They Not like us
Notes
Transcript
1 John 2:15-17
1 John 2:15-17
English Standard Version Chapter 2
15 Do not love the world or the things in the world. If anyone loves the world, the love of the Father is not in him. 16 For all that is in the world—the desires of the flesh and the desires of the eyes and pride of life—is not from the Father but is from the world. 17 And the world is passing away along with its desires, but whoever does the will of God abides forever.
Introduction:
Today we are going to continue our travel through the Scriptures, our Route 66 series. I hope you have had a wonderful time so far, we are not too far from being done and finishing up this series. Our detour in the Scripture today is 1 John.
Let me give you some back story on John himself and 1 John
Who was John?
John was the brother of James. He was an apostle of Jesus, he wrote the 5 of the New Testament books making up 20% of what was written in the New Testament. His writings all often have this over arching theme in them of Love.
Often in his letters he referred to him as “The one whom Jesus loved...” People like to kid around and say that he was taking a stab at the other disciples, however, I am thinking he was referring to the fact that he was actually astonished that Jesus could love someone like him.
I think it would be fair to say even that John had a bit of a “attitude” There is this wonderful story in the book of Mark where James and John are called the “Sons of Thunder”
Jesus is saying this as a joke about who they where and what they do, because previously this author of love was very upset that people were making fun of Jesus and said “Do you want us to call fire down from Heaven…” Sounds real loving doesn’t it?
However, there was something special about John, because John was one of the 3 that were part of viewing the mount of Transfiguration. John was the one who Jesus entrusted his mother Mary while on the cross to. John was the one who was actually at the cross “staying by Jesus’ side” throughout this time of turmoil.
Throughout all of these things I think that John was able to learn about the heart of God, the heart of Jesus, and that is why in his books the most prominent theme is of love.
First John is a simple yet profound response to a heresy threatening the church. The methodology used is a careful and clear delineation of the truth as it is found in Christ. The two different positions—the correct and the incorrect—are clearly contrasted. The lines of demarcation are definitely drawn.
The letter, however, also has a positive purpose. The author wants his “children” to know the truth and respond in relationship to God who was revealed in Christ: “And we are writing this that our joy may be complete. 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” (1:4, 5).
The positive purpose is further designated in 5:20: “And we know that the Son of God has come and has given us understanding, to know him who is true; and we are in him who is true, in his Son Jesus Christ.” The clear understanding of the nature of Christ is of highest importance to the author. The response of the believer for which the author calls is to be “born of God” and to “abide in him.”
Walter A. Elwell and Barry J. Beitzel, “John, Letters Of,” Baker Encyclopedia of the Bible (Grand Rapids, MI: Baker Book House, 1988), 1185.
The main form of heresy that was being presented and John seemed to be combating was Gnosticism.
Gnosticism, derived from the Greek word for "knowledge" (gnōsis), was a prominent philosophical and religious movement that emerged in the second century, with some roots possibly in the first century. This system emphasized the acquisition of special, esoteric knowledge as a means of salvation, rather than faith.
Gnostics believed in a cosmological dualism, viewing the material world as inherently evil and only the spiritual or immaterial as good. This belief led to the denial of key Christian doctrines such as Creation and the Incarnation.
Gnosticism appealed to human pride by offering "insider" knowledge and sought to combine elements from various religions. While full-fledged Gnosticism appeared in the second century, some articles suggest that a form of proto-Gnosticism was gaining popularity earlier, such as in Colosse.
The movement's influence extended beyond its time, with some scholars suggesting that embryonic views of Cerinthian Gnosticism are countered in the biblical books of 1 and 2 John1.
Now that you have the backstory of what is happening and going on you can better understand the writings of John particuarly when it comes to 1 John. He is warning the readers and the people of the time, that “They not Like us.”
1. Reject Worldly Desires
1. Reject Worldly Desires
1 Jn 2:15-17
A. In the medieval times if you belonged to a certain kingdom there certain expectations that you would do or have about you. We could call them Kingdom expectations.
We do not have kingdoms today as far as the worldly examples of kingdoms are, however, since we know Christ as Savior and Lord, He brings us into His Kingdom. The Scriptures call it the “Kingdom of God”.
