This morning, I want to speak to you about having confidence at Christ’s second coming. We must all stand before the judgment seat of Jesus, as God has ordained Christ to be the world’s judge, as mentioned in John 5:22, 26-27. Paul also reminds us in 2 Corinthians 5:10 that we must all appear before Christ. Many people view the Day of Judgment with great apprehension, often due to knowing their lives are not right with God. However, there are those who can look forward to that day with boldness and confidence.
John wrote his first epistle to help his readers understand they can have confidence before the Lord when He comes. In 1 John 2:28, John writes, “Now, little children, abide in him, that when he appears, we may have confidence and not be ashamed before him at his coming.” Today, I want us to focus on John’s goal for his little children and John’s solution for obtaining that goal.
First, let’s examine John’s goal: to have confidence when Christ appears. The word “confidence” here, translated from the Greek word “parrēsia,” means outspokenness or boldness. This kind of boldness is the same as the one Peter and John exhibited before the Sanhedrin in Acts 4:13, where their boldness made the authorities marvel. Paul, too, spoke boldly about Jesus in Acts 9:27 and Ephesians 3:12, where he emphasizes having boldness and access with confidence through our faith in Jesus.
As Christians, we can have that same confidence and boldness. Hebrews 4:14-16 assures us that we can approach God’s throne of grace with boldness to receive mercy and find grace to help us in our time of need. John also mentions that we should not be ashamed at Christ’s coming. This feeling of shame, or “disfigurement” in Greek, is akin to the unjust steward’s attitude towards begging in Luke 16:1-4. We must be able to stand before Jesus at His coming with confidence, not with shame.
So, how can we be sure to have this confidence? John provides the solution: abide in Him. Abiding in Christ involves letting His words abide in us. In 1 John 2:24, John emphasizes that if we let what we heard from the beginning abide in us, we will also abide in the Son and in the Father. Jesus further explains in John 14:21-23 and John 15:10 that abiding in Him means keeping His commandments and letting His words remain in us.
Knowing and keeping God’s Word are essential for this confidence. Many Christians lack confidence because they do not know God’s Word. Just as a student who doesn’t study for a test will feel apprehensive, a Christian who doesn’t know God’s Word will feel uncertain about the Day of Judgment. The solution is simple: read the Bible and attend Bible classes to deepen your understanding and keep God’s Word.
In Matthew 7:21, during the Sermon on the Mount, Jesus emphasizes the importance of doing God’s will. In 1 John 2:29 and 1 John 5:3, John reiterates that practicing righteousness and keeping God’s commandments are crucial. God’s commandments are not burdensome; we can have full confidence when Jesus returns by following them.
I want to leave you with a story of a grandmother who was always reading her Bible. When asked why, she replied that she was “cramming for her final exam.” This illustrates the importance of knowing and abiding in God’s Word to stand boldly before God on the Day of Judgment.
Today, I urge you to examine yourself. Are you letting God’s Word abide in you so that you truly abide in the Son and the Father? If you’re not a child of God, you must hear the gospel, believe, repent, confess Jesus as Lord, and be baptized for the remission of your sins. Once baptized, live faithfully unto death, and you will receive the crown of life.
