All right, let's take our Bibles
once again and turn to the book of 1 John. 1 John, chapter 3, verse 3. Going through the book of 1 John, this is our next verse right
here. The Apostle John had exclaimed
to the people in verse 1, he said, Behold, take a look, gaze upon what manner
of love the Father hath bestowed upon us, that we should be called
the sons of God. I'm talking about, now, sinners
who in themselves deserve nothing but wrath. But Almighty God gives
them a new nature. A new man is created. A new spirit,
a new heart. That nature, the scripture says,
that sinneth not. What an amazing thing. Two natures
in a believer. One that can't do anything but
sin. And one that sinneth not. Predestinated. That's what Ephesians
1 says. Predestinated. A destination determined beforehand. That's what predestination means.
predestinated unto the adoption of children by Jesus Christ to
Himself. Behold, what manner of love the
Father hath bestowed upon us, we shall be called the sons of
God. Therefore, the world knoweth us not. Doesn't understand. The
world doesn't understand the believer. They just don't understand. Why? Because they don't know
the Lord. That's what he said. The world
knoweth us not, knoweth us not because it knew him not. Now
beloved, now are we the sons of God. Right now. Believers in the Lord Jesus Christ
walking around in a body of flesh, tied to it, knowing themselves
to be unworthy. in themselves, rebels against
God, but called to be the sons of God. One day, this body of
flesh is going to be put off. There's going to be one thing
left. That which Almighty God has created from above. What did the Lord tell Nicodemus?
Nicodemus, you must be born again. You must be born from above.
Flesh and blood are not going to inherit the kingdom of God.
Now this body we're looking at right here, this is not going
to be going to heaven, but I'm telling you, we're going to be
changed. All God's people are. In a moment,
a twinkling of an eye, we're going to be changed. Scripture
declares in verse 2, 1 John chapter 3 verse 2, it does not yet appear
what we shall be. As I said before, We don't have
anything in this world to be able to compare to what we will
be. It does not yet appear. Somebody
says, well I'll tell you what we're going to be like. No. No. I can tell you what the scripture
says. We're going to be like Him. We're going to see Him as
He is. We're going to be in a glorified
body. But let me tell you what we know about that. Just exactly
what we just read. It doth not yet appear what we
shall be. But we know that when He shall
appear, we shall see Him as He is. We're going to be like Him. And by faith, we know that He
will appear. The Scriptures has given us promise
on that. We know. Hold your place right
there. Turn to 1 Corinthians 15. Let's just read together
again. 1 Corinthians chapter 15. What's
going to happen? What's going to happen on that
day? And it's going to be a day just like today. It's going to
be a day just like today. A day when we're all going around
doing what we do. You know, it might be a day during
the week. It might be a Sunday. I don't know. But here's what's
going to happen. 1 Corinthians 15. Starting in
verse 47. The first man is of the earth,
earthy. The second man is the Lord from
heaven. As is the earthy, such are they
also which are earthy. What we are looking at right
here, this is earthy right here. This is stuff we can look at,
we can understand this. As is the earthy, such are they
also that are earthy. as is the heavenly. Such are
they also that are heavenly. As we've borne the image of the
earthly, we shall also bear the image of the heavenly. Oh, what
is that, Paul? This I say, brethren, flesh and
blood cannot inherit the kingdom of God. Neither doth corruption
inherit incorruption. But I show you a mystery. Here's
a mystery that we're not going to understand right now completely.
We believe it by faith and we do, we do believe it. I'm going
to show you a mystery. We shall not all sleep. What do you mean? That means
that there's going to be some believers on this earth when
the Lord comes back that are still alive, physically alive. We shall not all sleep. We shall
all be changed in a moment, twinkling of an eye at the last trump,
for the trump shall sound and the dead shall be raised incorruptible. And we shall be changed, for
this corruptible must put on incorruption, and this mortal
must put on immortality. So when this corruptible shall
have put on incorruption, and this mortal shall have put on
immortality, then shall be brought to pass the saying that is written,
Death is swallowed up in victory. What's that going to be like?
Back in 1 John 2 verse 3, it does not yet appear. what we
shall be. I don't know. But I can tell
you this, when He shall appear, we're going to be like Him. For
we shall see Him as He is. Now that great, amazing comfort,
what we've just read, to a regenerated sinner, who knows what he is
by nature. He knows it by nature, he's a
sinner. And he counts himself that way.
