Blessed Assurance, 1 John 2:18-29

Guide Me, O Thou Great Jehovah https://www.youtube.com/watch?v=K_U4v--Bc30

Psalm 12

Psalm 12 NIV

For the director of music. According to sheminith. A psalm of David. 1 Help, Lord, for no one is faithful anymore; those who are loyal have vanished from the human race. 2 Everyone lies to their neighbor; they flatter with their lips but harbor deception in their hearts. 3 May the Lord silence all flattering lips and every boastful tongue— 4 those who say, “By our tongues we will prevail; our own lips will defend us—who is lord over us?” 5 “Because the poor are plundered and the needy groan, I will now arise,” says the Lord. “I will protect them from those who malign them.” 6 And the words of the Lord are flawless, like silver purified in a crucible, like gold refined seven times. 7 You, Lord, will keep the needy safe and will protect us forever from the wicked, 8 who freely strut about when what is vile is honored by the human race.

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Worship Through the Word:

Blessed Assurance

I have never been much for game shows, but I do remember one that I saw a few times as a kid. It was called, “Truth or Consequences.” A contestant was asked a question and if they got it wrong, they had to perform some wacky stunt. Of course, the game would not have aired very long if the people always answered the questions correctly, so the questions were usually trivia that was impossible to know, or they were trick questions so that if a contestant did answer correctly, chances were they could still accuse them of not being fully correct for some reason or other. The creator’s response when asked about this was, “Aren’t we little devils?”

In the game show, the consequences were funny, and people were good sports about the embarrassing stunts they were expected to perform. The show had a good run from 1950-1988.

Even after the show went off the air, teenagers often played a similar game with friends just sitting around a circle. They asked their friends embarrassing questions and If they were caught lying, they were dared to do some crazy and embarrassing stunt. It is easy to make fun of such silly consequences, but the consequences in real life, are not so fun. In fact, they can be disastrous. Yet, there are too many people playing truth or consequences with their lives. They deny the truth about God, and they refuse to accept that the consequences that they live with our due to their own choices.

We spoke last week about the things of this world that lure us in and pull us away from God. This week, we will look at people who try to lure us away from God through their lies.

I am reading this morning from 1 John 2:18-29.

1 John 2:18–29NIV

18 Dear children, this is the last hour; and as you have heard that the antichrist is coming, even now many antichrists have come. This is how we know it is the last hour. 19 They went out from us, but they did not really belong to us. For if they had belonged to us, they would have remained with us; but their going showed that none of them belonged to us. 20But you have an anointing from the Holy One, and all of you know the truth. 21I do not write to you because you do not know the truth, but because you do know it and because no lie comes from the truth. 22 Who is the liar? It is whoever denies that Jesus is the Christ. Such a person is the antichrist—denying the Father and the Son. 23 No one who denies the Son has the Father; whoever acknowledges the Son has the Father also. 24As for you, see that what you have heard from the beginning remains in you. If it does, you also will remain in the Son and in the Father. 25 And this is what he promised us—eternal life. 26 I am writing these things to you about those who are trying to lead you astray. 27 As for you, the anointing you received from him remains in you, and you do not need anyone to teach you. But as his anointing teaches you about all things and as that anointing is real, not counterfeit—just as it has taught you, remain in him. 28 And now, dear children, continue in him, so that when he appears we may be confident and unashamed before him at his coming. 29 If you know that he is righteous, you know that everyone who does what is right has been born of him.

The Word of God for the people of God. Thanks be to God!

I. The Spirit of Antichrist, 1 John 2:18-29

The term Antichrist is a big buzz word right now. When people hear it, they instantly think of “the Antichrist.” However, there is a spirit of antichrist that has existed since Jesus’ day. This is the antichrist we are talking about today. It is not a name, therefore not written with a capital “A” at the beginning. It is also appropriate to note that there is only one Antichrist, but there are many antichrists. In just a moment we will look at what identifies them as such, but before we go into that, I want to clarify something.

Remember, John is talking to people in the church. He is not evangelizing on some street corner to non-believers. There are two threats within the church.

A. The Two Threats Within the Church

Some may say three or more, but from what I can see, most fit within these two. The first is one what Jesus combatted a lot. That is…

1. The Pharisaical Spirit

I am not going to dwell on this one today, however, Jesus was fighting this battle most of His public ministry. It comes from those who are self-righteous. It often, if not always, focuses on works and law. They claim to love and serve God, but when it comes down to it, they are only serving themselves. They typically hide out well among the church body and their divisiveness is often more subtle behind the scenes of things occurring at church. It is possible that 3 John where he is talking about Diotrephes, is an issue of someone with a pharisaical spirit. But it must be noted that it is still a darkened heart that lies beneath what appears to be a Godly persona.

In today’s passage, John is not addressing the Pharisaical Spirit. In 1 & 2 John we find another kind of darkness. It is...

