33. 1 Jn218-28 Truth vs Falsehood Pt 5 The Means of Victory in Our Conflict

Truth vs Falsehood Pt 4: Discernment in Our Conflict

1Jn 2:18-28 Children, it is the last hour, and as you have heard that antichrist is coming, so now many antichrists have come. Therefore we know that it is the last hour. (19) They went out from us, but they were not of us; for if they had been of us, they would have continued with us. But they went out, that it might become plain that they all are not of us. (20) But you have been anointed by the Holy One, and you all have knowledge. (21) I write to you, not because you do not know the truth, but because you know it, and because no lie is of the truth. (22) Who is the liar but he who denies that Jesus is the Christ? This is the antichrist, he who denies the Father and the Son. (23) No one who denies the Son has the Father. Whoever confesses the Son has the Father also. (24) Let what you heard from the beginning abide in you. If what you heard from the beginning abides in you, then you too will abide in the Son and in the Father. (25) And this is the promise that he made to us—eternal life. (26) I write these things to you about those who are trying to deceive you. (27) But the anointing that you received from him abides in you, and you have no need that anyone should teach you. But as his anointing teaches you about everything, and is true, and is no lie—just as it has taught you, abide in him. (28) And now, little children, abide in him, so that when he appears we may have confidence and not shrink from him in shame at his coming.

The more I study that passage, the more convinced I am that it is one of the great passages on spiritual warfare. We recognize Ephesians 6 and Paul’s command to put on the full armor of God that you stand firm against the schemes of the devil. We have seen Peter address the subject of spiritual warfare “Be sober-minded, be watchful. Your adversary, the devil, prowls about like a roaring lion seeking who he may devour. We have been addressing the subject of antichrists and their teaching. This deals specifically with the danger of Gnosticism and its teachings that stand as an affront to what has been revealed in Scripture. In the immediate context, it is an attack on the 1st and 2nd person of the Trinity and the office of Jesus as the Christ of God and by inference many other doctrines. But we don’t have to infer. All we have to do is look at the larger context. In the first chapter, John contrasts light and darkness. The contrast comes particularly around the doctrine of man and sin. Man is a sinner by nature and as a result sins. But we see the denial of this truth in the teaching of the gnostics in verses 6-10.

1Jn 1:6-10  If we say we have fellowship with him while we walk in darkness, we lie and do not practice the truth.  (7)  But if we walk in the light, as he is in the light, we have fellowship with one another, and the blood of Jesus his Son cleanses us from all sin.  (8)  If we say we have no sin, we deceive ourselves, and the truth is not in us.  (9)  If we confess our sins, he is faithful and just to forgive us our sins and to cleanse us from all unrighteousness.  (10)  If we say we have not sinned, we make him a liar, and his word is not in us.

But this is not the first time the issue of false teaching has arisen in the church. And it would not be the last. As the spirit of antichrist was at work then so it is at work now seeking to chip away at the foundations of our faith. But we have the blessed assurance when our Lord said Himself, “On this rock I will build my church, and the gates of hell shall not prevail against it.”

1) The Reality and Time of the Conflict 2) Our opposition in the Conflict 3) Our resources in the Conflict 4) Discernment in the Conflict and 5) The Means of Victory in Our Conflict.

This morning we will look at the means of victory in our conflict. Another way it can be stated is in the application of the resources that God has provided us.

First, let us see some general observations in the text. A more literal translation of the text would read. “You, therefore, what you have heard from the beginning, in you let it abide: if in you should abide what from the beginning you heard, also you in the Son and in the Father shall abide.”

In the Greek the pronoun ‘you’ is placed at the beginning of the sentence for emphasis. The pronoun is used 6x in this one verse. We see John emphasizing what they heard and also abiding.

The first question to ask is what did they hear? 1Jn 1:1-5  That which was from the beginning, which we have heard, which we have seen with our eyes, which we looked upon and have touched with our hands, concerning the word of life—  (2)  the life was made manifest, and we have seen it, and testify to it and proclaim to you the eternal life, which was with the Father and was made manifest to us—  (3)  that which we have seen and heard we proclaim also to you, so that you too may have fellowship with us; and indeed our fellowship is with the Father and with his Son Jesus Christ.  (4)  And we are writing these things so that our joy may be complete.  (5)  This is the message we have heard from him and proclaim to you, that God is light, and in him is no darkness at all.

