1) Jesus IS coming back one day. 2) We CAN have confidence when Jesus appears that, instead of cowering in fear as others will do, we will not be ashamed before him at his coming.

What if you KNEW that Jesus was coming back in 24 hrs? Did you/will do anything about it? Christians should be living like Jesus is returning.

Since the righteous one IS going to return, and since HE has made us righteous (right with God), we should do what is right, because we have been born of him. Since He gave His life for us, obeying Jesus should be a PRIVILEGE not a PROBLEM. 

The Scriptures declare that every person IS a creation of God, but not all people are children of God. John affirms this early on in his Gospel:

John 1:12–13 But to all who did receive him, he gave them the right to be children of God, to those who believe in his name, who were born, not of natural descent, or of the will of the flesh, or of the will of man, but of God.

Followers of Jesus have been adopted into God’s family (Rom 8:15; Gal 4:5; Eph 1:5)! This isn’t just a future hope; It’s a current reality!

Followers of Jesus are now SONS and DAUGHTERS! As wonderful as that is, there’s a FUTURE HOPE that should fuel our faithfulness to God.

We are God’s children now, although there is a future inheritance that we await. We have not yet come into our full inheritance - It’s ours now, but we are just awaiting the right time - the time when our bodies will be made new (never to die) & our souls will be transformed (with sin nature removed!), and…our eyes will be open to the fullness of how great our King really is!

Paul writes something similar, with a little more detail.

Philippians 3:20–21 Our citizenship is in heaven, and we eagerly wait for a Savior from there, the Lord Jesus Christ. He will transform the body of our humble condition into the likeness of his glorious body, by the power that enables him to subject everything to himself.

But the most important aspect of all this is…seeing Jesus for who He really is! 

Just before Jesus died, he gave Peter, James, and John a sneak peak at who He really was when He was transfigured (Matt 17:2, Mark 9:2). When He appears, we will KNOW JESUS and appreciate Him like never before!

Do we REALLY believe that!?!?

The New Testament writers clearly claim that there is no sin in Jesus. So, the sinless One could take our sin on Him and make full payment. John once again reminds those bought at such a high price that they can’t continue to LIVE for the sin that Jesus came to DIE for. Jesus came to take away sins, so anyone claiming to follow Jesus yet continuing to live in sin, is discounting and diluting the seriousness of sin and the graciousness of God best demonstrated at the cross.

Does this mean that true Christians will never sin again? NO. In fact, the context of this very writing teaches differently (go back and read chapter 1). John is contrasting the TRUE GOSPEL versus the FALSE GOSPEL that the wolves of his day and our day are teaching. 

Everyone who remains in Him [Jesus] does not remain in sin. 

See how the ESV translates this (we will stay with the ESV for the last 5 verses).

Christians are expected to live in the purity that Jesus died to provide. Anyone who teaches something different than Jesus and His apostles taught is a false teacher, a wolf, an antichrist (see 1 Jn. 2:18-27).

How much clearer could John make it? This is John the apostle, who walked with Jesus, who was trained and sent out by Jesus, Himself!

What MUSIC are YOU playing? Do the notes you play and the lyrics you sing honor the One you call your King?

Lay sin at Jesus’ feet. Stop LIVING FOR the sin that Jesus died to PAY FOR. Tell Him, “Jesus, I desire YOU more than the sin You died to pay for!”

WARN those who claim Christ yet continue to LIVE IN SIN. Go SHOW THEM these passages, written by this faithful follower and apostle of Jesus. 

Elevate Jesus to His rightful 1st PLACE in our lives. Before you read social media, a newspaper, or watch a video…how about you OPEN THE SCRIPTURES 1ST?