These are the original teaching notes from this passage.
I John 2:18-29
Review…
- Growing in the LIGHT…
- Having stated God is LIGHT – and in Him is NO darkness at all – I John 1:5
- And having given us the THREE tests to PROVE we are in the LIGHT – I John 2:1-11
- John described THREE seasons all of us should go through in the LIGHT!
- Little Children – who KNOW they are forgiven – and KNOW the Father…
- Young Men – who KNOW the Word – and have VICTORY over the Wicked one…
- Fathers – who KNOW the one who is from the beginning – Jesus!
- Part of GROWING up in the Lord – is GROWING apart from the world…
- We are NOT to LOVE the world – Jesus would tell us to HATE it – Luke 14:26
- If we LOVE the world – then the LOVE of the Father is NOT in us…
- Because all that is in the WORLD – Lust of the flesh – eyes – and pride of life…
- Are not of the FATHER – and they are all passing away!
- Finally – Be a LIGHT…
- The Final part to this FIRST section to the book – is the encouragement to Be a LIGHT…
- John will look at being a LIGHT in THREE ways…
- Because we are in the Last HOUR – Because we know the TRUTH – Because we ABIDE in Him!
- Having stated God is LIGHT – and in Him is NO darkness at all – I John 1:5
Be a LIGHT…
- 1st – In the Last Hour… vs. 18-19 / 22-23
- 1st – The Antichrist… vs. 18
- Little children – it is the last hour!
- Little Children [παιδίον] – 51x in NT – meaning a newborn infant…
- It is the Last HOUR – very similar to the phrase LAST days – Acts 2:17 – II Timothy 3:1
- The LAST DAYS began when the Holy Spirit was poured out on Pentecost – Acts 2:17
- And will continue right up to the rapture of the church – I Thessalonians 4:16
- Which begins the DAY of the LORD – and the Tribulation – Revelation 6-18
- The FIRST reason we should be a LIGHT – we are in the Last HOURS!
- We are no longer counting DAYS – until the RAPTURE – we are counting HOURS…
- Jesus is coming very SOON – and we need to be READY!
- Luke 21:28 – “When all these things begin to happen… look up – for your salvation is near!”
- You have heard that the Antichrist is coming!
- John gives us THREE evidences – that we are in the Last HOURS…
- FIRST – Antichrist [ἀντίχριστος] – 5x in NT – I John 2:18 – 2:22 – 4:3 – II John 1:7
- The name means to be OPPOSED to the Christ – to be AGAINST Jesus…
- The definite article [THE] is before the word – meaning THE Antichrist is coming [present]!
- He will be a leader who will rise out of Europe – the little horn – Daniel 7:8
- He will make a treaty with Israel for SEVEN years after the Magog invasion – Ezekiel 38
- There is a good chance he will have Jewish heritage – God of his fathers – Daniel 11:37
- He will make PEACE by offering to rebuild the THIRD Temple for Israel – Daniel 9:27
- North of the Dome of the Rock [monument] – in a place called the Dome of the Spirit…
- He will rebuild the Temple – and Jews will embrace him – John 5:43
- The rise of the Antichrist – is one of the main events – in the Day of the LORD…
- But since he has NOT yet come – then we know we are NOT yet in the Day of the LORD!
- II Thessalonians 2:3 – “Let no one deceive you by any means – for that Day will not come unless… the man of sin is revealed…”
- Since we are in the Last HOURS – there is a good chance the antichrist is alive today…
- But he cannot be revealed until the HOLY SPIRIT is removed – II Thessalonians 2:7
- If he revealed himself now – we would all know who he is – tell the world not to follow!
- Even now many antichrists have come – by which we know that it is the last hour!
- Although THE Antichrist has not yet come – there [perfect] are MANY antichrists…
- Meaning there are a LOT of people today who are OPPOSED to Jesus…
- Which lets us KNOW [γινώσκω] – we are living in the Last HOURS!
- Matthew 24:11 – “Many false prophets will rise up and deceive many.”
- There are over TEN thousands religions [false prophets] in the world today…
- Countless false religions – Islam – Hinduism – Buddhism…
- As well as CULTS – Mormons – JW – Iglesia – who claim to believe in Jesus
- Every one of them with only one purpose – meant to keep people from heaven…
- The SPIRIT of antichrist all around us – OPPOSED to the Lord!
