1 John 2:18
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God’s heart
God’s heart
Look at John starts verse 18
18 Children, it is the last hour, and as you have heard that antichrist is coming, so now many antichrists have come. Therefore we know that it is the last hour.
Children look at the heart of God for His people. The term children, John is not talking down to the church, no he is showing us a heart of compassion. Is is about to give us instructions. He is about to give us biblical truth from the Father that God with a heart of love and compassion desperately wants us to follow. God wants the best for you no matter what your circumstances are. We see what God ultimately wants for all His children in verse 25
25 And this is the promise that he made to us—eternal life.
God is giving this church instructions, why? Verse 26
26 I write these things to you about those who are trying to deceive you.
God is having John write to this church because people are trying to deceive them. John is showing them love and affection like a father. I can speak from a father’s heart that I want my children to listen and obey The Word of God because I know the stakes are high. What is the reward for following Jesus.... eternal life.
Do you think this is still relevant for the church today? Are people still trying to deceive the church? More on that later. Let’s talk about....
The Last Hour
The Last Hour
What does John mean it is the last hour?
The short answer is we have entered the last stage of history. John is not being literal here. This does not mean the Bible has an error.
I want to share Ken Ham’s view on history from our Sunday School Class:
Creation, Corruption, Catastrophe, Confusion, Christ, Cross, Consummation. The 7 C’s of History are a memorable way of showing that the Bible is a history book and its events connect with real history. This framework helps us understand fossils, rock layers, people groups, and more.
So we are waiting on the final C of history. After the final C this Earth will pass away and God will what?
1 Then I saw a new heaven and a new earth, for the first heaven and the first earth had passed away, and the sea was no more.
Are you looking forward to this day? When this earth will pass away and God will create a new heaven and a new earth. What else has God promised at the Confirmation?
I know I quote it a-lot, I hope no one here is getting tired of hearing it, but with this life of pain and suffering this is what I want my heart focused on...
4 He will wipe away every tear from their eyes, and death shall be no more, neither shall there be mourning, nor crying, nor pain anymore, for the former things have passed away.”
How do you know that it is the last hour?
18 Children, it is the last hour, and as you have heard that antichrist is coming, so now many antichrists have come. Therefore we know that it is the last hour.
The antichrist is coming and many antichrists have come. As I read the passage, it looks like the church John is writing too, has heard that the antichrist is coming. That is the the antichrist that will appear at the end times. Listen to Paul discribe the antichrist in 2 Thessalonians 2:3
3 Let no one deceive you in any way. For that day will not come, unless the rebellion comes first, and the man of lawlessness is revealed, the son of destruction,
and in verses 8 -10 of 2 Thessalonians 2:8-10
8 And then the lawless one will be revealed, whom the Lord Jesus will kill with the breath of his mouth and bring to nothing by the appearance of his coming.
9 The coming of the lawless one is by the activity of Satan with all power and false signs and wonders,
10 and with all wicked deception for those who are perishing, because they refused to love the truth and so be saved.
Do you see the struggle we have been talking about all through out 1 John and really through out all of scripture and we still see it in our world today. The battle between truth and lies; good and evil; Go and Satan; right? Ever since the garden of eden, where Adam and Eve began by only knowing truth and the serpent was able to deceive Eve into disobeying God how? By getting her to believe lies. And ever since that day in the garden there has been an eternal struggle between truth and lies. The hardest part about being a pastor or even just being a believer, is seeing people who are blinded by the ruler of this world destroying the lives believing the lies of Satan. Do you know someone like that? We all probably know a lot of people blinded by the evil one destroying their lives. Are we susceptible to the enemy’s lies? Listen to what Jesus says about antichrists in general.
4 And Jesus answered them, “See that no one leads you astray.
5 For many will come in my name, saying, ‘I am the Christ,’ and they will lead many astray.
8 And he said, “See that you are not led astray. For many will come in my name, saying, ‘I am he!’ and, ‘The time is at hand!’ Do not go after them.