The kingdom of God is a kingdom of paradox, where through the ugly defeat of a cross, a holy God is utterly glorified. Victory comes through defeat; healing through brokenness; finding self through losing self.
Charles W. Colson; Charles Colson
i.Because we are of this Kingdom, the scripture says that we are not of this world.
1 Chronicles 29:15 “For we are strangers before you and sojourners, as all our fathers were. Our days on the earth are like a shadow, and there is no abiding.”
We are representatives of the Kingdom of God in this world and we care called to fly the banner so to speak of the Kingdom of God in this world. To fly that banner of the Kingdom of God, to walk as a representative of the Kingdom of God in this world.
We must have His Word on our hearts.
We must have His Truth written in our minds.
We must Reject the worldly desires.
B. worldly desires are all around us, we can look right left up and and down and we can see the desires of the world. They pull and they tug at you, try this, do this, here’s this. All of these tenticing things trying to create a place of emnity between you and the King of the Kingdom.
We are told in the Scripture that sin is pleasurable for a season. But it is only for a season a fleeting moment, that satisfaction doesn’t last.
Ask yourself this question.
“What does the world offer you?”
The Lust of the Flesh
The World promises to satisfy legitimate desires in illegitimate ways.
Concern is Legitimate
Gossip is Wordly
Sex is legimate
Sexual immorality is worldly
What does the World offer you?
The Lust of the eyes.
Tempted through what you see.
Covetousness- I must have that at all cost.
What does the world offer you?
The Pride of LIfe.
Pride in your possessions.
I have made it.
I obtained it.
Living to impress others
Keeping up with the Jones’
What does the world offer you? It offers you wordlly desires. Desires that from the world’s kingdom and point of view every person/being on the planet needs and or wants.
The thought that if you don’t have, or you haven’t obtained to this level then you are less than.
The Tony Evans Bible Commentary III. Spiritual Maturity and the Enemies of Fellowship (2:12–29)
What those in love with the world forget, however, is that the world with its lust is passing away. Worldliness makes the “now” more important than eternity. But you are passing through, and the world is passing by. It’s transient. Only the one who does the will of God remains forever (2:17). The price tag for loving the world is the loss of personal intimacy with God.
C. The world says to live this way, act this way, be this way and that’s what they want you to do. We are called according to 1 John 2:15 “Do not love the world or the things in the world. If anyone loves the world, the love of the Father is not in him.”
We are not supposed to love the world and the Kingdom that is in the world the Kingdom of Darkness more than the Kingdom that God has placed us in the Kingdom of God.
We have well meaning Christians, people who have been in the faith a long time, people who have given their hearts and souls and minds to the cause of Christ slip away because they have started to fall in love with the World.
We need to declare like Kendrick Lamar, “They not like us.” We won’t be like them, we won’t be like the world, we won’t give in to the peer pressures and the status quos of today, we are going to be different. If you love the world, then the love of God is not in you.
We are called to be different than the world, and the world loves differently than the way we should be loving.
The only kingdom that will prevail in this world is the kingdom that is not of this world.
Anonymous
IF we want Christ’s love to flow through us, and remain in us then we must Reject the desires of the World.
I have news for you though, if you have not rejected the worldly desires as of yet, or you find yourself struggling with that. Let me encourage you the same way John does,
1 John 2:1–2 “My little children, I am writing these things to you so that you may not sin. But if anyone does sin, we have an advocate with the Father, Jesus Christ the righteous. He is the propitiation for our sins, and not for ours only but also for the sins of the whole world.”
We are not designed or destined to sin once we are part of the Kingdom of God, once we have the Holy Spirit living inside of us. We can resist worldly desires. I have news for you, if you find yourself falling into a worldly desire, we still have an advocate with the Father His name is Jesus Christ, as long as we have a repentant heart and confess our sins to Him and strive to resist those desires we can and will be forgiven!
2. Remain Faithful to Truth
2. Remain Faithful to Truth
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. 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. But you have been anointed by the Holy One, and you all have knowledge. 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. 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. No one who denies the Son has the Father. Whoever confesses the Son has the Father also.
