The Purpose of the Letter, Part 3: Deception
The Book of 1 John • Sermon • Submitted • Presented
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Introduction
Introduction
Tonight, we are looking at the third reason the letter of 1 John was written.
When we look into 1 John, we see there are four verses that give us four reasons the letter was written. We’ve look at the first two over the last couple weeks.
The letter of 1 John was written:
To Promote Joy - 1 John 1:4 “4 And these things write we unto you, that your joy may be full.”
To Prevent Sin - 1 John 2:1 “1 My little children, these things write I unto you, that ye sin not. And if any man sin, we have an advocate with the Father, Jesus Christ the righteous:”
To Protect the Saints - 1 John 2:26 “26 These things have I written unto you concerning them that seduce you.”
To Provide Assurance - 1 John 5:13 “13 These things have I written unto you that believe on the name of the Son of God; that ye may know that ye have eternal life, and that ye may believe on the name of the Son of God.”
The third reason is what we are going to focus on tonight…That is, to protect the saints…Look at the verse again with me:
26 These things have I written unto you concerning them that seduce you.
The third reason for the letter of 1 John is that we may not be deceived...
John knew there was deception among these early Christians, and it concerned him. He had a passion to keep them consistent with God’s message of truth.
This is nothing new, as never before, Christians today need ability to distinguish between right and wrong, between truth and error.
C.H. Spurgeon once said, “Discernment is not a matter of simply telling the difference between right and wrong; rather it is telling the difference between right and almost right.”
Some of the most dangerous religions and cults are almost right - that's what makes them so dangerous.
The notion is widespread in our generation that there are no “absolutes”—that nothing is always wrong and that nothing is always right. False doctrines, therefore, are more prevalent than at any time in history—and most men and women seem to be willing to accept almost any teaching except the truths of the Bible.
There are those who believe it makes no difference what you believe as long as you’re sincere. Since when did sincerity make something true?
Faith in a lie will always have serious consequences. Everyone has faith in something, the what, makes all the difference!
COWBELL
You can have the most powerful faith that this cowbell is going to get you to heaven, you can put it up on your mantle and worship it, you can pray to it, but none of it matters because this cowbell can’t help you get to Heaven!
The child of God builds their life on truth, no superstition or lies!
I have four things I’d like to share with you tonight concerning the subject of deception from 1 John.
Notice with me,
Where Does The Deception Come From?
Where Does The Deception Come From?
1-Antichrists
1-Antichrists
18 Little children, it is the last time: and as ye have heard that antichrist shall come, even now are there many antichrists; whereby we know that it is the last time.
John uses a word here that no other New Testament writer uses - “antichrist” - He uses it four times in this epistle.
The prefix anti- has two meanings, “against” and “instead of.”
We see in referring to the antichrist, as in the false messiah of the tribulation period, the Bible says,
4 Who opposeth and exalteth himself above all that is called God, or that is worshipped; so that he as God sitteth in the temple of God, shewing himself that he is God.
This same attitude is in many antichrists today.
Notice in verse 18, the Bible says twice, “…it is the last time...” - meaning last days, latter times, or last time.
We are in the last time today…the last time began in John’s day and has been growing in intensity ever since!
18 Little children, it is the last time: and as ye have heard that antichrist shall come, even now are there many antichrists; whereby we know that it is the last time.
There is a “spirit” of antichrist, and this “spirit” of antichrist will one day find its ultimate fulfillment in the Antichrist, who will lead humanity in an end-times rebellion against God.
While the world still waits to see the ultimate revealing of the Antichrist, there are little “previews” of this man and his mission to come. These are the antichrists with a little “a” instead of a capital letter “A.”
It’s obvious today that the spirit of antichrist is alive and well and growing in intensity. We look all around in our society and we can see it. Ideologies that oppose God.
20 Woe unto them that call evil good, and good evil;
That put darkness for light, and light for darkness;
That put bitter for sweet, and sweet for bitter!
That’s where we are when you look all around…Seeing what the Bible here says about the end times, we should regard ourselves as being in the final minutes of the last times!
The deception comes from the Antichrist and antichrists, but in the next verse, we find deception comes from:
2-Apostates
2-Apostates
19 They went out from us, but they were not of us; for if they had been of us, they would no doubt have continued with us: but they went out, that they might be made manifest that they were not all of us.
Apostasy is the turning away from God in rebellion or apathy.
John reminds the church about those:
→ who had fellowshipped with the flock
→ who had been baptized with the brethren
→ who had communed with the chosen
→ who had broken bread with the believers
→ who had sung with the saints
→ who had celebrated with the choir
→ who had ran with the redeemed
→ who had worshipped with the worthy
→ who had witnessed with the warriors
This is a sad commentary, but a sobering truth. Folks can be within the church but not be apart of the church.