That's what Paul said, I know in me, I know in my flesh there
dwells no good thing. I know that. But he knows that all of his
former assurances of faith, he knows those are dumb. But here's what God has revealed.
concerning a regenerated sinner. One that sees no good thing in
himself and he humbles himself before God, he loves God's mercy,
he's honest about it, he does justly what we just looked at
before. He knows, he knows what's going on. Here's what verse 3
says, 1 John 3, 3, And every man that hath this hope in him
purifies himself, even as he is pure. Now, I say this almost every
time we look at a verse of scripture. I need the Lord to teach me what
that means. Don't leave me hanging. I mean,
I just read what it said. Do I have a hope that I know
the Lord? I believe I do. I truly believe
the Lord's done something for me. I truly believe I'm looking
to Christ as my only hope. I'm not looking to myself. I'm not looking to some decision
that I made. Well, I walked down the aisle.
So what? So what? Anybody can walk down. Have I
come in my heart Not if I walk 30 feet. Have I come to Christ
heartily? Have I? If I have, John says,
every man that hath this hope in him purifieth himself even
as he is pure. Now let's just stop for just
a minute and just contemplate the magnitude of what we just
read. Brethren, that's a deep, that's
a mysterious saying. Every man, not just a few of
them, not just the more spiritual ones. Every man that hath this
hope in him. Every man that hath, every believer
that has that living hope, that certain expectation. When I see
him, I'm going to see Him as He is. That's a hope, that's
a good hope. When He appears, He'll be appearing
to receive me unto Himself. When He separates the sheep from
the goats, I believe, I believe that He's going to put me on
His right hand. in the midst of the sheep. Lord,
that's who I desire to be. I don't want to be with the goats.
Those are sacrificing a sacrifice of fools. I want to know. But Lord, I don't want to be
putting my confidence in some false hope. I want to know. I want a good hope. I want to
be assured that my life before Him is not based on something
that's going to be fleeting. Every believer believes that
he's truly a child of God by God's choice. That's what the
Lord Jesus told His disciples. He said, you didn't choose me.
That's what everybody's saying today. Choose the Lord. The Lord
said to His disciples, He said, you didn't choose me, I chose
you. So again, I'm going to take God's side on this. Somebody
said, did you choose the Lord? I came to Him, cast myself upon
Him after He revealed to me that He chose me first. You love the
Lord? Yeah, but the only reason I do
is because He loved me first. I can tell you that. I didn't
start the love. He did. Every believer believes
that He's the Lord's in electing grace. That's what 2 Thessalonians
2.14 says. has chosen a people unto salvation. You've seen that before. Look
at that. 2 Thessalonians, turn there. Look at it one more time. Let's
just look at the scriptures. 2 Thessalonians 2, verse 13. 2 Thessalonians 2, 13, 14. We
are bound to give thanks all way to God for you, brethren,
beloved of the Lord. Now let's read this now. Let's
make sure we get this right. because God hath from the beginning
chosen you to salvation through sanctification of the spirit
and belief of the truth. Where unto? Because He did what
He did. He called you by our gospel to
the obtaining of the glory of our Lord Jesus Christ. So who
chose who? Let's just go ahead and be honest.
Who chose who? Well, the Lord said He chose His people unto
salvation. That's what God said. Does a
man or woman believe that Almighty God has chosen me to show mercy
to me? He's got a good hope. Do I believe
that the Spirit of God, when the Lord Jesus said in John 6.37,
All that the Father giveth me shall come to me. All that the
Father giveth me shall come to me. Does that mean maybe? When He said shall? John 6, 37. Do I have a good hope? Do I believe
that the Spirit of God is truly, effectually called me out and
drew me? No man can come except the Father
which has sent me. Drawing, fetching grace, keeping
grace. Every regenerate possesses a
living hope. that there's coming a day when
He's going to be changed in a moment so quick you can't even measure. Changed and perfectly conformed
into the very image of the One in whom He's got all confidence.
And He believes that He's going to see Him and be like Him. Now
what does that mean again? I don't know. I don't know. But
I believe it's going to happen. Now, every man that's got That
hope purifies himself. Now obviously, this purifying,
this purity, must be a purifying that doesn't originate with me
because I'm going to go back to what the Lord saw, that there
was none that did good, there was not one. So when he says
he purifies himself, what does that mean? I don't have the ability
to purify myself. Can a clean thing be brought
out of an unclean? Who can make a clean thing out
of an unclean? With man, nobody. Nobody. No
man can purify himself, make himself pure, much less as Christ
is pure. Read that again, 1 John 3, 3.
Every man that hath this hope in him purifies himself. Can I just paraphrase this and
tell you what those last few words mean? As pure as Christ. That's what it means, Carl. Every
man that hath this hope in him purifies himself even as he is
pure. Oh, I just didn't realize the
standard was that high. Every man that hath this hope
purifies himself. How? How can that be? How can a man purify himself
even as he is pure? And God's commanded it. God set
it forth. So what is the Holy Spirit saying?
