God’s children stay on guard against deception

Introduction

Good morning brothers and sisters, as always it is always a great joy and privilege to get to worship with you today and share God’s word with you. Our scripture today will be 1st John 5:18-21, if you will all please go ahead and turn there in your bible’s. (share last week slides and cpp up front)

While you are doing that, I want to share with you something Emily and I were discussing earlier this week. This was a report from NPR. In this report they quote a psychologist named Becky Kennedy regarding child behavior. In it she says, “the secret to changing your kid’s behavior isn’t to focus on consequences or timeouts- which are forms of disconnecting with a kid when they’re in distress- but rather leading with connection.” It then goes on to say, “this idea revolves around the base assumption that your kids’ are ‘good inside,’ which is also the title of her new bestselling book.’ Her word’s continue, “It’s really the idea that people are inherently good inside, and while I think a lot of us can say, ‘ok that makes sense,’ or ‘I believe that’s true, where I think it’s really really powerful is when we consider the differences between identity, who someone is, and behavior, what someone does, says Kennedy. Separating identity from behavior allows parents to reframe bad behavior and realize that their kids are good kids, having a hard time..” Well, all I can say to that is Wow. This almost seems like a delusion to me. This is a deception First, this Kennedy must have never been around a child before; anyone who has ever met a toddler before can clearly perceive that children are filled with a predisposition to sin, usually to seek and get whatever it is that they desire. Secondly, I do not agree that people are inherently good inside. In fact, all of Christendom stands opposed to this. Paul says clearly in Romans 7:18 that, “For I know that nothing good dwells in me, that is, in my flesh. For I have the desire to do what is right, but not the ability to carry it out. I’ll affirm right now that there is nothing Good in ME right now except Jesus Christ and The Holy Spirit, anything before Jesus was all bad. Kennedy’s line of thought can easily turn to this when it plays out in adulthood, “Sure I like to rob, kill, steal, and destroy, but that doesn’t make me a bad person.” This sounds like the fast track to unhealthy children becoming dangerous and unhealthy adults. This is a deception. Everything here as I’ve understood from this quote is false. We also need to understand that we will probably see this coming down the pipeline in the years to come. We need to stand on guard against this and fill our minds with the truth of God, the truth of Christ, and the truth of scripture. I guess what I’m saying is and what our sermon title is today is, God’s children stay on guard against deception.

Scripture

If you will all please rise for the reading of God’s word today. As usual, please read it along with me out loud, it will be on the screen above me. Then when I am done, I will say “this is the word of the Lord” if you will all please respond with “Thanks Be to God.” Before we do that though, let’s pray. Father God, You are great and mighty and greatly to be praised both here in this place and in our lives. I thank You that You are who You are, a mighty God to sees, knows, and hears us more than anyone or anything else. Father, we thank You for this opportunity to come and worship You today. Let us not take that privilege lightly. Help us to keep You always in our thoughts and minds as we make our decisions day by day. We ask this day that You would refine us with You word that You are about to share with us. Help us to put aside anything that is distracting to us. Help us to focus on what You are saying to us. Then, as we hear this, help us apply to our lives that You would be glorified through us. Take these lessons, these timeless lessons in Your word and make them make us move. Make us move not just here, but also in our day to day lives and as we go out. But a fire under us to share You with the lost and rest and rely on You. It’s in these things that I ask and in Jesus Christ’s Holy and Precious Name that I pray Amen. 1st John 5, starting in verse 18. 18 We know that everyone who has been born of God does not keep on sinning, but he who was born of God protects him, and the evil one does not touch him.19 We know that we are from God, and the whole world lies in the power of the evil one.20 And we know that the Son of God has come and has given us understanding, so that we may know him who is true; and we are in him who is true, in his Son Jesus Christ. He is the true God and eternal life. 21 Little children, keep yourselves from idols.

Context

Well, here we are, can you believe it brothers and sisters, we have finally done it. We have made it through our first book of The Bible together! Onward we go! Last week I shared with where we will be going to for the rest of the year. So, if you are wondering what we will be doing next week to follow along in your at home devotional reading, go ahead and flip another page, we are going to 2nd John next week followed by 3rd John.

