Let's turn back to 1 John chapter
3. Remind you of the pig roast at the Williams this Saturday
at noon. And we will have the preacher's
class at 10 in the morning, and I'm going to make it a little
bit shorter this time so people can get to the Williams on time. 1 John chapter 3, I've entitled
this message, What Hope Makes You Do. What hope makes you do? Look in verse three, And every
man, no exceptions, that hath this hope in him purifieth himself,
even as he is pure. And that's what hope makes you
do. Every man that hath this hope in him purifieth himself,
even as he is pure. And I notice the word, the verse
in verse three begins with an and, that means it's a continuation
of what was said in verse two. The thought in verse two is not
over yet. Beloved, now are we the sons
of God. That's every believer's privilege
right now. Right now, with the sons of God,
with all of the privileges of being his children, having him
as our father, having him for us, if God be for us, who can
be against us. And it does not yet appear what
we shall be. John, speaking under the inspiration
of the Holy Spirit, still could not imagine what it's going to
be like to be sinless. Somebody sang the special recently,
waiting for my body that will never sin. I'm waiting for my
body that will never sin, but what that would look like and
feel like, I don't know. John didn't know either. He said,
it doth not yet appear what we shall be, But we know that when he shall appear, speaking
of his second coming, the Lord is going to appear again. He's
going to come back to this earth again. He's going to come from
the skies and everybody's going to know it's him. Everybody.
No one will wonder. How will everybody know? I don't
know, but they will. You know, the Lord's able to
make sure that takes place. Everybody will know. And when
he shall appear, we shall be like him. Every believer will
be perfectly conformed to his image, a state of sinlessness,
a state of perfect holiness. We're gonna be just like him. And here's why. For we shall
see him as he is. What a sight! We shall see Him as He is. That's the great desire of every
believer. Oh, I wanna see Him. I wanna
see His dear face. I wanna behold Him in righteousness.
Just one look at Him as He is will conform us to His perfect
likeness. And every man, verse three, Every
man that had this hope, this hope of being made his son, this
hope that one of these days, this is talking about the future,
one of these days, I'm going to be perfectly conformed to
his image. Everybody that had this hope
of actually seeing him as he is, you know, this is the great
desire of the believers to see him. This is so much more than
religion. It's to see the Son of God. It's
to see the Creator. It's to see the Sovereign of
the Universe. It's to see my Husband. It's
to see my Lord. It's to see my Redeemer as He
is. And every man that hath this
hope in him purifies himself even as he is pure. Now, this
word purifies is used seven different times in the New Testament. And
four times, it's with reference to being ceremonially clean,
like the leper being ceremonially cleansed. It's talking about
a ceremony that you went through. And three times, it has to do
with us purifying ourselves, us cleaning ourselves. Now, before you get too scared
by that concept, Who needs clean? Somebody that's dirty. Do you
fit the bill? Somebody that's not dirty doesn't
need clean. Who needs a bath? Somebody that's filthy and that
needs to be washed. And this is the experience of
every believer every day. We're clean and yet we feel a
great need all the time to be cleansed, to be washed. And we're going to look at what
the scripture says this thing of purifying yourself really means. But let's talk first of all about
this hope. Everyone that has this hope.
Now, obviously in the context, it's talking about the hope of
being a son, the hope of seeing him as he is, the hope of being
made just like him. But that hope for the future
is derived from the same hope that every believer has. Now
listen real carefully. Ephesians 4.4 says there's one
hope. If I'm a believer, if I'm a Christian,
if I'm somebody that God has saved, and if you're a believer,
and if you're a Christian, and if you're somebody that God has
saved, we have the precise same hope. There's no difference in
our belief whatsoever. We have the precise same hope
because there's only one hope. Now, a lot of other folks have
a hope of some kind, but it's not a well-grounded hope. But
every believer has the precise same hope. Let me show you what
it is. Would you turn with me to first
Timothy chapter one. Verse one. And before I read this verse,
let me remind you that the punctuations that are supplied by the translators
and sometimes they aren't that good. Now, let's read this verse
together. Verse one, Paul, an apostle of
Jesus Christ, by the commandment of God, our Savior and Lord Jesus
Christ, our hope. Notice the which is in italics.
