Truth, Trump, or Theory: Believe in this Jesus Above All Else

Text: I John 2:18-27

Introduction:

I was at a restaurant a while back. Those at our table ordered drinks. I ordered a water while someone next to me ordered a Sprite. During the course of conversation, I unwittingly grabbed a cup for a drink. I was surprised by the taste because I was expecting water, and what I drank was Sprite. Both the water and the Sprite have similar appearances so it was an honest mistake. It was not until I experienced the different sensation of taste that I realized my mistake.

In like manner, there are Christians who are attempting to find assurance in what they think is Jesus pure and simple, but they keep having these experiences that seem to jolt their confidence. I believe one of the reasons this happens is because of the “allure” of other truth claims.

Contemporary Issue

The allure of other “truth claims” is subtle. These claims have elements of truth in them; they appeal to our experiences. These claims often call us through loved ones. This information or news often leads us to a kind of living that is full of skepticism or fear — almost a kind of scared living. Often this kind of living is filled with excessive “what if” living or an utter pessimism. The information we had been listening to has successfully led us to a sort of faith that produced fear and worry.

[PICTURE] Illustration: Child caught between two alluring options

The two extremes of this kind of knowledge or information could not be more clear in our society. You can listen to Bill Cunningham or Sean Hannity. On the other end of the spectrum, you can listen to Chris Cuomo or Shepherd Smith. What we often don’t realize is how both of these extremes are telling us to believe something.

The Christian is kind of caught in the middle, and he or she often don’t realize when they begin to add these assertions they are hearing to Jesus Christ. The Christianity then becomes a sort of mixture of stories they know about Jesus mixed with solutions they are hearing from their information sources.

What is happening, unconsciously, is that this is leading us down a path where we unwittingly take faith away from the sufficiency of Jesus and invest our faith in an alternative to bring about assurance about life.

The Truth

John helps us to know what that truth is. Notice I John 2:22.

1 John 2:22 KJV 1900

22 Who is a liar but he that denieth that Jesus is the Christ? He is antichrist, that denieth the Father and the Son.

Jesus is the Christ has serious implications:

It means that God has become flesh.

It means that there is someone who can adequately deal with our sins.

It means that we can have eternal life.

It means that the Bible has been fulfilled.

It means that there is a clear answer for sin/life/right and wrong.

[PICTURE] Illustration: Child caught between two options with hands already full. They have to let go of one. Likewise, we unwittingly begin to hear all of these truth claims and begin to set down the sufficiency of Jesus and attempt to find our confidence in other people or theories.

Who Jesus is, as presented in scripture, needs no support system from a political party or from any other worldview; yet, there are Christians who unwittingly have sought for confidence and joyful assurance based on conservative politics or Theory-based teaching.

It is imperative that we take our eyes off of men who are changing the truth of Jesus Christ or who are calling for us to trust in what they are saying.

Alternatively, we must abide in the truth Jesus Christ alone for confidence.

Body:

(1) This truth is active [does 3 things] (I John 2:18-19)

Hydrogen peroxide, when applied on an open wound, fizzles and bubbles. It is a sign that it is killing bacteria. Had this personal experience from a strawberry wound that happened due to a baseball slide. Likewise, this truth of Jesus is active and does three things.

(i) Shows who is on the dark side (I John 2:18)

1 John 2:18 KJV 1900

18 Little children, it is the last time: and as ye have heard that antichrist shall come, even now are there many antichrists; whereby we know that it is the last time.

John uses the term antichristos to specifically identify those who are against Christ. In particular, these individuals are denying that Jesus is the Messiah, and that the Messiah was manifested in body. To deny the truth of Jesus manifests on which side you are.

(ii) Shows that the timer is ticking down (v. 18)

Notice the phrase last time, which is used to identify a change that has taken place. This would be a reference to the limited amount of time that the darkness has as the world is passing away. Remember what John had already said in I John 2:17.

1 John 2:17 KJV 1900

17 And the world passeth away, and the lust thereof: but he that doeth the will of God abideth for ever.

(iii) Shows that only those who stay in the body are really in the light (I John 2:19)

1 John 2:19 KJV 1900

19 They went out from us, but they were not of us; for if they had been of us, they would no doubt have continued with us: but they went out, that they might be made manifest that they were not all of us.

This truth of Jesus either leads us to sticking together or to breaking apart. What John emphasizes here is that those who persevere in this truth are manifesting that they are part of God’s people while those who do not were never part of God’s people.

Brief Applications:

(i) Do you believe that Jesus is God incarnate?

If you consider yourself to be a Christian but find yourself denying that Jesus is the Messiah, then you are not a Christian. Your confidence is falsely founded.

(ii) How serious are you about being formally part of a body that affirms that Jesus is the Christ?

Being known as part of a body who affirms Jesus Christ mattered in the 1st Century and it matters today. An individual cannot apparently leave something of which he or she were not known to be a part of, and of which there were clear doctrinal parameters.

(2) This truth has no knock-off brands — only single Source (I John 2:20)

[PICTURE] Illustration: There are knock off brands and sources for just about everything. One that is pretty common is Cheerios. Here, John gives assurance to the believers by drawing their attention to the single Source of this truth.

1 John 2:20 KJV 1900

20 But ye have an unction from the Holy One, and ye know all things.

The word unction here means anointing. You also see it in I John 2:27, and this is a reference to a special gift that the Lord has given to his people.

1 John 2:27 KJV 1900

27 But the anointing which ye have received of him abideth in you, and ye need not that any man teach you: but as the same anointing teacheth you of all things, and is truth, and is no lie, and even as it hath taught you, ye shall abide in him.

I John 3:24 is a little more explicit.

