1 John 2:18-29

Recap:

Last week, we discussed love for the world and love for God...

If you love the world, it takes the place of your love for God.

We can’t continue to love the things of the world more than God..

We also talked about the 3 traps that Satan uses… It’s the same 3 since the beginning of time.

Lust of the flesh

Lust of the eyes

Pride of life

This week, we’re going to finish this chapter.

Pray

Read

V.18-19

The last hour...

Usually this refers to Christ’s return..

John is looking forward the return of his Lord.. He is waiting for His King to come back and to make all things right in the world.

John is living as if the Lord can return any moment...

We need to be living the same way.

Too many times… We live our lives thinking that there is more time.. Thinking that there’s nothing that can happen to us.

We forget that life is short, and more time isn’t promised...

We need to live each day being ready for Jesus to return.

Matthew 24:44 CSB

This is why you are also to be ready, because the Son of Man is coming at an hour you do not expect.

Knowing that Jesus is coming back at any moment, should make you want to live a life that is pleasing to Him..

The Antichrist is coming..

The antichrist is part of the unholy 3...

Satan, Antichrist, and the False Prophet

However, anyone who is anti Jesus… is considered and antichrist...

These individuals opposed and sought to replace the true Jesus..

We see people in our world opposing Christianity and replace him with … Whatever, you name it.

Also, in this church, they had these “antichrist’s” in the church, but they left..

Not all who were in the church were authentic believers…

They left the fellowship and they left the truth and so it’s proof.

It’s sad that even today, there are people who attend church, but don’t actually have a relationship with Jesus..

Just because you sit in church, doesn’t mean you’re saved… Just because your parents are saved, doesn’t mean that you are..

We can’t be like the antichrist’s.. WE have to be living like Christ is coming back at any second.

V.20-23

We have the gospel message, from the Holy Spirit..

We have the truth…

John is writing to the church because they know the truth.

No lies come from the truth..

Who is the liar?

The one who denies that Jesus is the Christ…

The one who denies the Father and the Son..

Biblical Christianity is the only “religion” that doesn’t diminish the Son, doesn’t diminish Jesus...

Other religions think he’s just an angel..

He’s just a man/teacher..

He’s just the son of God..

Scripture tells us that Jesus is God in the flesh… He is deity.

John 10:30

John 8:58

John 1:1

John 20:28

Col 1:15-17

There is no salvation for those who do not believe in the deity of Christ..

If Jesus wasn’t God, then His death on the cross is not sufficient and we are all screwed.

“Great is the mystery that God became a man,” Paul told Timothy (see 1 Timothy 3:16). This is infinitely more than a doctrinal discussion, for if you do not say that Jesus is God, then you make God a very cruel, awful Person who created a Son to take the hit because He was unwilling to do so Himself. If, on the other hand, Jesus is indeed God, then God Himself absorbed the blow, took the hit, and was pinned to the Cross personally. No wonder those who teach anything else are damned. Courson, J. (2003). Jon Courson’s Application Commentary (p. 1621). Nashville, TN: Thomas Nelson.

Only those who confess Jesus, the Jesus of the Bible, those have the Father..

V.24-25

What you’ve heard..

They’ve heard the gospel teachings..

Let the word of God remain in you, if it does, then you will remain in the Son and Father..

Instead of letting the word remain, the antichrist’s didn’t abide in it.. They walked away from it..

When you are at church, when you are at camps… You need to be listening to the messages.. Why?

Because we use these lessons in our life, we draw closer to God through the word… we live more like Christ when we are in the Word of God.. WE need to pay attention to the Word when it’s being taught.

How do we abide?

We apply what we read and hear...

We memorize scripture..

We keep away from sin, it’ll always hinder your walk with God.

V.26-27

There were people who were trying to deceive the church!

We see the same thing today.. People join a church, they sit for awhile, then they try to teach their own ideas and deceive people from the truth!

There will always be people who try to destroy and deceive church people.. You have to be careful..

You don’t need a teacher…

This isn’t saying that, since you have the Holy Spirit you don’t have to go to Bible Studies. If this were the case, there would be no reasons for pastors and teachers.

In this context, it is saying “under the guidance of the Holy Spirit, you must test the teachings of men.”

At this time, the false teachers probably said they had a new revelation from God. But, that’s garbage. Anyone who says they have a new revelation from God, you should stay away from them.

We don’t need new revelations, because we have God’s words. There is no need for that.

The Holy Spirit teaches us all the things that are pertaining to Jesus!

Before you read, you need to pray and ask for the Holy Spirit to teach you! The Holy Spirit is the best teacher..

V.28-29

Here’s John’s conclusion...

Abide in Jesus, so that you are found ready when He returns.

How do we abide?

We stay away from being ashamed because only those who are not of God will be ashamed, because it is the guilt and terror of the judgment of God.

Verse 29 is the response of the person who is truly saved by God.

When we are saved, we start doing what is right in the eyes of God..

You can’t please God unless you are of Him… You can’t do his will, unless you are saved by Him.

Conclusion:

There are 3 precious claims for the believer from this chapter...

I know Him (2:4)

I abide in Him (2:6)

I am in the light (2:9)

If we are God’s children, we will abide in Him… If we abide in Him, we will be found ready when He returns.