1Co 15:1-5  Now I would remind you, brothers, of the gospel I preached to you, which you received, in which you stand,  (2)  and by which you are being saved, if you hold fast to the word I preached to you—unless you believed in vain.  (3)  For I delivered to you as of first importance what I also received: that Christ died for our sins in accordance with the Scriptures,  (4)  that he was buried, that he was raised on the third day in accordance with the Scriptures,  (5)  and that he appeared to Cephas, then to the twelve.

There are a host of verses we could use as a reference to demonstrate ‘what they heard from the beginning’. What they heard was the gospel, what they heard was the whole council of God. And what they heard from the beginning came by way of those who were appointed by Christ as ministers of the gospel. First the apostles then those who came after holding to the pure milk of the Word.

John is exhorting the Lord’s people to persevere in the faith, to not part from the truth, to not listen to those who would seek to woo their affections from the truth to falsehood and darkness. John was not only informing the church of errors and heresy but also move them to right application. John constantly intermingled doctrinal instruction with commands to obedience. Not John only but all of the writers of the epistles. Paul lays down a foundation of doctrine and then the practical implications of that doctrine in the church, home and society in Ephesians. Peter speaks first to the doctrine of God in salvation before launching into the right application in obedience to the commands of God and love of the brethren.

1. ‘Therefore let that abide in you (the principle of permanence), which you have heard from the beginning’ is the opposite of 1:8. 2:4, ‘the truth is not in us’ which means those to whom John was referencing in those two verses were not merely ignorant or unacquainted with it but the truth was not present as a vital principle in the soul. It is not enough to hear sound preaching and be mentally acquainted with it. It must find permanent lodging in our heart before we are benefitted by it. That is what it means to have it ‘abide in you’. Human nature being what it is, weak and unstable, there is a real danger of loosing our grasp of the truth under the pressure of persecution. I am reminded of the Sower and the seed.

Mat 13:18-23  “Hear then the parable of the sower:  (19)  When anyone hears the word of the kingdom and does not understand it, the evil one comes and snatches away what has been sown in his heart. This is what was sown along the path.  (20)  As for what was sown on rocky ground, this is the one who hears the word and immediately receives it with joy,  (21)  yet he has no root in himself, but endures for a while, and when tribulation or persecution arises on account of the word, immediately he falls away.  (22)  As for what was sown among thorns, this is the one who hears the word, but the cares of the world and the deceitfulness of riches choke the word, and it proves unfruitful.  (23)  As for what was sown on good soil, this is the one who hears the word and understands it. He indeed bears fruit and yields, in one case a hundredfold, in another sixty, and in another thirty.”

It is only by the power of God that we are kept and divinely preserved to the end by the Lord stirring us up to guard against error and to walk in faithfulness. We know full well God’s preservation of our souls until that day we stand in glory. There is also the doctrine of the perseverance of the saints, which our confession addresses. We will certainly persevere to the end because the gifts and callings of God are irrevocable. It is to the Word of God that every true believer responds in faith and obedience. That which the Lord has ordained as the means in our perseverance He has clearly laid forth in His word. And it is to that we are continually called.

Heb 2:1-4  Therefore we must pay much closer attention to what we have heard, lest we drift away from it.  (2)  For since the message declared by angels proved to be reliable, and every transgression or disobedience received a just retribution,  (3)  how shall we escape if we neglect such a great salvation? It was declared at first by the Lord, and it was attested to us by those who heard,  (4)  while God also bore witness by signs and wonders and various miracles and by gifts of the Holy Spirit distributed according to his will.

If there is a drifting away the fault is our own. There needs to be a serious and diligent fixing of the thoughts upon that which we hear, a submission of the will to yield to it, a placing of the affections upon it, a bringing of the entire man into conformity with it. Knowledge of the Word must be accompanied by faith, obedience, and honor. Should we become stagnant in our attendance and attentiveness to the first things. If we fail to bend the knee to its authority over every aspect of our life then it will diminished and our love for it will grow cold.

1Cor 15:1,2 Now I would remind you, brothers, of the gospel I preached to you, which you received, in which you stand, (2) and by which you are being saved, if you hold fast to the word I preached to you—unless you believed in vain.

2. “Let that therefore abide in you, which you heard from the beginning” The message and the Man.