While reading this text this week, I came across an important piece of information that really helped me understand this book of the Bible even better. Now, we know and have said it many times that this book, this epistle from the Apostle John was written to churches that were enduring false teaching that left people confused. In fact, many false teachers were in their mist who were misconstruing John’s own gospel. John, being the caring spiritual father that he was to the churches in this area (which we think is likely the church at Ephesus) sent to them this writing as a corrective commentary against the false teaching, wrong beliefs, and confused believers. So, what I learned this week that was very interesting was revealed in the end of the text. That is, it has very odd closing for a letter. So odd is it that the theologian Osborn says, “It should also be noted that this ending is unlike all the other endings to NT epistles, which conclude either with a doxology or personal greeting or both. The abruptness of the ending affirms the idea that 1 John was not ever written as a letter; rather, it was a kind of treatise or manifesto, like a pamphlet.”[1]So, the book seems to be less of letter or more of a kind of informational thing to be shared widely, which aligns very well with the idea that this was a corrective commentary against false teachings and reinforced some of the most basic and important doctrines for Christians then and Christians today.

Last week we looked at several important things that I want to remind you of as we are closing this Epistle. The first thing we looked at was that God affirms His Children, meaning that all who call on the name of Jesus as savior and Lord can know 100% with assurance that they have eternal life. The second thing was that God hears our requests. Meaning, that we are to pray, and John especially points towards the importance of aligning our wants/our aspirations/our will along with God’s, know that when we do this our requests will be met. We then covered the truth that God forgives repentant hearts. John even doubled down here on the idea of prayer and praying for other believers, especially when a sin is known of that, that they would repent of it. All of this came under the main idea, the main point that God knows His children’s hearts. We know this, as children of God we are to live as such and always be seeking to align ourselves, everything about us to what God’s will and commands are. These may look different in application, but they will always have something to do with either Loving God and Loving People and/ or Fulfilling the Great Commission, to go make more believers that God would be glorified. So, with those things in mind, let’s delve deep into this week’s text.

Message

Our first point is, God Protect us against sin/sinning

18 We know that everyone who has been born of God does not keep on sinning, but he who was born of God protects him, and the evil one does not touch him.

John begins the capstone of his Epistle in this way, restating something that he has said many times before. That is, the person who has been born of God; this means that they are believers, they have accepted the truths of God in their lives and accept Him for who He is, a God that is worthy of all of our attention and worship….. (aside) With that, I need restate as well that the only way to be in this condition with God, to be born of Him means that You have accepted Jesus Christ as the Lord and savior of your life. This is the only way to get to God. Jesus makes His claim of being the exclusive way several times, but most famously in in John 14:6 that says, “Jesus said to him, “I am the way, and the truth, and the life. No one comes to the Father except through me.”

This is true, and I know I’m not saying anything new to anyone in this room. Back to what John’s point here was, that those born of God (believers in Jesus Christ) DO NOT KEEP ON SINNING. Being a believer has certain implications on a person’s life, of which erasing sin is one of them. The theologian Stott says of this, “He who has been begotten (or born) of God remains his child with permanent privileges and obligations. One of these obligations is expressed in the phrase that he does not continue to sin.”[2]

When a person becomes new in Christ, it is as if they are new people. We often refer to this new believer, the new convert as having a “new birth.” This, “new birth results in new behavior. Sin and the child of God are incompatible. They may occasionally meet; they cannot live together in harmony.”[3] As we seek to emulate, to be like Christ, we seek to eliminate sin from our lives. We seek a more perfect holiness in ourselves every single week, and praise God when we mess up we are forgiven when we come to Him in repentance. We may (and I say will) slip up from time to time, but our God loves us so much that He will help us and forgive us of our trespasses and the temptations of the devil when we seek Him and endeavor to honor and glorify Him.

Remember what John said earlier in this letter in chapter 1 verse 9, If we confess our sins, he is faithful and just and will forgive us our sins and purify us from all unrighteousness. Brethren, find whatever thing you have, the thing that is nagging at you and turn to our loving Father with these things. He will hear you and He will help you through the pain and whatever that may entail.

