What Will We Be Like When Jesus Returns?

Image result for we will see him

 1 John 3:1-3 See what great love the Father has lavished on us, that we should be called children of God! And that is what we are! The reason the world does not know us is that it did not know him. 2 Dear friends, now we are children of God, and what we will be has not yet been made known. But we know that when Christ appears, we shall be like him, for we shall see him as he is. 3 All who have this hope in him purify themselves, just as he is pure.

 John's gospel is also called the "relational" gospel.  While Matthew, Mark and Luke focus more on the events in Jesus' life, John focuses more on how Jesus came to earth so God could be known by us.  We see this reflected in John's letter to early Christians as well.  One of the issues John is addressing is the worldliness he is seeing in the church. He keeps emphazing that if they keep on "sinning", they are not showing they are in an authentic relationship with God. I.e. They don't really know who God is.    

 But our new identity is in Christ.  We are under new ownership and new management.  We are "born again". We are sons and daughters of God.  While we know God through the power of the Holy Spirit, there will be a day when we will know God in a different sense.  John says that when Jesus returns we will be like him as a result of seeing him as he is.  We were made in God's image and through Christ we are born again.  But who we are has not yet been fully realized.  

 In a few days we celebrate Christmas where Jesus came in a manger.  The Word became flesh and dwelt among us, full of grace and truth.  Jesus grew up with earthly parents and was obedient to them.  He grew going to the temple and teaching the elders when he was only twelve.  By age 30 he began his ministry, teaching and called his disciples.  He revealed God's love through words and deeds which showed what God's kingdom in heaven looks like on earth. Three years later Jesus died on a cross, and three days after that he rose again.  He appeared to many of his disciples men and women,  proving He had risen like he said he would.  After 40 days he returned to be with the Father.  What's left?  For him to come back in great and promised glory.  

 And the great promise we are given today is when we see him, we will be like him, for we will see him as he is.  

Comments

Post a Comment

Popular posts from this blog

Acts 22 - Paul Sees the Light

Image
6  “About noon as I came near Damascus, suddenly a bright light from heaven flashed around me.   7  I fell to the ground and heard a voice say to me,  ‘Saul! Saul! Why do you persecute me?’  8  “‘Who are you, Lord?’ I asked.  “  ‘I am Jesus of Nazareth,  whom you are persecuting,’  he replied.   9  My companions saw the light,  but they did not understand the voice  of him who was speaking to me.  10  “‘What shall I do, Lord?’ I asked. “  ‘Get up,’  the Lord said,  ‘and go into Damascus. There you will be told all that you have been assigned to do. This is the famous story of the apostle Paul's conversion on the road to Damascus.  Paul was going there to persecute Jewish Christians and throw them into prison and he meets Jesus is a spectacular way.  Not only is he blinded by a briliant light, but he hears the Lord's voice audibly.  And the Lord asks him, "Lord, Lord why a...
Read more

Hebrews 6 - Have You Graduated From Elementary School of Faith Yet?

Click Here to Read or Listen to Hebrews 6 6 Therefore let us move beyond the elementary teachings about Christ and be taken forward to maturity, not laying again the foundation of repentance from acts that lead to death, and of faith in God, 2 instruction about cleansing rites, the laying on of hands, the resurrection of the dead, and eternal judgment. 3 And God permitting, we will do so. The author once again picks up with the theme of moving on to Christian maturity.  He teaches them to move on from the "elementary" teachings about Christ. What does he mean by that?  He gives clues by citing repentance, faith, cleansing rites, the laying on of hands, and teaching on the judgment and resurrection from the dead. We might call these the basics of the Christian faith. If you read through the Apostle's Creed, which our church confesses in our 8am service, it contains many of these core doctrines.  Click here to see the Apostle's Creed Written Around “When we consider the...
Read more

2 Timothy 4 - Fight the Good Fight! Finish the Race!

Click Here to Read or Listen to 2 Timothy 4 4 In the presence of God and of Christ Jesus, who will judge the living and the dead, and in view of his appearing and his kingdom, I give you this charge: 2 Preach the word; be prepared in season and out of season; correct, rebuke and encourage—with great patience and careful instruction. 3 For the time will come when people will not put up with sound doctrine. Instead, to suit their own desires, they will gather around them a great number of teachers to say what their itching ears want to hear. 4 They will turn their ears away from the truth and turn aside to myths. 5 But you, keep your head in all situations, endure hardship, do the work of an evangelist, discharge all the duties of your ministry. Paul gives a closing charge to Timothy. First of all, he is to preach the word. God's Word speaks to all situations and seasons. The Word of God will sometimes correct us. Our lives can get of out alignment with God's will as outlined in ...
Read more