1 John 2:15-24 The Believer’s Protection Plan

Scripture: Dale Shreve

Intro:

Celebrating 29 years of marriage

Since I’ve turned 55 I have been inundated with insurance commercials

They’re in my emails, social media, and mail box

Essentially they’re saying, “You’re gonna kick the bucket pretty soon, have you taken care of those you love?”

They all offer this comprehensive protection plan that for 99.99 for the next 20 years you will have peace of mind

Live beyond 75 and you’re on your own

So many people go to great lengths and costs to make sure family are financially secure, but have they put any thought into the eternal protection plan?

Today is Hope Sunday

We are going to look at the Hope that Jesus gives us now and for the future

John points out two things that will things that can derail our hope and then gives us what God offers for our protection

I’ve title todays message The Believers Protection Plan

The love that fills your heart determines the life that flows from your actions—and only those who let God's truth dwell in them will dwell with God forever.

This passage divides naturally into two major movements: the external threat of worldliness (vv. 15-17) and the internal threat of false religion (vv. 18-24).

By understanding what the world offers (temporary satisfaction), recognizing the spirit of antichrist (denial of the true Christ), and allowing the apostolic gospel to take up residence in their hearts through the Spirit's anointing.

What’s Competing for Your Heart? vs. 15-17

The first step in the believers protection plan is to recognize what is coming for your heart

John tells us not to love the world or things in the world

The command "do not love" indicates the cessation of an action in progress: "Stop loving the world."

The kosmos here is Satan's ordered system operating in opposition to God (cf. John 12:31; 14:30; 2 Corinthians 4:4).

The incompatibility is absolute: "If anyone loves the world, the love of the Father is not in him." This is not a matter of degree but of essence.

The Bottom Line: What you love determines what you become.

The three categories of worldliness—lust of the flesh, lust of the eyes, pride of life correspond to what we crave, what we covet, and what we boast about.

The world uses three hooks: what feels good (flesh), what looks good (eyes), and what sounds good about me (pride). Before you say yes to anything, ask: Which category is this appealing to?

The three categories are comprehensive. These "is not of the Father"—they do not originate from God and cannot coexist with genuine love for Him.

Lust of the Flush

The "lust of the flesh" encompasses sinful bodily desires.

Lust of the Eyes 

The "lust of the eyes" includes covetousness and materialism.

Pride of Life 

The "pride of life" (alazoneia tou biou) describes arrogant pretension about one's resources, achievements, or status.

Matthew 6:19–24 ESV

“Do not lay up for yourselves treasures on earth, where moth and rust destroy and where thieves break in and steal, but lay up for yourselves treasures in heaven, where neither moth nor rust destroys and where thieves do not break in and steal. For where your treasure is, there your heart will be also.

The present tense "is passing away" (paragetai) indicates the world is in the process of dissolution.

The one who does God's will "abides forever"—shares in the eternal quality of God's own existence.

John 12:31 ESV

Now is the judgment of this world; now will the ruler of this world be cast out.

consider the world as a great bazaar filled with glittering trinkets and fascinating wares! The merchant of this bazaar is none other than the prince of darkness himself, and he knows precisely how to display his goods. He appeals to the flesh with pleasures that taste sweet but leave a bitter aftertaste. He appeals to the eyes with beauty that dazzles but cannot satisfy. He appeals to pride with status and significance that inflate the ego today only to deflate it tomorrow.

But notice what the apostle says: "the world is passing away." The merchandise is damaged goods! The bazaar itself is scheduled for demolition! Would you invest your life's savings in a shop that is closing tomorrow? Would you put all your treasures in a house that is already condemned for destruction?

You know what I find interesting? John says the world is passing away—but if you look at social media, if you watch the news, if you scroll through your feeds, the world looks like it's winning. The world looks like it's got it all figured out.

But here's the thing: appearances can be deceiving.

Think about the Titanic. That ship was the pinnacle of human achievement—"unsinkable," they said. The passengers were enjoying the finest cuisine, dancing in the ballroom, completely unaware that they were on a collision course with disaster. The band played on even as the ship went down.

That's the world system. It's a luxury liner heading for an iceberg. You can get comfortable. You can enjoy the amenities. But it's all going under.

Recognizing Spiritual Deception vs. 18-19

The second step in the believers protection plan is to recognize spiritual deception

False teachers have permeated the church, but here is the catch… They once sat amongst them

They were being deceived by people they knew

antichrists = false teachers

The "antichrists" who departed the community reveal that presence in the church does not equal possession of Christ.

Attendance is not assurance.

The test is not longevity but continuity—those who are genuine continue.

The "many antichrists" are precursors to the eschatological Antichrist

Their departure from the fellowship revealed their unregenerate nature; true believers persevere

Went out from us

Galatians 1:6–9 ESV

I am astonished that you are so quickly deserting him who called you in the grace of Christ and are turning to a different gospel— not that there is another one, but there are some who trouble you and want to distort the gospel of Christ.

And what of these "antichrists" who went out from the church?

They sat in our pews, sang our hymns, and spoke our language—yet they were never truly ours.

The church is like a threshing floor; there is wheat and chaff mingled together until the winnowing comes.

The departure of the chaff does not weaken the wheat—it proves the wheat genuine!

If a man leaves Christ, he was never truly with Christ. If he abandons the apostolic gospel, he never truly embraced it.

2 Peter 2:20–22 ESV

For if, after they have escaped the defilements of the world through the knowledge of our Lord and Savior Jesus Christ, they are again entangled in them and overcome, the last state has become worse for them than the first. For it would have been better for them never to have known the way of righteousness than after knowing it to turn back from the holy commandment delivered to them. What the true proverb says has happened to them: “The dog returns to its own vomit, and the sow, after washing herself, returns to wallow in the mire.”

Here's the test: What does this person/teaching say about Jesus?

Is He truly the Christ, the Son of God? If the answer diminishes Jesus in any way, that's the spirit of antichrist—even if the person quotes the Bible and uses Christian vocabulary.

Know What’s Authentic vs. 20-24

The final step in the believers protection plan is to know what is authentic

Indwelling of the Holy Spirit

The "anointing" (chrisma) is the Holy Spirit's indwelling presence, given to all believers at conversion.

This anointing provides discernment regarding truth and error.

Word Dwells in You

John 14:26 ESV

But the Helper, the Holy Spirit, whom the Father will send in my name, he will teach you all things and bring to your remembrance all that I have said to you.

Colossians 2:6–7 ESV

Therefore, as you received Christ Jesus the Lord, so walk in him, rooted and built up in him and established in the faith, just as you were taught, abounding in thanksgiving.

How do I protect myself? (vv. 20, 24) 

Two resources: (1) The Spirit's anointing—God's truth detector inside you; (2) The original message—stay anchored to what the apostles taught 

The imperative "let that abide in you" places responsibility on the believer to continue in apostolic doctrine. The conditional promise is clear: abiding in the original message results in abiding in the Godhead.