A. We resist the worldly desires and we remain faithful to Truth. John here writes It is the last hour, church before we begin this point let me sit right here for just a moment. It truly is the last hour, It is the last seconds, the buzzer is getting ready to go off let me ask you, are you ready? Are you looking forward to us being called home?
i. Going back into our introduction John is talking to the readers and preaching against the heresy of Gnosticism. Gnostics believed that materialism was evil and spirituality is good, because of this hard held belief they would inevitably deny the incarnation of Christ. They refuted Him being on the earth in bodily form.
This idea or belief leads to a ton of other heretical ideas in which if we are not careful we can adhere to. They would say because we live in a materialistic world and our body is materialistic it really did not matter what we did, because our spiritual man was saved. This of course is false in many different ways.
This heresy ended up leading into Antichrist behavior. This thought pattern is truly the Spirit of Antichrist dwelling among the people.
The name Antichrist does not designate a single individual, but a single kingdom, which extends throughout many generations.
John Calvin (French Reformer)
The spirit of do what you want without any consequnces is what determines the Antichrist kingdom. John warns of this kingdom, He speaks against this kingdom.
Every man is an antichrist, who denies the Person, or any of the offices of Christ; and in denying the Son, he denies the Father also, and has no part in his favour while he rejects his great salvation.
John is writing a diss track, the early version of “They not like us.”
English Standard Version Chapter 2
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
WE have to make a determination that we are not going adhere to what the world says for us to do. That we are not giong to fall in line with just any heretical message, but that we are going to “test the spirits” like we are told to do later in the chapter.
Church, be careful that you are not grabbing just any truth that fits what you want it to fit, and you are testing or discerning the Spirits. If it is glorifying you, it’s likely not from God, if it glorifies God it is likely from God.
B. We need to remain faithful to the truth. This can feel difficult in a world that says your truth is subjective. Truth is absolute when it is grounded in the truth.
Jesus said I am the way the TRUTH and the life. Remain in the truth.
What is the truth? I think 1 John lays down some particularly powerful truths in the rest of this book.
No one who denies the Son can say He or she has the Father.
have you ever heard anyone say they believe in God but not sure about that Jesus fellow, or that Jesus was simply a good prophet or a good man that did good things?
This is the devil trying to manipulate and desenstize you into believing these falsities, the truth is If you deny that the Son has always existed came and lived a carnate life, died and rose again.
English Standard Version Chapter 3
Whoever practices righteousness is righteous, as he is righteous. 8 Whoever makes a practice of sinning is of the devil, for the devil has been sinning from the beginning. The reason the Son of God appeared was to destroy the works of the devil
This is a truth that we often overlook, God has saved us only by his grace, He has made us new by His mercy. He expects us to live righteously as righteousness is revealed to us.
If you make a practice of sinning then you are of or a follower of the devil. Now listen church, I didn’t say that. John did, I believe that we need to get hold of that truth today.
You are not saved by works, your works show that you are saved and some of us have the world looking at us a little confused.
Here’s the key to this truth. “the reason the Son of God appeared was to destroy the works of the devil.”
Jesus came so that we would be set free from the bondage.
that we could practice righteousness.
That we could keep from sinning.
Here’s the Truth He has set us free!
By this we know love, that he laid down his life for us, and we ought to lay down our lives for the brothers. But if anyone has the world’s goods and sees his brother in need, yet closes his heart against him, how does God’s love abide in him? Little children, let us not love in word or talk but in deed and in truth.
By this we shall know that we are of the truth and reassure our heart before him; for whenever our heart condemns us, God is greater than our heart, and he knows everything. Beloved, if our heart does not condemn us, we have confidence before God; and whatever we ask we receive from him, because we keep his commandments and do what pleases him. And this is his commandment, that we believe in the name of his Son Jesus Christ and love one another, just as he has commanded us. Whoever keeps his commandments abides in God, and God in him. And by this we know that he abides in us, by the Spirit whom he has given us.
Truth- Let us not love in word or talk but in deed and in truth.
Truth-When our heart condemsn us God is greater than our heart and knows everything
Truth- Whatever we ask we receive from him because we do what he has commanded us.
Truth-Whoever keeps his commandments abides in God and God in Him.
Don’t let the adversary take your truth.
Remain faithful to these truths.
Truths are found throughout the Bible, We need to remain faithful to the truths.