2. The Spirit of Antichrist , 1 John 2:18-23

The Pharisaical spirit rose during the Old Testament times; however, this new spirit of antichrist came in to play during Jesus’ day. The last hour that John is talking about is not the period of the tribulation.

1 John 2:18NIV

18 Dear children, this is the last hour; and as you have heard that the antichrist is coming, even now many antichrists have come. This is how we know it is the last hour.

The last days incorporates all the days since Jesus’ ascension. In the Old Testament, they were focused on the Messiah’s first coming. The last days are the days incorporates all the years since Jesus’ first coming leading up to His second coming.

The spirit of antichrist began after Jesus’ ascension. Antichrist means just like it sounds. Anti means, “against” or “instead of.” An antichrist is any person who is against Christ. They preach a counterfeit gospel. Keep in mind that Satan is behind it. He does not have an original plan of his own. Instead, he tries to take the things of God and Christ, and counterfeits them in ways that are similar, yet different and misleading for the purpose of luring people away from the truth. God knew this would occur so He gave several instructions to warn us against those who would add to His Word beyond what He had instructed.

Proverbs 30:5–6NIV

5 “Every word of God is flawless; he is a shield to those who take refuge in him. 6 Do not add to his words, or he will rebuke you and prove you a liar.

Deuteronomy 13:1–3 NIV

1 If a prophet, or one who foretells by dreams, appears among you and announces to you a sign or wonder, 2 and if the sign or wonder spoken of takes place, and the prophet says, “Let us follow other gods” (gods you have not known) “and let us worship them,” 3 you must not listen to the words of that prophet or dreamer. The Lord your God is testing you to find out whether you love him with all your heart and with all your soul.

Matthew 24:24NIV

24 For false messiahs and false prophets will appear and perform great signs and wonders to deceive, if possible, even the elect.

There are many cults that began with people in churches who had dreams or visions and declared them from God. In these cases, they always want to change something from the Bible. God warns us not to fall for such deceptions. If you were to study these cults, you will find that many, if not all, deny the basic truth that Jesus is the one and only Son of God. A spirit of antichrist is anyone who denies the truth of Jesus identity. People in John’s day were concerned with “The Antichrist,” and John is telling them that the greater threat for the moment is all the other antichrists that are currently at work in their world.

It is the same for us. People are so busy trying to identify “The One” when we are surrounded with any number of other antichrists every day. They all pose a threat. Personally, I do not expect to be here when “The Antichrist” makes his appearance. However, I also have confidence that when that time comes, God’s people will have no problem identifying him by his actions which are foretold in God’s Word.

In today’s passage, John gives us three marks of a person with the spirit of an antichrist. These are meant to help us identify them so we can avoid them.

a. He/She will depart from the fellowship. vv 19

1 John 2:19NIV

19 They went out from us, but they did not really belong to us. For if they had belonged to us, they would have remained with us; but their going showed that none of them belonged to us.

Fellowship means “to have in common.” In the church, the common bond is our love for God, Jesus, and God’s Word. Just attending church, does not make a person one of the fellowship. Ananias and Sapphira in Acts 5 are a great example of this. God’s people were sacrificially giving out of their love for God. Ananias and Sapphira wanted the adulation of those around them, but they were unwilling to make the same sacrifice. They did not have the same spirit of love for God. So, they lied about their giving. Theirs was a counterfeit righteousness. They were not part of the fellowship even though they were among the church body.

Those with an antichrist spirit will eventually leave the church working to take people with them as they go. I want to be careful here because I want us to understand that even though there are many denominations, in most cases we are still one Church/Fellowship. Our core beliefs are the same, that being based on the Apostle’s Creed. However, too many have left to begin churches of their own. They have no authority structure to provide accountability and often you will find that over time, they will begin to shift or reword the basic/core beliefs. Before people realize it, they are being led away from the apostle’s creed to a new set of beliefs based on some person’s ideas. They have decided that they have figured out things no one else has been able to understand. These men and women are often very charismatic, and they speak well. People without a strong grasp of God’s Word are easily swayed and find themselves out of the church and in the clutches of an emissary of Satan.

In 2 Timothy, Paul encourages Timothy to keep sound doctrine. The organized church may not be perfect, but it still tries to keep pastors accountable to preaching a sound doctrine. A pastor with no authority or accountability above him is easily led astray and take others with them. Now, do not assume that all non-denominations are without such authority structure. There are many declared “non-denominations” that have organized and adopted an authority structure for this reason. Of course, when they do, they basically just become another type of denomination. Authority structures are safe guards, even in the church.

Another mark of a false teacher that John identifies is...

b. He/She denies the faith. 1 John 2:20-25; 4:1-6

1 John 2:22–23NIV

22 Who is the liar? It is whoever denies that Jesus is the Christ. Such a person is the antichrist—denying the Father and the Son. 23No one who denies the Son has the Father; whoever acknowledges the Son has the Father also.

At the heart of the gospel is the truth of Jesus identity.

John 3:16NIV

16 For God so loved the world that he gave his one and only Son, that whoever believes in him shall not perish but have eternal life.