What is it that we heard first? The gospel. What did we believe first? The gospel. The gospel is all about the Lord Jesus Christ; His person, His offices as prophet, priest, and king. It is all about His atoning sacrifice and His righteousness that has been imputed to us. That which we should let abide in us, that which we have heard in the beginning is not just a message it is the Person of Christ. A.W Pink writes, “ The excellency, dignity and pre-eminence of His person are there set forth. His fathomless love and abounding grace are there published. His perfect and vicarious obedience, His everlasting righteousness, His cleansing blood, the abiding efficacy of His sacrifice, are expressly declared. His finished work, His blessed victory over the powers of darkness, His triumph over death and the grave, are plainly announced. The Gospel makes known the unsearchable riches of Christ, the glorious inheritance that He purchased for His people, His coming again to take them to be forever with Himself.”

Here we see implied is the importance of how the gospel message is conveyed. How then did they hear? How did we hear the message of the gospel. It was in the preaching of the gospel by Christ’s faithful people. It was from that chosen race, the royal priesthood of which every believer in Jesus Christ now is, proclaiming the excellencies of Him who called us out of darkness into His marvelous light.

Rom 10:17  So faith comes from hearing, and hearing through the word of Christ.

Here to we see that with our having heard the gospel, received the gospel, believed the gospel by grace through faith there comes duty and responsibility to proclaim the gospel.

Rom 10:13-14  For “everyone who calls on the name of the Lord will be saved.”  (14)  How then will they call on him in whom they have not believed? And how are they to believe in him of whom they have never heard? And how are they to hear without someone preaching?

1Co 9:16  For if I preach the gospel, that gives me no ground for boasting. For necessity is laid upon me. Woe to me if I do not preach the gospel!

3. “Let that therefore abide in you” The point of our pursuit

In Acts 16:14 Lydia heard the gospel preached and the Lord opened her heart to apply herself to the things spoken by Paul. She heard and applied herself to what she received. She was baptized and then offered her home in hospitality to Paul and Silas. What she heard, what she believed was valued and important enough to her that she would invite them in. How valuable is this gospel message to you? Do you make it a point of study, do you make it a point of conversation in your home and in family worship? Do you cry out for it like Solomon exhorted his son in

Pro 2:3-5  yes, if you call out for insight and raise your voice for understanding,  (4)  if you seek it like silver and search for it as for hidden treasures,  (5)  then you will understand the fear of the LORD and find the knowledge of God.

Those who seek silver and gold labor diligently and long to find it. As Jacob labored to prepare a savory meal for Isaac so too we must labor in our appropriation of the Word of truth. In order for it to have benefit to us it needs to be prayed over and meditated upon.

Psa 1:2,3  but his delight is in the law of the LORD, and on his law he meditates day and night.  (3)  He is like a tree planted by streams of water that yields its fruit in its season, and its leaf does not wither. In all that he does, he prospers.

This exhortation of John is not solitary or unique to John. Throughout Scripture is the similar exhortations are given.

Deu 4:9  “Only take care, and keep your soul diligently, lest you forget the things that your eyes have seen, and lest they depart from your heart all the days of your life. Make them known to your children and your children's children—

Pro 4:4-5  he taught me and said to me, “Let your heart hold fast my words; keep my commandments, and live.  (5)  Get wisdom; get insight; do not forget, and do not turn away from the words of my mouth.

4. Let that therefore abide in you, which you have heard from the beginning – a warning

The ‘therefore’ points back to the previous verses 18-23. It is a warning and also presses us to urgent duty. It often amazes me that we will be on guard and prepared in this world. How many are carrying this morning? And yet we will not apply the same care and diligence to this spiritual warfare that we are in. We will spend time at the range making sure we are proficient and yet do not and have not a care to apply ourselves to the real spiritual warfare that we are involved in whether we realize it or not. We will spend time and be most diligent in learning a new job in order to earn our daily bread but not invest the same diligence and care for our spiritual bread.

Let what you have heard from the beginning abide in you as a particular treasure, a welcome guest, as your guide by day and companion at night. Let it nourish your soul, enlighten your understanding, purify your affections, and regulate your will and your appetites. Let it abide in you in the exercise of faith, in prayer, in meditation. As Paul wrote Col 3:16  Let the word of Christ dwell in you richly, teaching and admonishing one another in all wisdom, singing psalms and hymns and spiritual songs, with thankfulness in your hearts to God.

Eph 5:16  redeeming the time, because the days are evil.

We have an election coming up and we are right to be concerned. But our hope has never been in politicians or in governments. Let us gird up the loins of our mind fix and focus our hearts and our minds on the things above rather than the things of this earth and run the race set before us. Hold fast to that which you heard in the beginning and let it abide and dwell richly in you.