Christ V AntiChrist

Introduction

Illustration about loyalty from the Toronto Maple Leafs fans

We’ve been looking at John the Apostles letters together, and when John wrote these letters the Christian church of the first century AD was facing a real test of their loyalties. We can read the earliest history of the church in the book of Acts. We seem miracles, massive conversions and baptisms, explosive growth, and the people of Jesus sharing everything in common. Of course there was already some persecution happening, but the overall tone of the book of Acts is hope and growth. By the time John writes this letter, division has crept its way into the church. Even if we had no other evidence that this was happening anywhere else in the world, we know from what John writes to his readers that they have just endured a church split. The ones he’s writing to are the ones who stayed faithful to Jesus. So what does he have to say to them about loyalty and remaining on the side of Christ? Let’s read what he has to say in

1 John 2:18–28 CSB

Children, it is the last hour. And as you have heard that antichrist is coming, even now many antichrists have come. By this we know that it is the last hour. They went out from us, but they did not belong to us; for if they had belonged to us, they would have remained with us. However, they went out so that it might be made clear that none of them belongs to us. But you have an anointing from the Holy One, and all of you know the truth. I have not written to you because you don’t know the truth, but because you do know it, and because no lie comes from the truth. Who is the liar, if not the one who denies that Jesus is the Christ? This one is the antichrist: the one who denies the Father and the Son. No one who denies the Son has the Father; he who confesses the Son has the Father as well. What you have heard from the beginning is to remain in you. If what you have heard from the beginning remains in you, then you will remain in the Son and in the Father. And this is the promise that he himself made to us: eternal life. I have written these things to you concerning those who are trying to deceive you. As for you, the anointing you received from him remains in you, and you don’t need anyone to teach you. Instead, his anointing teaches you about all things and is true and is not a lie; just as it has taught you, remain in him. So now, little children, remain in him so that when he appears we may have confidence and not be ashamed before him at his coming.

Now perhaps the first thing you’ll notice is that we’re going through more than three verses today. Sorry guys, chapter 2 is a very meaty chapter of Scripture. Anyway, in this chapter John starts talking about antichrist and antichrists. He’s warning his readers about them and giving them the tools that they need to respond to this challenge to their beliefs and their loyalties.

Now we today aren’t facing the same opponents that John and this church were facing. Remember we talked about this group called the “gnostics” who thought they had secret knowledge that was required for salvation, and that Jesus wasn’t really God and all sorts of other crazy stuff. Well we don’t have any gnostics trying to recruit from our church. Yet we do face those who teach what’s contrary to God’s word don’t we?

Now we talked last week about “the world” and remaining distinct from the world, but what John is talking about isn’t people of other beliefs and religions but those who claim to speak on behalf of our God. What we would call “False Teachers” if we were being bold. Those who speak what’s contrary to the gospel in the name of Christ. Today there’s no shortage of people standing up and claiming to speak in the name of Christ. How do we seperate the wheat from the chaff, or in other words those teaching Scriptural truth from those who are leading people astray?

Well John’s advice in this passage can be broken down into three headings.

Resist the antichrists

Rely on the anointing

Remain in Christ

What pastor can pass up the chance for some good alliteration?

Resist The AntiChrists

I can think of no better illustration for the point John is making than the one that Jesus makes. Matthew 24:43

Matthew 24:43 CSB

But know this: If the homeowner had known what time the thief was coming, he would have stayed alert and not let his house be broken into.

Now that’s a bit taken out of context, so understand I’m not trying to make a point about what Jesus is saying. But his illustration could work for another context. There are many trials and disasters that can befall you and your family. Fire, theft, floods, and so on. Their suddenness is what makes them so dangerous. If you knew when and where a fire was going to start in advance it would be easy to stop it. If you knew when the thief was coming you could have the police there and waiting, so on and so forth. It’s for this reason that John warns his readers about deceivers that were coming their way.

1 John 2:18–22 CSB

Children, it is the last hour. And as you have heard that antichrist is coming, even now many antichrists have come. By this we know that it is the last hour. They went out from us, but they did not belong to us; for if they had belonged to us, they would have remained with us. However, they went out so that it might be made clear that none of them belongs to us. But you have an anointing from the Holy One, and all of you know the truth. I have not written to you because you don’t know the truth, but because you do know it, and because no lie comes from the truth. Who is the liar, if not the one who denies that Jesus is the Christ? This one is the antichrist: the one who denies the Father and the Son.