There are many religions that believe in God, but not in Jesus. Or they deny Jesus’ identity as God’s one and only son. Many false teachers consider themselves to be “illuminated” to the truth by God. They believe God has given them a special revelation, a special ability of knowledge, or a special anointing that sets them in a class above everyone else. This is not what God does. God’s desire is for all peoples to know. He may point someone to have authority, but they are never to be considered better or smarter than others. We all have the blessing of His Holy Spirit within leading us to truth and wisdom. It is free to us all if we will seek it. We are united through the truth, not divided by it. It is true that some have a gift for teaching or preaching, but this never makes them wiser or above those they teach. In fact, Jesus tells us we are servants to those we teach. We are no greater or lesser. We are all equal before God.

1 John 2:20NIV

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

The Holy Spirit uses the Word of God to show us the truth. John tells us to test the source of what we are being told in 1 John 4:1. We will look at this deeper when we get there but for now, keep this verse in mind. John says,

1 John 4:1NIV

1 Dear friends, do not believe every spirit, but test the spirits to see whether they are from God, because many false prophets have gone out into the world.

A third mark of a person with the spirit of an antichrist is...

c. He/She tries to deceive the faithful. 1 John 2:26-27

1 John 2:26NIV

26 I am writing these things to you about those who are trying to lead you astray.

Have you ever noticed that people that have a different belief, do not go out and evangelize to those outside the church. They come into the church and try to argue their beliefs with the intent of drawing people to their way of thinking. Then, they will leave and start their own church with these they have persuaded to listen. There is a good reason for this. Satan is not concerned with those who are already going to hell. He is focused on those who are NOT!

1 Peter 5:8–9NIV

8 Be alert and of sober mind. Your enemy the devil prowls around like a roaring lion looking for someone to devour. 9 Resist him, standing firm in the faith, because you know that the family of believers throughout the world is undergoing the same kind of sufferings.

We are Satan’s target. He is working from the outside to lure us away to the ways of this world. He is also working inside the church to try to deceive and divide us. However, John’s desire is to encourage us, and he continually points us to the power that is within us that can overcome Satan’s influences.

1 John 2:26–29NIV

26 I am writing these things to you about those who are trying to lead you astray. 27 As for you, the anointing you received from him remains in you, and you do not need anyone to teach you. But as his anointing teaches you about all things and as that anointing is real, not counterfeit—just as it has taught you, remain in him. 28 And now, dear children, continue in him, so that when he appears we may be confident and unashamed before him at his coming. 29 If you know that he is righteous, you know that everyone who does what is right has been born of him.

1 John 4:4NIV

4 You, dear children, are from God and have overcome them, because the one who is in you is greater than the one who is in the world.

Conclusion

The ability to see truth and overcome the enemy comes down to one word. “Abide!” If we abide with Christ, no harm can come to us. Oh, we may suffer a disease, we may experience a hardship, we may even die. However, all that is temporary. Our eternal life is in His hands and His alone. Satan has nothing to say about that.

But we need to remember that abiding is not just living with God. I have met many husbands and wives that live together but have no real relationship with each other. Abiding is living in step day-by-day with God. I heard a new song this week about abiding. It was asking God to abide with us. However, that has always been God’s intent. It is us that need to abide with Him. He takes the initiative offering us salvation and inviting us in. We need to answer His call by taking time every day to spend time with Him in private. We need to learn how to listen for His voice, so when He calls, we recognize it. We need to read and study His Word so much that the counterfeit is easily identified. We need to recognize that inner voice that tells us when to leave if we are somewhere that threatens our faith.

In 2 John, we learn something even more. When we do recognize that which isn’t genuine, we no longer should listen. We politely, but firmly close the door and have nothing to do with it. We are not obligated out of politeness to listen. We do not invite them in to discuss, for if we do, we empower them.

2 John 7–11NIV

7 I say this because many deceivers, who do not acknowledge Jesus Christ as coming in the flesh, have gone out into the world. Any such person is the deceiver and the antichrist. 8 Watch out that you do not lose what we have worked for, but that you may be rewarded fully. 9Anyone who runs ahead and does not continue in the teaching of Christ does not have God; whoever continues in the teaching has both the Father and the Son. 10If anyone comes to you and does not bring this teaching, do not take them into your house or welcome them. 11 Anyone who welcomes them shares in their wicked work.

This spirit may try to creep in, but there is great strength in the body of Christ. We need not fear it as we have God’s truth within us. Nor do we have to politely allow it to continue. We stand firmly together and when it rears its ugly head, we confront it together. We stand firm in God’s truth and His Spirit will direct us and protect us. But we must do our part. We must abide in God’s presence walking in sync with His Spirit. This doesn’t just happen. We must make time for God and for study of His Word. That is the only way we can “abide” with God.

As we close this sermon today, I want to take time to receive communion. Communion reminds us of the unity we have with Christ and with each other. It is a time to examine our hearts and give thanks yet again to our Savior who gave His life, that we may have life eternally.

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