The Big Little Books of Truth and Love - Part 3
For many deceivers have gone out into the world, those who do not acknowledge Jesus Christ as coming in the flesh. This is the deceiver and the antichrist. Watch yourselves, that you do not lose what we have accomplished, but that you may receive a full reward. Anyone who goes too far and does not abide in the teaching of Christ, does not have God; the one who abides in the teaching, he has both the Father and the Son. If anyone comes to you and does not bring this teaching, do not receive him into your house, and do not give him a greeting; for the one who gives him a greeting participates in his evil deeds. Though I have many things to write to you, I do not want to do so with paper and ink; but I hope to come to you and speak face to face, so that your joy may be made full. The children of your chosen sister greet you. 2 John 7-13 (NASB95)
Intro: If you have not heard of Jose de Jesus, you probably will in the coming days. He is the head of a new cult gaining in popularity among Hispanics. I call it a cult because you would be heard pressed to find a more appropriate name. De Jesus claims to be Jesus Christ himself. He’s not the first, but what’s so strange in his case is the way people – intelligent successful Hispanic people – are not only flocking to him, they are literally worshiping him as the return of Jesus Christ in human form.
He has possibly a million followers in 30 countries and they enthusiastically call him “Lord” and lavish him with gifts. "Before the presence of God, there's no more sin," he says. And with no sin, de Jesus teaches his followers, there's no devil and no need for prayer, because after Jesus of Nazareth died and was resurrected, one can literally do no wrong in God's eyes. De Jesus says things like murder and theft are crimes, but not sins, and that people are punished for these crimes on earth. "Heaven doesn't have anything to do with your behavior," he says.
And de Jesus practices what he preaches: He loves women and has been married twice. He smokes cigarettes and while enjoying a glass of scotch, he says, "Jesus drank wine because he didn't have Dewar's."
The de Jesus ministry is growing, with big followings in Venezuela, Columbia, even Cuba, and the man who believes he is the Second Coming of Christ is now turning his attention to America.
"Miami is the bridge for all nations," he said. "That's where Hispanics are, and then eventually I'm going to find a lot of beautiful English-speaking people who will want to believe in me and I'm going to have millions of them." [1]
This should disgust us but not surprise us. Jesus said this would happen. Paul said this would happen. John the apostle of love and truth, said this would happen. He warned that what we believe about Christ would be challenged.
Just as last week we focused on behavior and how it related to our love for God, today we focus on love’s twin brother, truth, and how it relates to what we believe.
I. Look out for deceivers
For many deceivers have gone out into the world, those who do not acknowledge Jesus Christ as coming in the flesh. This is the deceiver and the antichrist. 2 John 7 (NASB95)
The word “deceivers” here means those who wander around maliciously teaching error. In the apostle John’s day, it was common for teachers of religious ideas to travel around from city to city and gain an audience, something especially familiar to Jews and their synagogues. The early church had itinerant teachers who did the same (Apollos being an example as well as the reference to evangelists by Paul in Eph 4:11). When John says that deceivers “have gone out into the world” he’s saying that teachers of error had went out like evangelists and other itinerant Christian ministers into the world but not to share the true gospel of Jesus Christ.
Speaking of deception, I heard about the story of a driver who put a note under the windshield wiper of a parked car. It read: “I have just smashed into your car. The people who saw the accident are watching me. They think I’m writing down my name and address. I’m not. Good luck.”[2]
Their deceptive gospel was a gospel that denied the incarnation of Jesus Christ. They had bought into some of the ideas found in pagan philosophy and concluded that Jesus had not really come in the flesh, it just appeared that He did. John spent the latter years of his life fighting against this untruth. You can see it all but one of his writings. Look at the introduction to his gospel…
And the Word became flesh, and dwelt among us, and we saw His glory, glory as of the only begotten from the Father, full of grace and truth… No one has seen God at any time; the only begotten God who is in the bosom of the Father, He has explained Him. John 1:14, 18 (NASB95)
And look at the introduction to his first letter…
What was from the beginning, what we have heard, what we have seen with our eyes, what we have looked at and touched with our hands, concerning the Word of Life— and the life was manifested, and we have seen and testify and proclaim to you the eternal life, which was with the Father and was manifested to us— what we have seen and heard we proclaim to you also, so that you too may have fellowship with us; and indeed our fellowship is with the Father, and with His Son Jesus Christ. These things we write, so that our joy may be made complete. 1 John 1:1-4 (NASB95)
The ultimate source of all deceit is the devil himself. Jesus said…
“He was a murderer from the beginning, and does not stand in the truth because there is no truth in him. Whenever he speaks a lie, he speaks from his own nature, for he is a liar and the father of lies.” John 8:44 (NASB95)
But John went on to clarify even further just exactly which agent of the devil was behind this lie: the antichrist. John is the only NT writer to use this term, and when you look at his writings, you realize he uses it to describe a spirit encountered in the last days (from the birth of Christ until the second coming) and a world figure encountered in the Great Tribulation…
Children, it is the last hour; and just as you heard that antichrist is coming, even now many antichrists have appeared; from this we know that it is the last hour. They went out from us, but they were not really of us; for if they had been of us, they would have remained with us; but they went out, so that it would be shown that they all are not of us. 1 John 2:18-19 (NASB95)
Who is the liar but the one who denies that Jesus is the Christ? This is the antichrist, the one who denies the Father and the Son. 1 John 2:22 (NASB95)
and every spirit that does not confess Jesus is not from God; this is the spirit of the antichrist, of which you have heard that it is coming, and now it is already in the world. 1 John 4:3 (NASB95)
Not only does John identify the antichrist and his spirit, he reveals that the ones spreading his teachings had been part of the church, perhaps even part of the churches he watched over. That’s true of most every deception; it comes from inside.