It would be better just left out and notice the wording. God, our Savior and Lord, Jesus
Christ, our hope. Now there's a very distinct statement
about whatever believer's hope is. First, my hope is that Jesus
Christ is God. He won't do me any good. He won't
do me any good if he's not very God of very God. He's God. I love saying that. Jesus is
God. That's one of my favorite things
to say. I'd like to say that every time I preach. Jesus is God.
He's the creator. He's the sovereign of the universe.
He's God. Our Savior. I need to be saved. As a matter of fact, the most
frequent prayer that I have, this isn't something I prayed
one time. I don't pray it anymore. It's
something I pray every day. Save me. I need saved. Save me from myself. Save me
from my sins. Save me from the evil one. Save
me. God, our Savior and Lord. I'm so glad he's the Lord. My
hope is that He's the Lord. And that means His will must
be done. He's the Lord of creation. He's
the Lord of providence. He controls everything. There's
nothing that happens without Him allowing it to happen or
causing it to happen, is the better way to say it. He's Lord. Jesus Christ. Thou shalt call His name Jesus,
for He shall save His people from their sins." Christ, God's
anointed, God's prophet, God's priest, God's King. He's the
Word of God. I believe that He's all God has
to say. He's the priest that if He represents me before the
Father, I must be saved. He's the King who will cause
me to do His will, cause me to persevere in the faith, cause
me to believe on His Son. That's our hope. That's our hope. That Jesus Christ is God, Savior,
Lord, Jesus Christ, our hope. Now, my hope is expressed in
baptism. Baptism is so important. It doesn't
save anybody. You can go under the water and
come out every day and it won't wash away one's sin. But it's
what it represents. Baptism said, now this is my
hope. This is my hope. This is my hope regarding how
I'm gonna be accepted on judgment day and everything between now
and then is working for my good. Because my hope is that when
Jesus Christ lived, I was in him. And that when he kept the
law, I was in him so that I kept the law too. My hope is that
when he died and paid for sin, it was my sin being paid for,
I was in him. I died. My hope is that when
he was raised from the dead, I was in him. And I was raised
from the dead and accepted by the Father. My hope is utterly,
entirely in him. My hope is that God has saved
me, is saving me, and will yet save me. That's my hope. My hope
is that God justified me and that he did this because Christ
died for me. That's the only hope I have, that Christ died
for me. That's the best way I can express it. The only hope that
I have that I will be saved is that Jesus Christ died for me.
Or what about the fact that you're a preacher? Don't even think
something like that. My only hope is that Jesus Christ
actually paid for my sins, and my hope is that because Jesus
Christ paid for my sins, God the Holy Spirit gave me new life,
regenerated me, caused me to be born again so that I can believe
on the Lord Jesus Christ. Christ is my hope. My hope is that Christ is all. There's another thing I like
saying from Colossians 3.11. Christ is all. He's all to God. He's all that God is. He's all
in this book. He's all that God requires. What
does God require of me? Christ. That's it. That's my
hope. That everything that God requires
of me, He looks to His Son for. Christ is all. Well, don't you
have any merit? Yes, He is. Well, what do you
know? Well, what's your object of faith? Christ is all. What do you believe?
Christ is all. You know, that takes all the
complexity and confusion away and makes it real simple, doesn't
it? Christ is all. And that's my hope. Our hope
is this person, the Lord Jesus Christ. It doesn't have anything
to do with anything I'm looking at myself. It's that he's God. It's that He's Savior, it's He's
the Jesus, that He's Lord, and that He's Christ. That is my
hope. Now turn with me to Romans chapter
eight for a moment. Every man that had this hope,
this hope is singular. Christ is our hope. In Romans
8, verse 24, Paul makes this statement. For we are saved by
hope. Now, I hope you realize that
that's not saying that we're saved by our feeling of hope. Hope is a feeling. It's a good
feeling. I wish I could keep it bottled
so I have it all the time. just feel real good and hopeful
and just, no problem, nothing, hope's a feeling. But you know
as well as I do that that feeling can be strong or that feeling
can be almost non-existent as far as the way you feel. I'm
not saved by my feeling of hope. I'm saved by my hope, the Lord
Jesus Christ. I'm saved by my hope. My hope
has saved me. We're saved by hope, but hope
that is seen is not hope. For what a man seeth, why doth
he yet hope for it? I love this. My hope, I've never
seen. I've never seen Jesus Christ
in his person. I've never seen him physically.