A second point is, God is who we are from

19 We know that we are from God, and the whole world lies in the power of the evil one.

John is now clearly writing to his people in the audience who were confused from the false teaching and influences that they have been enduring. He says here, “We know that we are from God.” In a sense he is resaying what he said in verse 1 of this chapter, “5 Everyone who believes that Jesus is the Christ has been born of God, and everyone who loves the Father loves whoever has been born of him. So, everyone who believes in Jesus as the Christ (the savior from our Sin debt) has been born of God, those that have know that they are from God. This is the requirement; this is what John has been saying right all along is necessary to be among the redeemed and know that you have eternal life. Now that being said, to properly accept this, you must have a full knowledge of The Gospel message.

That means, being born of God means we know and accept these truths that: God created the world and everything in it good, however through our own want’s and desires and our free will we (mankind) chose to rebel against God which brought sin into the world which has in turn cursed the world, this sin has separated us from God and needs to be atoned for, however the debt needed for the atonement is so great, that we never could. However, God loving us so much and knowing we could never do this on our own provided the means with the death of Jesus Christ on the cross to pay for this debt. This is required knowledge for the redeemed and every person is personally responsible for responding to this.

With that knowledge, it is also seen that sin and Satan rule and influence the world (remember a few weeks ago we know this means the systems of the world) currently. In fact, most things that you encounter in your life will have an influence from Satan. He creeps in everywhere, looking for a soul to claim as his own, looking to mock God and stand opposed to Him (despite Satan’s own weakness and inability to exist without God). As such, we have to watch for him and his influences everywhere (sometimes even within the brethren). With that, we have a duty to one another to notice when one another is influenced by Satan and Sin and seek to help them eliminate that from their lives in what that endeavor to help the brethren and honor/glorify God. It should never be finger pointing, it should always be about redemption.

That being said, it doesn’t mean that we shut ourselves away from the world. I’ve heard this being called “staying within the Holy Huddle” or “circling the wagons” the second a church body seeks to do this, is the second it begins it’s decline because it no longer seeks to fulfill the will of God, which always includes loving God, loving people, and fulfilling the great commission. Rather, it means that we go intentionally into the world, looking to make new disciples of Jesus. It means that we have plans, plans that we pray over earnestly and come in expectation-ally that God will move. It means that we go in the world, but not that we are of the world. It means we take on a mindset like Paul does in 1st Cor 9:19-23 where he says, “19 For though I am free from all, I have made myself a servant to all, that I might win more of them. 20 To the Jews I became as a Jew, in order to win Jews. To those under the law I became as one under the law (though not being myself under the law) that I might win those under the law. 21 To those outside the law I became as one outside the law (not being outside the law of God but under the law of Christ) that I might win those outside the law. 22 To the weak I became weak, that I might win the weak. I have become all things to all people, that by all means I might save some. 23 I do it all for the sake of the gospel, that I may share with them in its blessings.” Paul didn’t care about how he was perceived by others, and neither should we, rather he cared about the Gospel being shared (and so should we). If God is who we are from, we will do this.

Another point is, God is worthy of our worship

20 And we know that the Son of God has come and has given us understanding, so that we may know him who is true; and we are in him who is true, in his Son Jesus Christ. He is the true God and eternal life.

Yes, the Son of God (Jesus) has come through the Holy Spirit we are given understanding today. Through this blessed helper, we know what is true. He pushes and pulls the believers in ways that always seek to mature us in our faiths. This was true for the original audience, and it is true for us today. The Cross of Christ is truth, Jesus as the Messiah is the one who is true. Jesus (one part of the Holy Trinity/The God Head/God) is true and only in and through Him can we find eternal life. Any other way is a deception. Do not be deceived beloved. No amount of doing good, no amount of charity, no amount of what we would call human innocence, no amount of knowledge or purity will rescue you from the just punishment for sin. Only the acceptance of Jesus Christ’s death on the cross will do this. Accept this in all places in your lives, as even believers can deceive themselves in the particulars of life.

