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Truth or Consequences. I John 2:18-29. Sincerity A person who is real builds his life on truth, not supposition or lies Warning about the conflicts Light & darkness (1:1-3:6) Love & hatred (2;7-17) Truth & error (2:18-29) “The last times” & “antichrist”
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Truth or Consequences I John 2:18-29
Sincerity • A person who is real builds his life on truth, not supposition or lies • Warning about the conflicts • Light & darkness (1:1-3:6) • Love & hatred (2;7-17) • Truth & error (2:18-29) • “The last times” & “antichrist” • Christians are living in an hour of crisis • New age has dawned on the world • Preparation for the end when Jesus will come & establish His kingdom
God works in human time, but he is above time (II Peter 3:8) • Ungodly false teachers have increased in number & influence • Kind of time; not a duration of time • I Timothy 4 • Important that we know what we believe and why we believe • Antichrist • A spirit in the world that opposes or denies Christ • False teachers who embody this spirit • A person who will head up the final rebellion against Christ
The spirit of antichrist since Gen 3 where Satan declared war on God • Dual meaning • In Greek against • In Greek instead of • Antichrist (capital A) – man of sin (or lawlessness) (II Thess 2:1-12) • Two forces • Truth through the church by the Holy Spirit • Evil working by the energy of Satan • Marks of the false teachers controlled by the spirit of antichrist • He departs from the fellowship (18-19)
“They went out from us, but they were not really of us; for they had been of us, they would have remained with us.” (2:19, NASB) • Us: fellowship of the believers; church • Church: one worldwide family (universal) • Body (I Cor 12) & building (Eph 1:19-22) • Local units or assemblies of believers • Evidence of true Christian • Desire to be with the people of God • “We know that we passed from death unto life, because we love the brethren.” (3:14) • Counterfeit Christian • Parable of sower (Matt 13:1-9, 18-23) • Have things in common regardless of affiliations • Basic doctrines
Cults • With us, but not of us • Dangerous to leave the fellowship • II Peter 2; II Tim 3-4 • He Denies the Faith (2:20-25; 4:1-6) • Key question: who is Jesus? • False Christian • Unction & knowledge • Difference: Jesus Christ is God come in the flesh (4:2) • Christians under the direction of the Spirit of the truth • False Christians under the influence of the spirit of error –spirit of the antichrist • True confession: Jesus is God come in flesh • Personal faith & witness from heart
False teachers will believe God, but denies Jesus • Deny Jesus, deny the Father • “Father and I are one” John 10:30 • That all men should honor , even as they honor the Father. He that honoreth not the Son honoreth not the Father which sent him.” (John 5:23) • Try the spirits, whether they are of God (I John 4: 1) • “Let the word of God abide in you (2:24) and abide in Christ (2:28) • He Tries to Deceive the Faithful (2:26-29)
False teachers focus on converting professing Christians & church members more than the lost sinners • Seduce: being led astray • “Now the Spirit speaketh extremely, that in the latter times some shall depart from faith, giving heed to seducing spirits and doctrines of devils (I Tim 4:1) • Careful to distinguish the Scriptures • False teachers pick out of context • Warning in II John about the false teachers • No Godspeed to them • Consequences • Seeds of false teaching in your mind
Satan can water the seeds to bitter fruit • If given entrance, the deceiver will say to the neighbor who refuses entrance that the recent neighbor allow them • Bridge from fellowship to sonship (2:28-29) • Abide • Believing the truth, obeying the truth, and loving the other Christians (brethren) • Out of fellowship: reasons • Disobeyed His Word • Lacked love for a brother • Believe a lie • Solution: confession (I John 1:9)
Appear (I John 2:28-3:3; 4:17) • Be judged for their faithfulness in serving Jesus (I Cor 3:10-12) • Rewards (4:5) • The judgment seat of Christ (Rom 14:10, II Cor 5:10) • Incentive to live in fellowship with Him and be obedient (3:2-3) • Ashamed • “Ashamed before him at his coming” (2:28) • All believers are accepted, but not all are acceptable • Directions to obey God • Looking back he sees Calvary • Looking within he sees the Holy Spirit who lives within and teaches
Looking around he sees Christian brothers and lost world needing his godly witness • Looking ahead he sees the return of Christ • A person who professes to be a Christian who does not live in obedience, love, and truth is either deceived or deceiver • “As obedient children, not fashioning yourselves according to the former lusts in your ignorance: but as he which hath called you is holy, so be ye holy.” (I Peter 1:14-15) • “Therefore be imitators of God as beloved children (Ephesians 5:1 NASB) • Does your life bear the marks of obedience, love, and truth?