I've never heard his voice audibly. regarding justification, that
glorious truth that Christ died to make every believer justified
without guilt before God. I can't look at myself and say,
yeah, you're justified. No, I can't see that. I can't see, oh, you're holy. I can't see that. But if I could,
it wouldn't be hope, would it? I can't see my name written in
the Lamb's Book of Life. I don't have any access to that.
If I could, it wouldn't be hope anymore, would it? Hope that
is seen is not hope. I can't see, you know, somebody
says, until you see that it was your sins that nailed him to
the tree. I hope they were, but I can't
look at myself and say, yeah, it was my, no. My hope is that
they were. I can't see it, but I have a
great hope. I have a hope that everything
is working together for my good and his glory, but I can't see
it. Some of you have gone through things and you think, well, how
could good come out of this? I understand you thinking that
way, but it will. You might not be able to see it, but that doesn't
make any difference, does it? Because all things work together for
good to them that love God, to them who are called according
to his purpose. And I know this for this singular
reason, Christ is my hope. Every man that has this hope,
is Christ all in your hope? Now you can answer that. Is Jesus
Christ everything in your hope? And you're not looking anywhere
else for anything else. Christ is all in my hope. Now
this hope is experienced as far as the feeling of it. And hope's
a feeling. I love that song. Feelings come
and feelings go, feelings are deceiving, and they are. My warrant
is the word of God, not else is worth believing. That being
said, I would hate to experience some kind of religion without
feeling, wouldn't you? I want feeling. Well, turn to
Romans chapter 15. Verse 13. Now, the God of hope. What a name for our God. Have you ever been in a place
where you felt nothing but despair? It's a horrible feeling. But
what a glorious thing. The God of hope. What a name
for our God. The God of hope. The God of hope. fill you with all joy and peace
in working? No. Believing. Believing that you may abound
in hope. Now that's talking about the
feeling of hope through the power of the Holy Ghost. Now the God
of hope fill you. all joy and peace in believing.
Believing Christ as my hope and having nowhere else to look fills
me with joy and with peace. I am very joyous that Christ
is all I have and all God requires. And I feel such peace knowing
that Christ is all I have and all that God requires. Now, if
you add anything else to the element, I lose my joy, I lose
my peace. But looking to Christ only, believing that He is everything
in my salvation, Having nowhere else to go makes me filled with
joy and peace. I abandon hope when I believe
that He only is my hope. And it's only when He is the
only hope you have that you have a well-grounded hope. I'm not
looking for assurance of my salvation in anything I do, think, experience,
believe. He is my hope. Now that is the testimony of
every believer. Every body that has this hope
in him. Turn with me to 2 Corinthians
chapter 3. 2 Corinthians chapter 3. Verse 11, for that which is done away was
glorious. Now what was done away with?
The first covenant. The first covenant, the law,
the Ten Commandments. Now that's not saying that that
is no longer, I'm saved by perfect obedience to that law, but it's
done away. I can't be saved by my works.
It's been done away with. And it was glorious. Would you
read the Ten Commandments and say they're not glorious? Would
you read anything in God's law and say it's not glorious? It's
glorious. Now if that which is done away is glorious, and I'm
so thankful it's done away. If that which is done away is
glorious, much more that which remaineth is glorious. What remains? Christ. Christ. Seeing that we have such
hope, there it is. Seeing that we have such hope,
we use great plainness of speech. We don't try to couch these words.
We want to say them as God says them. You're familiar with that
passage of Scripture in 1 Peter 3, verse 15, where it says, Always
be ready to give every man that asks you a reason for the hope
that's in you, with meekness and with fear. Now, what is the
reason for the hope that's in me? And I can answer that from
the Scripture. Christ is my hope. I wish I could say that the way
it ought to be said. Christ only is all in my hope. I have no other hope, but I'm
satisfied with this hope. I don't want any other hope.