So John has given the church their warning. There’s antichrist coming and antichrists even now. Now you may have heard a lot about a figure called “The AntiChrist” who will come at the end times, and you may have heard a lot of specific things about what this individual will be like. Interestingly however, “you have heard that antichrist is coming” is all the Bible says about an individual person. 1 John is the only book that uses that word and in most cases it’s plural. As John explains it’s someone who denies that Jesus is the Christ or Messiah. Where the idea of the end times antichrist comes from is relating this verse to other verses and harmonizing different prophecies together. Now I haven’t looked into it specifically, so maybe there’s reason to associate those different people, but the main concern John seems to have is not about some end times individual but about false teachers in his present.

And antichrist is a great title for these false teachers if John’s main beef with them is that they deny that Jesus is the Messiah. Now this is one false teaching that John is dealing with, but it’s certainly not the only false teaching going around out there in the time of John, and certainly there are plenty we deal with today as disciples of Jesus. I mean the internet has exposed us to tons of ideas, some of which are pretty terrible. This is a serious concern for anyone who loves the church and wants it to stay faithful to the true gospel. Paul warned the Ephesian elders in

Acts 20:28–31 CSB

Be on guard for yourselves and for all the flock of which the Holy Spirit has appointed you as overseers, to shepherd the church of God, which he purchased with his own blood. I know that after my departure savage wolves will come in among you, not sparing the flock. Men will rise up even from your own number and distort the truth to lure the disciples into following them. Therefore be on the alert, remembering that night and day for three years I never stopped warning each one of you with tears.

Paul warns not only that there will be wolves among the sheep, but that they will even rise up “from your own number,” meaning the elders. Leaders will rise up and lead the flock astray. That’s what seems to have happened to the church John is writing to, since later he refers to them being “lead astray.”

This is a problem for us as disciples, not because we want to guard some tradition or some teaching because it’s handed down by the generations before. The apostles are concerned with preserving the gospel itself. This is serious because it puts people’s very souls in jeopardy. If these false teachers teach people that Jesus isn’t the Messiah than they are teaching people not to follow the true Jesus, Christ and son of God. This is why Paul had such strong words about protecting the purity of the gospel in

Galatians 1:6–9 CSB

I am amazed that you are so quickly turning away from him who called you by the grace of Christ and are turning to a different gospel—not that there is another gospel, but there are some who are troubling you and want to distort the gospel of Christ. But even if we or an angel from heaven should preach to you a gospel contrary to what we have preached to you, a curse be on him! As we have said before, I now say again: If anyone is preaching to you a gospel contrary to what you received, a curse be on him!

Even if an angel from heaven preaches another gospel, even if Paul himself preaches another gospel, let them be cursed! Strong words from our friend Paul on this matter. The point is, we know that there are antichrists out there. There have been since very early in the history of the church. So what do we do about it as disciples of Jesus?

Well this is where the importance of discernment comes in. If we know that some teachers are false teachers than we can have a healthy scepticism for the people who claim to be teachers and leaders in our churches. That certainly includes me. As much as I hope I’ve been earning your trust over my tenure so far, I hope you’ve been listening carefully to what I say and comparing my words to Scripture. The same goes for the books we read from Christian authors, sermons we listen to from other churches, conferences by Christian organizations. We need to know our Bibles and pray diligently for discernment to tell the difference between those who preach and teach the gospel of Christ, and those who are antichrists.

Rely on The Anointing

Illustration from asking Dwaine to help with the stairs.

So when it comes to discerning good teachers from bad, who is the expert advice we can call upon? Well as much as it’s helpful to consult fellow mature Christians we know and trust about these things, we have much better expert advice we can count on that John talks about in

1 John 2:20 CSB

But you have an anointing from the Holy One, and all of you know the truth.

And later he says

1 John 2:26–27 CSB

I have written these things to you concerning those who are trying to deceive you. As for you, the anointing you received from him remains in you, and you don’t need anyone to teach you. Instead, his anointing teaches you about all things and is true and is not a lie; just as it has taught you, remain in him.

Now it’s interesting that John says that this anointing that is on us “teaches” us about all things. Now if this anointing teaches, it must be personal. So an anointing from “the Holy One” that is a person. Sounds a lot like the Holy Spirit doesn’t it? Basically John’s cure for the influence of false teachers in this church is to point them to their anointing from the Holy Spirit.

Now I try to make an effort when I speak up here about holiness and about growing in discipleship and making disciples to make an emphasis on the importance of not trying to do it on our own strength. Because it can be easy to unintentionally teach a form of Christianity that’s all about working really hard and getting butts in seats at the church. But we cannot neglect the importance of the Holy Spirit in the life of Christians.