24 For false christs and false prophets will arise and perform great signs and wonders, so as to lead astray, if possible, even the elect.
This passage is scary, it warns the believe to be on guard and not be lead a stray. That is why it is so important to be in the Word and in prayer.
So let’s look a little closer at this concept of antichrist. My Bible dictionary defines antichrist like this:
ANTICHRIST (ἀντίχριστος, antichristos). A figure empowered by Satan who functions as an enemy of Jesus Christ and the Church. In the context of apocalyptic literature, this figure performs false miracles, deceives many in order to discourage people from worshiping the true God, and persecutes God’s people.
The term “antichrist” could mean either “against Christ” or “in place of Christ.” While the actual term “antichrist,” which originates in the New Testament, appears infrequently in Scripture, the concept of the antichrist appears numerous times in the New Testament.
Because the broader concept appears more often than the specific term, multiple perspectives have been presented on “antichrist,” leading to the understanding that the better phrase used to discuss the issue may be “eschatological antagonist.”
So in scripture we have passages that speak of a specific antichrist that will appear during the end times. But the term is also used more generally. Look at verse 22 of our passage.
22 Who is the liar but he who denies that Jesus is the Christ? This is the antichrist, he who denies the Father and the Son.
Let’s look at how Jesus puts it,
30 Whoever is not with me is against me, and whoever does not gather with me scatters.
So the truth is pretty simple, either you are on the side of truth or you are against it. You can’t be in the middle. You can’t believe what you believe and I believe what I believe and it doesn’t matter. Either you are for the truth or you are against it. It is that plain and simple. Look at verse 21
21 I write to you, not because you do not know the truth, but because you know it, and because no lie is of the truth.
22 Who is the liar but he who denies that Jesus is the Christ? This is the antichrist, he who denies the Father and the Son.
23 No one who denies the Son has the Father. Whoever confesses the Son has the Father also.
24 Let what you heard from the beginning abide in you. If what you heard from the beginning abides in you, then you too will abide in the Son and in the Father.
25 And this is the promise that he made to us—eternal life.
How high are the stakes in the battle for truth? The stakes are very high arn’t they? Listen to Jesus in Matthew 13
24 He put another parable before them, saying, “The kingdom of heaven may be compared to a man who sowed good seed in his field,
25 but while his men were sleeping, his enemy came and sowed weeds among the wheat and went away.
26 So when the plants came up and bore grain, then the weeds appeared also.
27 And the servants of the master of the house came and said to him, ‘Master, did you not sow good seed in your field? How then does it have weeds?’
28 He said to them, ‘An enemy has done this.’ So the servants said to him, ‘Then do you want us to go and gather them?’
29 But he said, ‘No, lest in gathering the weeds you root up the wheat along with them.
30 Let both grow together until the harvest, and at harvest time I will tell the reapers, “Gather the weeds first and bind them in bundles to be burned, but gather the wheat into my barn.” ’ ”
The stakes do not get any higher do they. This is a matter of eternal life or eternal death. Heaven or hell. Listen to Jesus in Matthew 22:11-14
11 “But when the king came in to look at the guests, he saw there a man who had no wedding garment.
12 And he said to him, ‘Friend, how did you get in here without a wedding garment?’ And he was speechless.
13 Then the king said to the attendants, ‘Bind him hand and foot and cast him into the outer darkness. In that place there will be weeping and gnashing of teeth.’
14 For many are called, but few are chosen.”
I have often wondered how the heart of God handles so many of His children refusing to embrace the truth and setting their course for eternal damnation. There are times I look around at all the people who are on a course for destruction and I feel overwhelmed, There are so many people who have no time for God or the things of God. I have begged people to believe the truth. But they continue stumbling in the darkness completely unaware of the end that is in store. I don’t know if they are in complete denial or if deep down they know the truth and just choose to ignore it. Believing the lie that they have plenty of time to get their lives right later. I believe that lie in college. I knew the life I was living was wrong, and I remember telling myself that I have plenty of time to turn things around later. What a lie! I had a friend in college that was drinking and died in his sleep and he very well could be in hell, I don’t know but that could have been me. There are a lot of people that believe the lie they have lots of time to get right with God later, or the other lie people believe is that I have sinned too much and God could never forgive me.