Christ is my hope. Well, what's your reason for
that hope? Turn with me to 2 Thessalonians 2. Verse 16. Now our Lord Jesus Christ Himself,
and God even our Father, which hath loved us, and hath given
us everlasting consolation and good hope through grace. Now let me point out two things
about this hope. First, it's an everlasting hope. It's a hope that never had a
beginning and it's a hope that'll never have an end. And the only
thing I have any confidence in is that which is eternal and
everlasting. This hope of Christ I have right
now, before time began, before the creation of the world, I
was in Christ. Now, I don't understand that.
I don't understand how I can have always been in Christ. That
blows my mind. I can't figure it out, and I'm
not going to try it. But the only hope that does me
any good is a hope that never had a beginning and will never
have an ending. That's why it's so sure. That's
why it's so certain. It never had a beginning, and
it never had an ending. And what's the other word Paul
uses to describe this hope? He's given us a good hope. A
good hope through what? Grace. Grace. Oh what a word, grace. Salvation
is by grace. That's why I have this hope,
because salvation is by grace. Every aspect of my salvation,
it's all of grace. Now you've got to begin, when
you talk about grace, you've got to begin with election. God's
choice of his people before time began. Ephesians 1, 4, according
as he hath chosen us in him before the foundation of the world. I love election because it glorifies
God and it's a continual reminder to me that salvation really is
all of grace. Now here's the question I want
to ask you. How much of election is by grace? How much? Well, you know the
scripture for the children being not yet born, neither having
done any good or evil, that the purpose of God according to election
might stand not of works, but of him that calleth. Now, how
much of that election was by grace? It's all of grace. It
doesn't have anything to do with works, good or bad. Your good
works can't recommend you. Your bad works can't disqualify
you. It's by grace. God's favor, God's unmerited
favor, God's demerited favor. We've demerited His favor, but
it's by grace, not of works. Now, every aspect of salvation
is no less of grace than election is. Now that's why this hope
is so good. It really is all of grace. Whatever aspect of salvation
you're talking about, if you're talking about redemption, you're
redeemed by grace. Justification justified by grace.
If you talk about being sanctified, you're sanctified by grace. You
talk about being adopted, it was grace that adopted you. You
talk about persevering in the faith, it's grace that causes
you to persevere. You talk about faith, faith is
the gift of His grace. Whatever you're talking about,
it's all of grace. And that's what makes this hope
a good hope, a good hope through grace. Every man that has this
hope, don't miss this, in him. This hope is not found in you.
It's not found in your faith or your faithfulness. It's not
found in your doctrinal understanding. It's not found in your efforts.
It's not found in your zeal for his glory. This faith is in him. every man that hath this faith
in him. I love what our Lord said in
John chapter 16, verse 33. He said, these things have I
spoken unto you. And they've given that great
discourse right before he died, beginning in John 13 through
the end of verse 16, chapter 16. Then he starts his prayer
in chapter 17. But he says, these things have I spoken unto you
that in me, you might have peace. In the world, You're gonna have
tribulation, but be of good cheer. I have overcome the world. All
of this peace is in Him. I could quote so many scriptures.
In Him dwelleth all the fullness of the Godhead bodily, and you
are complete in Him. Blessed be the Father, God and
Father of our Lord Jesus Christ, who hath blessed us with all
the spiritual blessings and heavenly places in Christ. in whom we
have boldness and access with confidence by the faith of Him.