21 Little children, keep yourselves from idols.

Idols then and idols now look a lot different to the eye, but they are the same in the heart. In ancient times, and even in certain places today, people made things that they worshiped. Little figures or big statues may have been common idols. No matter what the idol was or is, it is at the heart the same thing; something that is not worthy of worship receiving worship or being desired over God. It is an act of open rebellion to God, and God has told us that He alone is worthy of worship and takes the matter very seriously in every person. In fact, Adam and Eve sought to make themselves like God, taking the fruit of the three of knowledge of good and evil. They wanted to be like God Himself, they made being be like Him and self-want of power an idol of desire in and of itself.

Today, at least I suspect everyone in this room does not worship little figures or large states or even pictures or paintings (and if you are I charge to stop immediately). Rather, our idols tend to more subtle and as such perhaps even more deceiving. Satan has done a good job overall trying to make us blind to these. Either way, John is warning us to watch out for these things. So, what are things are common for us to be idols today that we need to change from? let name a few.

Now these things, can be good things in and of themselves, but when the receive more attention or worship or desire than God does from it, then this makes it an idol. I’m not saying that these things a necessarily idols for you, but that they can be, so watch to ensure that God is on top of them. A few things could be: a nice house and all things that entails, this often comes from either Pride or the need to feel overly secure. Money/power, in fact Paul says in scripture that the want of money is the root of all evil. Family, is my family more important than my God? For a lot of people it is, God should be the reason you are living, not just for your family. Even things like church attendance and ministry activity can be idols, perhaps we want to appear that we have it all figured and do our best to appear like we are doing well when really we need to rest in God instead. Maybe even our own intellect or athletic ability are God’s to us, what can we do to take this vanity and turn it around to glorify God with it? John tells us here; beloved little children keep yourself from anything (any mindset or fear) that leads to or keeps us in or around idols. Only God is worthy of our worship. Seek God in all that you do, the cross of Christ is enough. Believe in it and repent from idolatry in your life.

Conclusion

Beloved, do you hear this, do you know this? Do you apply this? God Protect us against sin/sinning. He knows we will make mistakes, but when we turn to Him, He will not only help us with them, He will help us eradicate them from our lives. This applies to those who can say God is who we are from, these people have accepted Jesus Christ as their Lord. They know the truths of God and accept it whole heartedly. This then implies and helps us understand that God is worthy of our worship. There are many things around us that seek to deceive us, hear me THEY ARE EVERYWHERE, EVEN PLACES YOU THOUGHT WERE SAFE SO LOOK OUT. Only God is worthy of worship, not anything or anyone else. This then implies and shows to us that God’s children stay on guard against deception. As John’s audience was being deceived, he warned them, and he warns us to measure all things against the gospel and who it is pointing (which should always be Christ) and stand on guard against the falsehoods and deceptions that try to influence us in our lives.

For others in this room, the Gospel message has already been shared, but let’s do it again. I want to be clear here that this applies to everyone, no one is exempt from this truth and all that do not accept it have a day of judgement (on which they WILL stand guilty ahead of them). Friend, God created the world good, however through sin and man’s want and the deception of Satan separation from God happened. This separation needs to be made up for, and this can ONLY be done through acceptance of Jesus Christ’s death on the cross to pay the penalty for our sins. Accept this today and be made whole.

With that let’s pray and conclude today. Brothers and sisters, I love you all. Father God, You are so Holy. My words will never be able to rightly describe Your goodness and your majesty. Thank you for this word today. Help us take it and apply to our lives. Help us keep it in our hearts and our minds, but not just for the sake of keeping to ourselves, but also for the sake of going and sharing it with others. It’s in these things that I ask and in Jesus Christ’s Holy and Precious name that I pray, Amen.

[1]Osborne, Grant, Philip W. Comfort. Cornerstone Biblical Commentary, Vol 13: John and 1, 2, and 3 John. Tyndale House Publishers, 2007, p. 373. [2]Stott, John R. W. The Letters of John: An Introduction and Commentary. InterVarsity Press, 1988, p. 191. [3]Stott, John R. W. The Letters of John: An Introduction and Commentary. InterVarsity Press, 1988, p. 192.