1john2-18duplicate

Read vs 18-27

John=Be Prepared 4 X’s return=signs reflect=coming! Jon writes=urgency/passion/warning. Speaks=crisis that looms over his churchs.

Turbulent times our day as well. Are you prepared?

(his children) John/elder=from Ephesus=churches=infiltrated by G teaching. Some cults 2day twist truth=fits their purpose.  John loved believers & churches--Asia Minor that he’d a part in.

last hour John says in 18th vs. 2,000 years later…..“what happened?   Delay return= doubt.

Read 2nd Peter 3:3  (The last hour or last days in the N T refers to)  Why the long delay?

Bible says, “With Lord a day is like 1m years....”.  We’re living n that period & confined by time But beware twinkling of an eye Lord will return.

Mark 13: 32 says, No one knows about that day or hour…..be on guard, be alert”.

Look what 18th verse say @ the antichrist. What is Antichrist/antichrists? What’s there mission?  John warns that “The Antichrist” is coming & “many Antichrists” already have come.

The Antichrist is false prophet & evil being who’ll oppose Christ & church in final days before X’s return. Many antichrists today = any who’ve rejected Jesus are against (anti) Christ.

John xpresses concern in 19th verse.  John=see many who opposed Jesus had laid siege…  People leaving the churchs in disturbing #s following = false teachers & their false doctrines   

5700 people left;    5700 more people that will populate an eternal Hell.

The spirit=antichrist had been successful n John’s church & Satans working today 2 fragment.

Departure of these people=evidence John says never really part of the church in the 1st place 

Were these people ever really Xs? Does this mean the church today is made up of believers &

Verse 20 says Xs are anointed with gift of H S.                                                                   Greek word for this anointing simply means, “rubbed on” as with ointment. 

(Turn & read John 14: 15-17) God’s anointed us with the H S to provide leading, direction, council, discernment, and truth.

Read 21st verse  A by-product of having this anointing (The Holy Spirit) is knowing the truth.

Turn & read John 14: 26.  The indwelling Spirit of God illuminates the word of God so that the child of God can understand the truth of God.

On 9/9/78 (28 years ago) after living for 32 years…. The H S illuminated a portion of scripture and the Spirit of the living God came to live within me.  

This anointing of God’s Spirit led me to a much clearer understanding of the truths=Bible.   

Read 22:    Crux=false teaching:  Deny that the man from Nazareth (Jesus) is Messiah.  False teachers didnt believe that God could become human= didn’t accept the incarnation.

(Turn and read 4: 1-3 & 2 John 7).   If Jesus wasn’t both totally human & totally divine there was no atonement for sin at the cross.

Read 23:  Without the correct view of the Son, we can’t have a correct view of the Father.

(Turn and read 4: 2).

The teachings grounded in Jesus’ historical ministry serve as the anchors when theological storms blow.

Verse 24 tells me that when false teachers with charismatic authority are leading people astray we need to go back to the basics, the traditional teachings of Christ and His apostles.

God is truth & has never lied. Verse 25 makes this promise: Future 4 believer is an eternal future filled with such unimaginable ecstasy that as a human I’m incapable of explaining

Read verse 26   As pastor, John= charged with warning his people of the impending danger….the spiritual warfare….and the deceit and schemes of our enemy.

My charge to you this morning is: remain in him. The church in 2007 is in a turbulent period.

Similar 2 what John faced.  

Hundreds turning away=Christ; rejecting his teachings & buying into whats called post modernism which says what is true for you may not be true for me. (Take choice!)

4 non-believer=Bible says, “behold, I stand at the door and knock…The spirit of God=tugging at your heart expressing His sacrificial love 4 you & urging you 2 enter into eternal relationship

Gods speaking 2 each Christian through this portion=scripture. His message, “remain in me!”

Let my spirit that dwells within you lead you into all truth.

Be transformed by the renewing of your mind.

A little boy was offered the opportunity 2 select a dog for his birthday present.                         "I wanted the one with the happy ending."

If we want 2 reach out for a life with a happy ending, we’ve no choice but 2 accept the living Christ as our Lord and Savior,

follow Him daily, & rejoice in the eternal life that awaits us.