Of Him are you in Christ Jesus, who of God is made unto us wisdom
and righteousness and sanctification and redemption. I could just
go on quoting scripture after scripture. All God has for the
sinner is in the Lord Jesus Christ. And not only is this hope in
Him, but every man that hath this hope in Him. you." Now listen to the words,
Christ in you, the hope of glory. When I pleased God, Paul said
in Galatians 1 15, when I pleased God who separated me from my
mother's womb and called me by His grace to reveal His Son in
me. Now I wish I could say this the
way it ought to be said, But it won't do me any good for him
to merely reveal himself to me. That's not enough. I'll forget. I'll lose it. Something will
go wrong. It's not enough for him to reveal
himself to me. I have to have him reveal himself
in me. That's the only way it'll be
any good. Christ in you. Paul said, I live, yet not I,
but Christ liveth in me. In the life that I now live in
the flesh, I live by the faith of the Son of God who loved me
and gave himself for me. This hope we have in him is in
us. And that's why I will persevere
all the way to the end because of Christ in me, because of God
working in me both to will and to do his good pleasure. Because
he that hath begun a good work in me will perform it, will complete
it unto the day of Jesus Christ. This is a work done in me. And I know this, the only reason
I believe is because of Christ in me. Do you know that? The
only reason I love the Father is because of Christ in me. I
know that. It doesn't have anything to do
with something in me that has worked. No, it's Christ in you,
the hope of glory. Now, okay, here's the question. Back to our text in 1 John 3. Every man that hath this hope
in him purifies himself. He purifies himself even as he
is pure. Now I have this hope in him and
let me speak as frankly and as plainly as I can. I have this
hope in him and I believe by the grace of God this hope is
in me. Yet, I still feel and not just
feel, I still am a sinner. That's my experience. Every single day, I think, if I don't quote, O
wretched man that I am, who shall deliver me from this body of
death? I don't feel like having this
hope has made my sinful nature any better. It's just as sinful
as it ever was. I remember one time somebody
said to me, what you need to do is get out of Romans 7 and
into Romans 8. And this wasn't my answer. I didn't know enough to answer
it at the time. But I see now this person's problem was they
didn't know anything about Romans 7 or Romans 8. They'd never been
in either. They wouldn't say something like that. That demonstrated
no understanding of the gospel. Now, I hope this will be helpful.
We determine in John chapter 13. I have this hope in Him, and
I still feel dirty. I still feel sinful. I still need to be washed. Look in John chapter 13. Now,
before the feast of the Passover, when Jesus knew that His hour
was come, that He should depart out of this world into the Father,
having loved His own, which were in the world, He loved them unto
the end. And supper being ended, the devil
having now put into the heart of Judas Iscariot, Simon's son,
to betray him, Jesus, knowing that the father had given all
things into his hands and that he was coming from God and went
to God, he riseth from supper and laid aside his garments and
took a towel and girded himself. And after that, he pours water
into a basin and began to wash the disciples' feet and to wipe
them with the towel wherewith he was girded. Now can you imagine
how amazed they felt while this was going on? The Lord taking
a form of a servant and washing their feet. I bet there wasn't
anybody saying anything. They probably glanced at each
other, what's going on? What is this? Then cometh he to Simon Peter.
You know Simon's gonna say something, don't you? Simon's always gonna
say something. Simon was always answering when
nobody was asking him anything. How many times did he answer
Peter? Did he answer Peter? Peter, nobody asked you anything.
Well, he's going to talk. Peter saith unto him, Lord, dost
thou wash my feet? Jesus answered and said unto
him, What I do thou knowest not now, but thou shalt know hereafter.
Peter saith unto him, Thou shalt never wash my feet. I'm far too
humble to let something like that take place. Jesus answered
him, if I wash thee not, thou hast no part with me. Simon Peter saith unto him, Lord,
not my feet only, but also my hands and my head. Wash me all
over. Jesus saith to him, he that is washed needeth not save
to wash his feet, but is clean every whit. And you are clean,
but not all. Now here's the point. If he's washed you, you're clean
every whit, through and through. When God sees you, he sees someone
as holy and unblameable and unapprovable, and that's because you're holy,
blameable, and unapprovable in his sight. That's what his washing
does. You're clean every whit. You can't get any cleaner, but
you still need your feet washed. Now, we walk through this world
every single day, and we get our feet so dirty. And they need
to be washed every single day. You clean every bit, but you
can't walk through this world and not become infected by the
lust of the flesh, the lust of the eyes, and the pride of life.
They still have an appeal to you and your old nature. And
if someone would say, no, they don't, I don't believe you for
a second. I know they do. That's not so. And you're going
to get dirty. You're going to get defiled.
You're going to have your feet so dirty and you're going to
need the Lord to wash them on a daily basis, aren't you? Oh,
to have him wash my feet. Now, how do we purify ourselves?
Turn to James chapter four. James chapter 4, verse 8, draw nigh to God and
he'll draw nigh to you. Cleanse your hands, ye sinners,
and purify, that's the word, purify your hearts, you double-minded. Now, who's he speaking to? Sinners
and double-minded. Would you fit in that description?