The Holy Spirit is the only way we can be Christians at all, the only way our ministry can succeed at all, the only way we can make any impact in the world for the kingdom of God. Here John talks about the Holy Spirit’s role in safeguarding us from false teaching. If we are filled with the Holy Spirit He can lead us away from false teachers. That’s part of why Jesus sent Him to us. John 14:23-26

John 14:23–26 CSB

Jesus answered, “If anyone loves me, he will keep my word. My Father will love him, and we will come to him and make our home with him. The one who doesn’t love me will not keep my words. The word that you hear is not mine but is from the Father who sent me. “I have spoken these things to you while I remain with you. But the Counselor, the Holy Spirit, whom the Father will send in my name, will teach you all things and remind you of everything I have told you.

Now some would like to relegate those last words about the Holy Spirit teaching and reminding of what Jesus taught to only applying to the 12 apostles, but John in this letter seems to be saying that about all the people he’s writing to. That includes you and me, because this Bible is the inspired word from God.

So how do we get more of the Holy Spirit guidance in our lives? Well really there’s nothing you can do per se to get more Holy Spirit anointing. All you can do is ask. You know, because the Holy Spirit is a person, not a commodity you can earn. You can however stifle the Holy Spirit as Paul warns against in 1 Thessalonians 5:19

1 Thessalonians 5:19 CSB

Don’t stifle the Spirit.

Which is the image of preventing oxygen from reaching a flame. Now I’d give you more context for what stifling the Spirit means, but Paul just mentions it in a list of other parting advice and doesn’t elaborate on it specifically. I imagine one of the biggest ways we stifle the Spirit is to ignore Him and His leading in our lives. So pray for more of the Holy Spirit and His guidance and don’t get in the way is basically the application of this point.

Remain in Christ

Illustration from cooking rice.

We are a lot like rice if you really think about it. We have a tendency to soak up the influence of those we are spending our time with. This is why John stresses the importance of remaining in Christ in verses 24-28

1 John 2:24–28 CSB

What you have heard from the beginning is to remain in you. If what you have heard from the beginning remains in you, then you will remain in the Son and in the Father. And this is the promise that he himself made to us: eternal life. I have written these things to you concerning those who are trying to deceive you. As for you, the anointing you received from him remains in you, and you don’t need anyone to teach you. Instead, his anointing teaches you about all things and is true and is not a lie; just as it has taught you, remain in him. So now, little children, remain in him so that when he appears we may have confidence and not be ashamed before him at his coming.

The Greek word translated as remain basically means to live in the midst of. So we need to live in Christ. To spend time with Him and soak up His influence on us. Jesus said as much in John 15:1-8

John 15:1–8 CSB

“I am the true vine, and my Father is the gardener. Every branch in me that does not produce fruit he removes, and he prunes every branch that produces fruit so that it will produce more fruit. You are already clean because of the word I have spoken to you. Remain in me, and I in you. Just as a branch is unable to produce fruit by itself unless it remains on the vine, neither can you unless you remain in me. I am the vine; you are the branches. The one who remains in me and I in him produces much fruit, because you can do nothing without me. If anyone does not remain in me, he is thrown aside like a branch and he withers. They gather them, throw them into the fire, and they are burned. If you remain in me and my words remain in you, ask whatever you want and it will be done for you. My Father is glorified by this: that you produce much fruit and prove to be my disciples.

How close is a branch to the vine? It’s literally attached to the vine. That’s how close Jesus wants to be with us. The vine is what soaks up the nutrients from the ground and spreads them into the branches. You can’t cut a branch off and just hold it against the vine occasionally for it to grow and bear fruit. It needs to be so close that they are one really.

Bearing fruit of course means growing in righteousness, doing good works, and making disciples. These are the things Jesus says we cannot do apart from Him. So basically if we want to at the end of the day say that we are followers of Christ and living like Him we need to abide in Him.

Now let’s get real practical about this. How much time do we spend seeking to remain in Jesus? Let’s each think for ourselves, when is the last time I spent quality time with Jesus? The Bible uses the image of marriage to describe the relationship between Jesus and the church, also known as his disciples. So how much quality time do you need to spend with your spouse in order for them to say that you have a close relationship.

I’m gonna say something a little bold here. If we don’t have time to spend quality time with Jesus than something in your life has to go. Now I can’t and won’t try to tell anyone how to prioritize their lives and what’s important and what’s not, but the one priority I know from Scripture is that God needs to be #1.

Conclusion

Illustration from scam calls, if someone pretended to be Katie.

This is how it is with our discipleship journey with God. At the end of the day if we want to be “false teacher proof” than we need to know God well enough to spot a fake. We need to know His voice, the things He says, and the content of His Character so well that we can discern easily what words come from Him and what words come from an imposter.

There’s no substitute in this case for spending time with Him, in prayer, in reading of Scripture and in worship. So my challenge to all of us this week is to take a look at our daily lives and ask, how much more time can we give to Jesus?