And if you were unable to make it Friday night you can borrow the churches DVD of Sabina. What a powerful picture of the love of Christ and His forgiveness. I won’t ruin the movie, if you don’t know what I am talking bout watch the movie! Another example is the apostle Paul also know as Saul.
57 But they cried out with a loud voice and stopped their ears and rushed together at him.
58 Then they cast him out of the city and stoned him. And the witnesses laid down their garments at the feet of a young man named Saul.
59 And as they were stoning Stephen, he called out, “Lord Jesus, receive my spirit.”
60 And falling to his knees he cried out with a loud voice, “Lord, do not hold this sin against them.” And when he had said this, he fell asleep.
1 And Saul approved of his execution. And there arose on that day a great persecution against the church in Jerusalem, and they were all scattered throughout the regions of Judea and Samaria, except the apostles.
2 Devout men buried Stephen and made great lamentation over him.
3 But Saul was ravaging the church, and entering house after house, he dragged off men and women and committed them to prison.
Is any one beyond the grace of God? Look at Saul, also known as Paul, He killed Christians and persecuted the early church. Why? Because Paul didn’t believe in Jesus. Now Paul thought that he knew the Father so the entire time he though that he was serving God but remember what Jesus said
He who does not have the Son does not have the Father. You can’t believe in the Father without believing in Jesus right? Jesus said, I am way the truth and the life know one comes to the Father except by me.” John 14 verse 6. So is anyone to far gone as a sinner to receive the grace of God. No. Paul was killing christians and persecuting the church and do you know the rest of the story?
1 But Saul, still breathing threats and murder against the disciples of the Lord, went to the high priest
2 and asked him for letters to the synagogues at Damascus, so that if he found any belonging to the Way, men or women, he might bring them bound to Jerusalem.
3 Now as he went on his way, he approached Damascus, and suddenly a light from heaven shone around him.
4 And falling to the ground, he heard a voice saying to him, “Saul, Saul, why are you persecuting me?”
5 And he said, “Who are you, Lord?” And he said, “I am Jesus, whom you are persecuting.
6 But rise and enter the city, and you will be told what you are to do.”
Paul was blinded by the ruler of this age. Paul was believing lies from the enemy. Paul did not believe in Jesus. But Jesus rescued Paul a murder and a persecutor of His people. If Paul can be forgiven and saved any one can. No one is beyond the grace of God.
The key take away this morning, is you are in a battle for truth and you need to make sure you are in this Book. Why?
John has a warning for us this morning and some encouragement. The warning is we must be on guard why? Because there is and will be antichrist and their goal is to deceive us and lead us a stray. What is our encouragement. 1 John 2:19-20
19 They went out from us, but they were not of us; for if they had been of us, they would have continued with us. But they went out, that it might become plain that they all are not of us.
20 But you have been anointed by the Holy One, and you all have knowledge.
Have you ever been discouraged by an announcement from a christian author or musician or even a friend or love one that they are no longer a christian? I find it heart breaking and if I allow if it can be discouraging. BY what does John say in our text this morning? If people turn their backs on the faith and leave us, don’t question your own faith. That is what the enemy wants you to do. You must cling to the truth that they were not of us, that is why they went out. Most importantly, don’t give up on them or any unbeliever. Pray harder for that person. They did not find the truth and left us, they have been blinded by the evil one so pray they can receive their sight and return to us.
You must be on your guard against your enemy, He wants to deceive you. He wants to destroy your walk and your witness so that he can derail your effectiveness for the kingdom. Eternity is at stake for ourselves and others. We must be about this book and in prayer. You must fight the lies of the enemy with truth. In the end truth wins.
Let us pray.