Divided in interests, sinners, and double-minded. That's who
he's speaking to. If the shoe fits, wear it. Somebody says,
I'm not that way. Well, he's not speaking to you
then, but somebody that is. Cleanse your hands, ye sinners,
and purify your hearts, ye double-minded. Be afflicted, and mourn, and
weep. Let your laughter be turned to
mourning, and your joy to heaviness. Here it is. Humble yourselves. in the sight of the Lord. Lord, I'm sinful. Lord, I'm double-minded. I'm divided into my interests. Do something for me. Do something
about my sin. Now, when you humble yourself
before the Lord, you do exactly what that Republican did. He
said, God, be merciful to me, the sinner. And you remember
what the Lord said? He said regarding that, He said,
I tell you, this man went down to his house justified, rather
than the other, for every one that exalts himself, like the
Pharisee did, Lord, I thank you that I'm not as other men are.
They're gonna be abased. But he that humbles himself,
like this publican. God, be merciful to me, the sinner. Do something about my sin. You
know, if you read Psalm 51, it's the same thing. David's saying,
Lord, do something about my sin. Take it away, cleanse me, wash
me. The way I cleanse myself is by
humbling myself before God and taking the place of the publican. Is there ever a time, now let
me ask you a question. Is there ever a time when that prayer
is not necessary? God be merciful to me, thee,
sinner. Is there ever a day that you
don't need to pray that prayer? That. Well, how do you clean?
Well, you wash yourself up real good. Scripture tells us, here's
how I purify myself, here's how I cleanse my hand and purify
my heart, by humbling myself under the mighty hand of God. Turn to 1 Peter chapter 1. While
you're turning there, remember when you've got as low as you
can, get lower. Get lower. You're a little closer to the
truth, the lower you get. Humble yourself under His mighty hand. And look at 1 Peter 1. Verse 22, seeing you have purified,
there's the word, seeing you have purified your souls in obeying
the truth. And you wanna know how you can
purify your souls? By obeying the truth. Obeying
what God says about himself, obeying what God says about you,
obeying what God says about his son. You purify yourself in obedience
to the truth. It's amazing what faith will
do to somebody. It purifies the soul. Obedience to the truth. And whenever there's obedience
to the truth, it's always through the Spirit. Look at the way he
says this. It's through the Spirit. And it always results in this,
unto unfeigned, unfaked, genuine love to the brethren. That's
what happens when someone obeys the truth. Their soul is purified
and they have unfeigned love to the brethren. And this is
all caused by God the Holy Spirit. Now finally, back in our text,
1 John chapter 3. And every man that hath this
hope, Christ, in him, in the Lord Jesus Christ, and in him,
Christ in you, the hope of glory. He purifieth himself, even as
he is pure. Now, if you have this hope in
him, this is what you're gonna do every day. You're gonna purify
yourself by a renewed obedience to the truth. by a renewed humbling
yourself under his mighty hand and you start at square one with
this goal to be pure even as he is pure. Don't you desire that? To be
pure even as he is pure. David put it this way in Psalm
chapter 17 verse 15. As for me, I will behold thy
face in righteousness. I'll be satisfied when I awake
in thy likeness. And until then, as long as I
have this body of sin that I'm carrying with me. Oh, wretched
man that I am, who shall deliver me from the body of this death?
And I have no doubt that what Paul is talking about, in a Roman
prison, you had a dead body chained to you. What a horrible thing. And he felt like his flesh was
dragging around that body of death. As long as we have this
body of death, We're gonna continually need to purify ourself, aren't
we? Continually humble ourselves before God, ask him to do something
about our sin, and be obedient to the truth. That's another
way of saying believing the gospel. Let's pray. Lord, how we thank you for the
hope that we have in Christ. And Lord, how we thank you that
by your spirit you put this hope in us. And Lord, we ask in Christ's
name that you would enable us to continually purify ourselves,
humbling ourselves under your mighty hand, asking you to do
something about our sin and believing the truth. Bless this word for
your glory and for our good. In Christ's name we pray, amen.
Okay, Matt.