The heart of what John is saying being spoken of by the Holy Spirit
is that to be quickened to spiritual life above is to have a hope. And having this hope, having
this expectation, confidence in Him. Now you listen to exactly
what I'm about to say. To purify ourselves is to by
faith believe that Almighty God has done to us and in us what
He says He's done. Hold your place. Turn to Ephesians
again. I've quoted this a couple of
times. Go back to Ephesians 1. Ephesians chapter 1. Verse four, according as he has
chosen us in him before the foundation of the world, now listen to this,
that we should be holy and without blame before him
in love. Now how am I going to be found
to be holy and without blame, pure, purified? only as I am found in Christ. And God gives me a heart to believe
it. Did I purify myself? I didn't purify myself of myself,
but by faith Almighty God has given me a heart to believe what
He's done for me and it's accounted unto me by faith. There was a a woman that had
an issue of blood. This woman had this deduction
in her heart. I'll read this, Acts 16. Acts
16, verse 25 to 30. The scripture says, I'm sorry,
I'll go ahead and read this one. This is when Paul and Silas were
in jail. Paul and Silas at midnight, Paul
and Silas prayed and sang praises unto God, and the prisoners heard
them, and suddenly there was a great earthquake, so that the
foundations of the prison were shaken, and immediately all the
doors were opened. Everyone's bands were loose.
The keeper of the prison awakened out of sleep. Seeing the prison
doors open, he drew out his sword, would have killed himself, supposing
the prisoners had fled. But Paul cried with a loud voice,
saying, do thyself no harm, for we are all here. Then he called
with a light, sprang in, came trembling, fell down before Paul
and Silas, brought them out, said, sirs, what must I do to
be saved? And the scripture says that a
man of himself can do nothing. That's what the Lord said. What
did the Lord tell Paul to tell this man when he said, what must
I do to be saved? Believe on the Lord Jesus Christ
and thou shalt be saved. Where did he get that faith to
believe? God gave it to him. It was given unto him. when the
woman that had the issue of blood. That is found in Matthew chapter
9. Now listen to this. I'll read it to you. Matthew
chapter 9. Matthew 9 20. Behold a woman which was diseased
with an issue of blood twelve years, and came behind him, and
touched the hem of his garment. For she said within herself,
If I may but touch the garment, I shall be whole. Jesus turned
him about, and when he saw her, said, Daughter, be of good comfort.
Thy faith hath made thee whole. And the woman was made whole
from that hour. Now let me ask you something.
Who made her whole? The Lord. The Lord made her whole. What did He say to her? Thy faith
hath made thee whole. the object of your faith. If
it would have been something that she could have accomplished,
she would have had something to brag about. I had strong faith. I had faith enough to heal myself. And the Lord said, without me,
you can do nothing. Now listen. Scripture declares,
every man that hath this hope in him purifies himself, Just
like the woman with the issue of blood. Who did the healing?
The Lord did the healing. He's the great physician, not
me. I don't have faith to do anything. I have faith in Him. I have faith in Him. What is
it to purify yourself? It is to look by faith unto Him. is to look by faith unto Christ. A believer is said to be constantly
purifying himself or reckoning himself pure in Christ and being
accepted in the beloved. He is our purity. He is our righteousness. He is our sanctification. A believer rests totally in being
justified before God. Wherein is the purity of a believer? being covered with the blood
of Christ and His debt put away and robed in the righteousness
of Christ. Where did that purity come from?
It's His. Purified, found pure, perfect
in Christ. And being found in that blessed
state of being pure in Him. A believer desires to be rid
of this old body of flesh. The believer knows, he knows
what he is. Listen to 2 Corinthians 7, having
therefore these promises, dearly beloved, let us cleanse ourselves
from all filthiness of the flesh and spirit, perfecting holiness
in the fear of God. Let us cleanse ourselves Let
us be assured that our initial cleansing and that continual
daily cleansing that we need is only by the blood of the Lord
Jesus Christ. Purify yourself. Everyone that
purifies himself, I'm going to tell you right here, casts himself
upon the mercy of God, crying unto him, Lord, cleanse me. Lord, purify me. in your precious
blood. Lord, wash me clean. Lord, forgive
me today." Doing the same thing that that woman with the issue
of blood did. And He says, Thy faith, the object of your faith. Let's always be careful. Thy
faith. Faith that beholds Him. Faith
that looks to Him. Thy faith, the object of your
faith. has made you whole. Brethren,
we don't purify ourselves. We have been made pure in Christ,
but by faith, we believe that God has, by grace and power,
purified us. In the Lord Jesus. Who are these that have washed
their robes white in the blood of the Lamb? You think there's
ever going to be anybody that actually washed themselves white?
Who are these that have? By faith, we believe God. And our faith, the one in whom
we have faith, has robed us in His purity. And all of the purity
that we've got is His. And it's counted unto us. May
the Lord bless this word to our heart for Christ's sake. Amen.