3. Rest in Christ's Assurance
3. Rest in Christ's Assurance
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. And this is the promise that he made to us—eternal life.
I write these things to you about those who are trying to deceive you. 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.
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. If you know that he is righteous, you may be sure that everyone who practices righteousness has been born of him.
A. How many of us need Assurance today? Do you feel like you have failed, or that you can’t live up to what God is asking you to live up to?
Let me encourage you today church, that when you abide or remain in Christ, that word phrase that John loves to use and keeps on using throughout his writings you can have confidence in Him.
See what kind of love the Father has given to us, that we should be called children of God; and so we are. The reason why the world does not know us is that it did not know him.
i. We have a confidence, that even if we do not feel like it on a day to day basis,
He calls us his chldren.
He brings us into His family.
He places the robe of royalty onto each one of us.
He is the King of Creation, and he calls us his children.
To experience victory, you must know who your Father is.
He is the Alpha and Omega.
He was and is and is to come.
He is Faithful and True.
He is the Lion and the Lamb.
He is the Lamb slain before the foudnation of the world.
He is victorious King.
That’s who your father is, and you can have confidence today,
you can be assured that although you feel like you have failed,
although you feel like you can’t keep going.
Although you might have hit a wall in your walk with Christ.
He still loves you, chapter 3:1 reminds us of this great assurance of God being our Father.
You have identity. You know who you are and whose you are. The world will tell you that you aren’t any good for anything, that you’re a mess up and always will be a mess up. The world will tell you that you’re never going to amount to anything, but you have identity.
Your identity isn’t found in this world.
Your identity isn’t found in what people think of you.
Your identity isn’t found in what the doctors have prescribed to you.
Your identity isn’t found in what you used to be addicted with or what you might currently be addicted with.
Your identity is found in Christ Jesus and Jesus alone!
If the world loves you, you should be worried, but because we are not of this world we can have confidence in that.
Little does the world know of the happiness of the real followers of Christ. Little does the world think that these poor, humble, despised ones, are favourites of God, and will dwell in heaven. Let the followers of Christ be content with hard fare here, since they are in a land of strangers, where their Lord was so badly treated before them. The sons of God must walk by faith, and live by hope
Conclusion:
Reject Worldly Desires
Remain Faithful to the Truth
Rest in Christ’s Assurance.
This is just a small snippet of the great Faith building scriptures that are in John’s first epistle. We can quote a lot of these, there are some of our favorite verses. I encourage you to read them and grab hold of these truths.
God is saying to us today, that “They not like us.” We are not supposed to be like everyone else after we have met Christ. We are called to be different, walk different, act different, Talk differently.
The Tony Evans Bible Commentary III. Spiritual Maturity and the Enemies of Fellowship (2:12–29)
A Christian can be accepted but not “acceptable.” A child who plays in the mud, for instance, is accepted by his parents; he is not, however, in an acceptable condition. Live everyday on high alert, looking for Jesus to return, and it will influence how you live.
This is where we are as a church. We are a church for the rest of us, that is who we are to a core that is what God is started putting together in this church, we must move from one plane of existence to another, however, Church in 2025 we need to seek God more, seek man less and let Him change who we are.
We need to get away from doing things like the world and do things like the new existence that Christ has placed us in.
Are you there today? Are you confidently Rejecting worldly desires, remaining faithful to the truth and resting in Christ’s assurances?
Maybe you have come here today and you feel like you are being pulled back into the world, Let’s come to the front and pray together and ask God to help us become not like the rest, but to stay where God wants us to be in our walk with Him.
English Standard Version (Chapter 6)
9 Or do you not know that the unrighteous will not inherit the kingdom of God? Do not be deceived: neither the sexually immoral, nor idolaters, nor adulterers, nor men who practice homosexuality, 10 nor thieves, nor the greedy, nor drunkards, nor revilers, nor swindlers will inherit the kingdom of God. 11 And such were some of you. But you were washed, you were sanctified, you were justified in the name of the Lord Jesus Christ and by the Spirit of our God.
Let me leave you with this thought today, They are not like us, we should not be like them. Let’s never forget, that we were also where they were at one point. They are like us, in that Christ died for all sinners, and they too can be washed sanctified justified in Jesus Christ.
