bestowed upon us./

A literal reading might be, */Take a good look at the out of this world kind of love that our Heavenly Father has freely given to us./*/ /The love God has shown us is not the type of love normally seen in this world.

His love is unconditional and extravagant.