John warned them and he warns us to look out for false teachers, for agents of the coming antichrist, and he warns…
II. Watch yourselves so that you are not deceived
Watch yourselves, that you do not lose what we have accomplished, but that you may receive a full reward. Anyone who goes too far and does not abide in the teaching of Christ, does not have God; the one who abides in the teaching, he has both the Father and the Son. 2 John 8-9 (NASB95)
Because the devil is a liar and a deceiver, and because the spirit of his antichrist is at work in the world and because this spirit is working from within the church of Christ, watch out! Every Christian heresy comes from those who claim to know Christ and most every follower of these deceivers have come from within the church.
“Going too far” here is running ahead of the group. When it comes to the teachings of Christ and His teaching thru the apostles, we must stay in line. We can be progressive in a multitude of areas, but we cannot mess with the message of Jesus Christ.
Hence another test for the true Christian: what does he believe about Jesus and what does he do with the teachings of Jesus?
Whoever believes that Jesus is the Christ is born of God.... 1 John 5:1 (NASB95)
John said to look out for the deceivers, watch ourselves so that we are not deceived, and he even went so far as to say…
III. Don’t fellowship with those who come deceiving
If anyone comes to you and does not bring this teaching, do not receive him into your house, and do not give him a greeting; for the one who gives him a greeting participates in his evil deeds. 2 John 10-11 (NASB95)
This verse has caused some students of Scripture trouble: (1) John misspoke in his zeal to uphold the integrity of Christ’s true nature; or (2) John wants us to shun those who are in error and not attempt to share the love of the true Christ with them. It is neither. We must interpret what he says within the context of which he wrote it.
Remember that teachers and evangelists would travel from city to city, church to church. Hospitality to travelers was ingrained into to ancient culture and particularly so among Christians, who would receive them into their homes and ultimately into their fellowship. John is saying that the rules of hospitality can be broken with this group of false teachers. If they do not hold to a proper view of Jesus Christ or do not adhere to the doctrines of Scripture as taught by Christ or His apostles, do not provide for their needs or give them opportunity to spread their poison in the local church.
Fire ants have virtually taken over the southern United States since they were accidentally transported here a few decades ago. They are amazingly adaptable, fiercely aggressive, and multiply seemingly overnight. Worst of all, insecticide sprays generally can’t destroy the mound’s inhabitants. Like a mighty army they have marched in, impervious to brute force.
Scientists have now found a rather crafty way to wipe out whole colonies. Pellets of the ants’ favorite food are tainted with a special tasteless, odorless poison and sprinkled around the mound. The worker ants immediately begin gathering up the tainted treasure and take it down into the heart of the colony. Then they unwittingly feed the poisoned pellets to their queen, slowly killing her! When the queen dies, no more workers are produced, and so in a couple of weeks the entire colony starves to death. How ironic! Food that looked so good caused their starvation.
John knew that’s how it is with false doctrine. Those who lack discernment import it into the heart of the church, thinking it is harmless and in fact quite good, but it ends destroying the people spiritually.[3]
You can have a lot of different ideas about things, but don’t mess with Jesus. Paul made it clear…
But even if we, or an angel from heaven, should preach to you a gospel contrary to what we have preached to you, he is to be accursed! As we have said before, so I say again now, if any man is preaching to you a gospel contrary to what you received, he is to be accursed! Galatians 1:8-9 (NASB95)
Conclusion : The old apostle John, the apostle of truth and love, with a pastors heart warned us to be on the lookout for false deceivers (especially as we draw near to the return of Christ), he cautioned us not to get caught in their lies, and he said don’t even fellowship with them; don’t let them have influence on you or your church.
What we do is evidence of who we love. What we believe is evidence of who we are.
What do you believe about Jesus Christ?
----
[1] WSBTV.com, Does Jesus Live In Suburbia?
[2]Michael P. Green.
[3]Michael P. Green, Illustrations for Bilical Preaching .