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Read: 1 John 3:3-10
Listen: 1 John 3

All who have this hope in him purify themselves, just as he is pure. 1 John 3:3

John tells the believers in Ephesus that knowing their identity as children of God isn’t enough. They need to live out of this identity. He reminds them that God is “pure,” so they should be pure. They need to root out selfishness and any destructive behaviors. They have no place in the life of a child of God. Believers don’t purify themselves to earn God’s love. They already have that through Jesus. Rather, they purify themselves in their daily living because God has already purified them. This isn’t about self-improvement but living out who they already are in Christ.

A life based on our identity in Jesus should lead to purity in every part of our lives. Throughout this series, we’ve learned we can be confident in our faith in Jesus. We can have the hope John talks about. But we need to do something with this confidence. Confidence in our identity should change the way we live. We are to live as God’s beloved children. If our identity is anchored elsewhere, such as in achievements, appearances, or our net worth, we need to move away from it and trust what God says about us. We should look more and more like Jesus the longer we journey with him. If there is a part of our life that we have “walled off” from God, this is probably the area we need to focus on first.

TODAY: Go back and re-watch a sermon in this series here. Pick the one that spoke to your biggest need or the one that inspired you the most. Invite a friend to watch it again and discuss what you heard.