I John 2:28-29 (Part 1)

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And now, little children, abide in him, so that when he appears we may have confidence and not shrink from him in shame at his coming. If you know that he is righteous, you may be sure that everyone who practices righteousness has been born of him.

THE STUDY:

          These two verses form a bridge between two chapters. Verse 28 is a brief summary of chapter 2. The next verse is a prelude to chapter 3. Both verses are short and because of their respective contents, they do not form a unit. For this reason, some scholars place a division between these two verses. For the sake of conformity to the chapter divisions, however, we include them in chapter 2.^[1]

          John uses the phrases “little children” and “abide in him” at the beginning of this verse. I am not going to address these phrases due to the fact that it has already been discussed in earlier devotionals. The thing that may be obvious to us but appears not so obvious to those who John is writing to is the phrase “when he appears.”

Believers understand that Jesus will return. John mentions the first coming of Jesus in the flesh—“our hands have touched” in 1:1. In chapter 2 he writes about the certainty of Jesus’ second coming (v. 28). The epistle has few references to his appearing, but this verse and 3:2 are clear in presenting the truth of Christ’s return.^[2]

How do believers respond to the news of Jesus’ return? They obey God’s commands, continue in Christ, and are confident at the prospect of Jesus’ return (compare 3:21). The word confident actually means that believers readily, frankly, and boldly speak about their Lord and Savior Jesus Christ. They communicate their faith.^[3]

WHAT WE CAN WALK AWAY WITH ….

• We walk away, this morning, with this question in mind: How do we communicate our faith? As a believer we know Christ is returning! As a believer we are to remain in him and follow his commandments. This is some of the ways we communicate His return.

CONCLUSION:

          In communicating our faith we must be confident in the promises found in the Bible. Both the Old and New Testaments are filled with promises of the Second Coming of Christ. There are 1,845 references to it in the Old Testament, and a total of seventeen Old Testament books give it prominence.

 Of the 260 chapters in the entire New Testament, there are 318 references to the Second Coming, or one out of 30 verses. Twenty-three of the 27 New Testament books refer to this great event. For every prophecy on the First Coming of Christ, there are 8 on Christ’s Second Coming.

Blessings my friends

Pastor Rod

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^[1] Kistemaker, S. J., & Hendriksen, W. (1953-2001). Vol. 14: New Testament commentary : Exposition of James and the Epistles of John. New Testament Commentary (287). Grand Rapids: Baker Book House.

^[2] Kistemaker, S. J., & Hendriksen, W. (1953-2001). Vol. 14: New Testament commentary : Exposition of James and the Epistles of John. New Testament Commentary (287). Grand Rapids: Baker Book House.

^[3] Kistemaker, S. J., & Hendriksen, W. (1953-2001). Vol. 14: New Testament commentary : Exposition of James and the Epistles of John. New Testament Commentary (288). Grand Rapids: Baker Book House.

^[4] Tan, P. L. (1996). Encyclopedia of 7700 Illustrations: Signs of the Times. Garland, TX: Bible Communications, Inc.