1 John 3:3
And every man that hath this hope in him purifieth himself, even as he is pure.
John makes it plain that hope is not just something a believer talks about. It has an effect. The person who truly believes Jesus is coming, the one who lives with the awareness that he may see the Lord, begins to live more carefully because of it. Hope works its way into conduct.
That is what John is saying here. The man who has this hope in him purifies himself. He walks with a greater degree of purity than he otherwise would. He watches what he lets into his mind. He becomes more careful with his words, his choices, his habits, and his priorities. The thought of seeing Jesus has a way of sobering a man and straightening out his path.
It changes the way he lives.
This is not talking about perfection. It is talking about direction. A man who is looking for Christ will not live the same way as a man who has settled into the world and quit thinking about the Lord’s appearing. Living in the constant awareness that His coming is at hand has a definite effect on the way one lives.
You can see that across church history. Some will say, “People have been talking about the soon coming of Jesus for generations. You have heard it for years. Billy Graham preached it. D. L. Moody believed it. C. H. Spurgeon said the same thing long ago. And still He has not come.”
That may be true.
But put me in that company.
Put me with the men and women who lived expecting Christ. Put me with believers who woke up each day knowing it could be today. Put me with the first century church that lived in real expectancy. Put me with those whose hearts were lifted toward heaven rather than glued to earth. I would rather stand with those who lived looking for His coming than with those who say, “It cannot be today.”
Because one way of thinking produces readiness, and the other produces carelessness.
And whatever position a person takes on the timing of the Rapture, whether Pre Tribulation, Mid Tribulation, or Post Tribulation, when you read the words of Jesus concerning the last days, the impression is clear. He wants His people watching. He wants His people ready. He wants us living every day with the sense that His coming could be near.
That kind of expectancy is good for the soul.
It keeps a person from getting too comfortable in this present world. It keeps sin from looking harmless. It keeps eternity in view. It reminds us that life is moving toward a meeting with Christ.
Beloved, the hope of His coming is not given to make us obsessed with arguments and timelines. It is given to make us live more cleanly, more steadily, and more watchfully. The heart that says, “I may see Jesus,” is a heart that will want to walk in purity.
So live looking up.
Live ready.
Live in such a way that if the Lord came today, your heart would already be turned toward Him.