1 John 3:24 KJV 1900

24 And he that keepeth his commandments dwelleth in him, and he in him. And hereby we know that he abideth in us, by the Spirit which he hath given us.

God has given His people the Holy Spirit so that they might know all things. This is also reminiscent of John 14:26.

John 14:26 KJV 1900

26 But the Comforter, which is the Holy Ghost, whom the Father will send in my name, he shall teach you all things, and bring all things to your remembrance, whatsoever I have said unto you.

Knowing all things in this context is that they would know all things which are necessary for denying the liars. This is not a reference to some supernatural omniscience that Christians were going to receive.

What this all means is that there were no other sources for this truth. There are no knock-offs or generic brands. The assurance that these Christians needed came from a truth that had an exclusive Source — the Holy One.

Brief Application:

The usage of the Holy One calls to mind the unholiness of mankind. We cannot go far in any of the apostolic writings without being reminded as to why we need the Holy One. We need Him because we are so unholy.

Have you refused Jesus Christ because you have never really seen your need for Him?

Have you considered that if you have no care for Jesus Christ that it may be because you do not have the Holy Spirit dwelling in you?

(3) This truth will not allow remastering, modifications, or add-ons (I John 2:21-23)

Illustration: There was a device game called “Tiny Tower”. In this game you build your tower in which you can place all kinds of places such as housing, stores…etc. One of the problems with the game is that the developers could not keep up with demand. People were building these towers in this game and they would get to the limit and have to wait for the next update to come out. The truth that John is calling the people to confidence in needs no add-ons, updates, or modifications. There are not glitches.

1 John 2:21–23 KJV 1900

21 I have not written unto you because ye know not the truth, but because ye know it, and that no lie is of the truth. 22 Who is a liar but he that denieth that Jesus is the Christ? He is antichrist, that denieth the Father and the Son. 23 Whosoever denieth the Son, the same hath not the Father: (but) he that acknowledgeth the Son hath the Father also.

The term liar is a strong term that connects these antichrists with Satan. Remember what Jesus said in John 8:44.

John 8:44 KJV 1900

44 Ye are of your father the devil, and the lusts of your father ye will do. He was a murderer from the beginning, and abode not in the truth, because there is no truth in him. When he speaketh a lie, he speaketh of his own: for he is a liar, and the father of it.

There is no middle ground regarding this truth. To deny what God has said in sending Jesus, the Logos, is to deny the Father. Hebrews 1:1-2

Hebrews 1:1–2 KJV 1900

1 God, who at sundry times and in divers manners spake in time past unto the fathers by the prophets, 2 Hath in these last days spoken unto us by his Son, whom he hath appointed heir of all things, by whom also he made the worlds;

What God has said in sending his Son is complete. To deny the Son is to deny the Father. Jesus is the absolute truth of God, and Jesus is absolutely sufficient as the Savior.

Brief Application:

Have you ever considered that to not accept Jesus as Lord is to lie against absolute truth?

Have you ever considered that to add faith to anything except Jesus is to lie against absolute truth?

(4) This truth requires proper application (I John 2:24-27)

Illustration: Most people wear deodorant. It is a helpful means of preventing bad smell and perspiration. Most people put deodorant on in the mornings before they get dressed, but did you know that proper application of most deodorants requires that you put the deodorant on before you go to bed? By the way, it actually does make a difference. All that to say, proper application of the truth matters.

John gives the command to allow what they had heard from the beginning to remain in them. I John 2:24

1 John 2:24 KJV 1900

24 Let that therefore abide in you, which ye have heard from the beginning. If that which ye have heard from the beginning shall remain in you, ye also shall continue in the Son, and in the Father.

If the truth of who Jesus is abides in them, then they will continue with faith in Jesus and the Father.

Brief Application: This is where much of the problem exists. We have competing truth claims that are subtly calling for our faith. It is not that they are telling us to stop believing in Jesus, but they are morphing our belief in Jesus. This evolutions leads us to be people who speak the right thing but believe something else.

What a comforting verse I John 2:25 is.

1 John 2:25 KJV 1900

25 And this is the promise that he hath promised us, even eternal life.

This verse brings to mind again the marshmallow test. It is a verse that puts everything into proper perspective. It is this truth of God’s promise that must continue to abide in us as well.

Finally, How do I consistently and rightly apply this truth? That is what John answers in the final two verses. I John 2:26-27

1 John 2:26–27 KJV 1900

26 These things have I written unto you concerning them that seduce you. 27 But the anointing which ye have received of him abideth in you, and ye need not that any man teach you: but as the same anointing teacheth you of all things, and is truth, and is no lie, and even as it hath taught you, ye shall abide in him.

First, the New Testament apostolic writings must read and believed. Second, we must listen to what God’s Spirit through these writings teaches us. Thirdly, the message from the Spirit is clear, “Remain with faith in the sufficiency of Jesus” [to exclusion of all others] and not with faith in the sufficiency of Trump or Theory.

Brief Application:

Are you comforted by the promise of eternal life in Jesus Christ?

Are you certain that you have this eternal life?

Conclusion:

Trump says, “Make America Great Again.”

Theory says, “American history is tainted and needs to be revised.”

The Father says, “I promise eternal life to all those who are in the Son.”

Which one of these provides true, lasting confidence?

(1) This truth is active (v. 18-19)

(2) This truth has no knock-off brands (v. 20)

(3) This truth will not allow add-ons (v. 21-23)

(4) This truth requires proper application (v. 24-27)

Applications:

Have you believed on Jesus as Lord?

If you have believed, have you confessed Jesus as Lord?

Are you actively growing in the knowledge of Jesus Christ?

How are you allowing the Spirit of God to teach you through the word?

Are you on mission to help others have assurance of eternal life in Christ?

What other truth claims have you allowed to be mixed with Jesus?