What Is It Going To Be - Abiding Or Blacksliding? 1 John 2 V 28-29 Series

MESSAGE – WHAT IS IT GOING TO BE - ABIDING OR BLACKSLIDING? 1 John 2 v 28-29

1John 2 v 28 Now, little children, abide in Him so that when He appears, we may have confidence and not shrink away from Him in shame at His coming. 1John 2 v 29 If you know that He is righteous, you know that everyone also who practises righteousness is born of Him.

Chapter 2 ends with these 2 very challenging verses that have a full implication for our Christian life and walk. John appeals to his readers; wanting to encourage them, for the consequences are high as the results are touching eternal realities. I suppose in considering these facts, we can picture these illustrations:- A student tends to waste His time during the year with socialising and non academic ventures, but at exam time, reality sets in and he starts to feel ashamed. An athlete spends too much time eating and drinking, but when the competitors are called for the start of the big race, then he starts to shrink back. When it comes to the crunch, will there be regret from the student and the athlete because of their attitudes? I think so. They have failed their commitment.

There is an old hymn we ought to sing more, because it means much, but like many of the old challenging hymns, it has been shelved by so many churches. In some churches it is not the done thing to challenge the people. Here is one that applies very well to our message today:-

By and by when I look on His face,

Beautiful face, thorn-shadowed face.

By and by when I look on His face,

I’ll wish I had given Him more.

More, so much more;

More of my life than I e’re gave before.

By and by when I look on His face,

I’ll wish I had given Him more.

By and by when He holds out His hands,

Welcoming hands, nail-pierced hands;

By and by when He holds out His hands,

I’ll wish I had given Him more.

More, so much more,

More of my heart than I e’re gave before.

By and by when He holds out His hands,

I’ll wish I had given Him more.

By and by when I kneel at His feet,

Beautiful feet, nail-riven feet;

By and by when I kneel at His feet,

I’ll wish I had given Him more.

More, so much more,

More of my heart than I e’re gave before,

By and by when I kneel at His feet,

I’ll wish I had given Him more.

By and by when I sit in His throne

Glorious throne, wonderful throne;

By and by when I sit in His throne,

I'll wish I had given Him more.

More, so much more,

More of my heart than I e're gave before,

By and by when I sit in His throne

I'll wish I had given Him more.

In the light of that heavenly place,

Light from His face, beautiful face;

In the light of that heavenly place,

I'll wish I had given Him more.

More, so much more,

Treasures unbounded for Him I adore,

By and by when I look on His face

I'll wish I had given Him more.

(Grace Reese Adkins 1948)

What the poet is inferring, is that the shrinking back and the feeling of shame is because not enough of our time, and devotion, and service, and wills, and labour, have been given to the Lord. We spend a lot of time “talking church” and “acting church” and speaking about the Christian faith and disputing doctrine and precept, but what about the one-on-one with the Saviour, and abiding in Him?

What John is begging of his readers, is that their relationship is right with God in a strong connection that will not cause them to shrink back or to be ashamed when they enter the presence of the Lord – be it through death or at the Rapture. It will all be about –-> “confidence” verses “shame and withdrawal”. The Christian life has probably always been a marginalised life, for deep Christian strength has never been dominant in the world. I do think that right now in history, it is hard to keep faithful as a Christian, more than it has been for a long, long time. We live in a post Christian world, an almost pagan society, and the world arrays all its glitzy attractions and idols of sport, and social media and gaming, and entertainment and technology and temptations. Christians can get caught up in many mazes and wander the many byways and fruitless paths. What would John say about all this? Well he has done so in this verse – {{1John 2 v 28 Now, little children, abide in Him so that when He appears, we may have confidence and not shrink away from Him in shame at His coming.}}