There’s a heart issue; they went out from us because they were not of us…What’s the real reason? They have never been saved!
The Bible tells us
4 Ye are of God, little children, and have overcome them: because greater is he that is in you, than he that is in the world. 5 They are of the world: therefore speak they of the world, and the world heareth them. 6 We are of God: he that knoweth God heareth us; he that is not of God heareth not us. Hereby know we the spirit of truth, and the spirit of error.
So, we see this deception, so as I read the Scripture here, I thought...
What Is God’s Answer To The Deception?
What Is God’s Answer To The Deception?
1-Abiding
1-Abiding
24 Let that therefore abide in you, which ye have heard from the beginning. If that which ye have heard from the beginning shall remain in you, ye also shall continue in the Son, and in the Father.
This is the answer to the antichrists...
Abide means to remain in the fellowship...
We are to stand with the Truth!
John tells the church to let the truth be at home in our hearts. John tells the church to allow the truth that they had heard from the beginning abide in them.
Kenneth Wuest wrote, “It is the responsibility of the believer to nurture the stability and growth of those doctrines by a holy life and a determination to cling to them and remain true to them.”
We cannot depart from the church, depart from fellowship, depart from Bible study, depart from worship and preaching and claim that the truth is abiding in us.
28 And now, little children, abide in him; that, when he shall appear, we may have confidence, and not be ashamed before him at his coming.
C.H. Spurgeon said that the greatest compliment ever paid him was spoken by one of his outspoken enemies who said: “Here is a man who has not moved an inch forward in all his ministry. At the close of the 19th century he is teaching the theology of the 1st century, and is proclaiming doctrine current in Nazareth and Jerusalem in the 1st century!”
We need to let the truth so abide in us that others could say the same thing about us.
God’s answer to the deception running rampant today? Abide in Him! Stand with the Truth, stay close to the Shepherd little sheep! That’s the answer to the antichrists, and then there’s an answer to the apostates!
2-Anointing
2-Anointing
20 But ye have an unction from the Holy One, and ye know all things.
27 But the anointing which ye have received of him abideth in you, and ye need not that any man teach you: but as the same anointing teacheth you of all things, and is truth, and is no lie, and even as it hath taught you, ye shall abide in him.
John’s readers knew the truth about Christ, or else they would not have been saved. “Now if any man have not the Spirit of Christ, he is none of His” (Rom. 8:9).
False Christians in John’s day used two special words to describe their experience: “knowledge” and “unction.”
They claimed to have a special unction or anointing from God which gave them a unique knowledge. They were “illuminated” and therefore living on a much higher level than anybody else.
But John points out that all true Christians know God and have received the Spirit of God! And because they have believed the truth, they recognize a lie when they meet it.
There is abiding of the truth through the anointing.
In the Old Testament, the anointing was by OIL, for the PROPHET, PRIEST, and KING. In the New Testament, the believer has the Spirit:
16 And I will pray the Father, and he shall give you another Comforter, that he may abide with you for ever;
26 But the Comforter, which is the Holy Ghost, whom the Father will send in my name, he shall teach you all things, and bring all things to your remembrance, whatsoever I have said unto you.
Conclusion
Conclusion
We can be led astray, or deceived by:
False Men:
4 And that because of false brethren unawares brought in, who came in privily to spy out our liberty which we have in Christ Jesus, that they might bring us into bondage:
False Messages:
3 For when they shall say, Peace and safety; then sudden destruction cometh upon them, as travail upon a woman with child; and they shall not escape.
False Ministers:
9 But there was a certain man, called Simon, which beforetime in the same city used sorcery, and bewitched the people of Samaria, giving out that himself was some great one: 10 To whom they all gave heed, from the least to the greatest, saying, This man is the great power of God. 11 And to him they had regard, because that of long time he had bewitched them with sorceries.
False Movements:
34 Then stood there up one in the council, a Pharisee, named Gamaliel, a doctor of the law, had in reputation among all the people, and commanded to put the apostles forth a little space; 35 And said unto them, Ye men of Israel, take heed to yourselves what ye intend to do as touching these men. 36 For before these days rose up Theudas, boasting himself to be somebody; to whom a number of men, about four hundred, joined themselves: who was slain; and all, as many as obeyed him, were scattered, and brought to nought. 37 After this man rose up Judas of Galilee in the days of the taxing, and drew away much people after him: he also perished; and all, even as many as obeyed him, were dispersed. 38 And now I say unto you, Refrain from these men, and let them alone: for if this counsel or this work be of men, it will come to nought: 39 But if it be of God, ye cannot overthrow it; lest haply ye be found even to fight against God.
We need to watch ourselves…
1 Beloved, believe not every spirit, but try the spirits whether they are of God: because many false prophets are gone out into the world.