- 2nd – Falling away… vs. 19
- They went out from us!
- SECOND – those who went out from us – people who commit APOSTASY…
- APOSTASY [ἀποστασία] – meaning to depart from…
- Talking about DEPARTURE from the FAITH – turning away from God!
- II Thessalonians 2:3 – “Let no one deceive you by any means – for that Day will not come unless the falling away comes first.”
- I Timothy 4:1 – “The Spirit expressly says that in latter times some will depart from the faith.”
- A 2006 survey of several nations – found ONLY 26% of people attend church weekly…
- MANY have gone out from us – 74% of people do NOT go to church!
- The most important command we have – is to LOVE God above all else – Matthew 22:37
- But in the last days people will LOVE themselves rather than God – II Timothy 3:2
- This is not hard for us to do – since we by nature tend to focus on ourselves…
- The world is becoming POST CHRISTIAN – where many if not most – have DEPARTED…
- Letting us know we are in the Last HOURS – but not yet the Day of the LORD!
- They were not of us – for if they had been of us – they would have continued with us…
- But they went out that they might be made manifest – that none of them were of us!
- Anyone who DEPARTS the FAITH – was not part of the BODY of Christ…
- Because if they were – they would have CONTINUED [pluperfect] with us…
- CONTINUED [μένω] – to ABIDE – to hold cling to…
- But they LEFT – so we could SEE [φανερόω] – they were NEVER part of the BODY!
- There are going to be people who come to church for a while – then leave…
- Maybe because of a hard teaching – upset because of something the Bible says…
- Or because they expected something from God – other than salvation…
- Maybe thinking coming to church would make them rich…
- Whatever the reason – they choose to walk away from Jesus – deny the Faith…
- But by walking away it only proves they were never serious about following Jesus!
- 3rd – Denying… vs. 22-23
- Who is a liar but he who denies that Jesus is the Christ!
- THIRD – those who LIE – by denying who Jesus is…
- Anyone who DENIES [present] Jesus is the CHRIST – is a LIAR!
- Did you ever wonder why we call Jesus – Christ – like it is His last name…
- Jesus is His NAME – [יְהוֹשֻׁעַ] – Yahweh Shua – God is Salvation…
- Christ is His TITLE – [Χριστός] or [מָשִׁיחַ] – meaning the anointed one!
- I John 4:3 – “[Anyone] that does not confess that Jesus Christ has come in the flesh is not of God. And this is the spirit of the Antichrist.”
- The purpose of the MESSIAH – CHRIST – was to come and DIE – Philippians 2:7-8
- Jesus became a MAN – so that He could live a PERFECT life – and then DIE for our sin…
- Anyone who does NOT confess that – is a LIAR and does not speak the TRUTH!
- He is antichrist who denies the Father and the Son!
- Anyone who DENIES [present] the Father and Son are ONE – TRINITY – is a LIAR…
- That person has the SPIRIT of the antichrist – they are OPPOSED to God…
- The Bible makes it VERY clear – Jesus is God!
- Romans 9:5 – Jesus is the eternally blessed GOD – Isaiah 9:6 – The Son is mighty the GOD…
- John 20:28 – Our Lord and GOD – I John 5:20 – the True GOD!
- The doctrine of the DEITY of Jesus – is the RED line that cannot be crossed…
- It is what makes a RELIGION that claims to believe in Christ – a CULT…
- There is great diversity within the Body of Christ – I Corinthians 12:27
- And we can agree to disagree and a VAST collection of non-essentials…
- But we CANNOT disagree on the Trinity – Deity of Jesus Christ – it is THE essential!
- Whoever denies the Son does not have the Father either…
- He who acknowledges the Son has the Father also!
- ALL [πᾶς] who DENY [present] the SON is God – do NOT have the Father…
- But those who SAY [ὁμολογέω] the SON is God – have the Father too!
- John 10:30 – “I and My Father are one.”
- We cannot say we believe in the FATHER – but not the SON – they are the same…
- We cannot say we believe in the SON – but not the SPIRIT – they are the same…
- We cannot SEPARATE God – we either have God in our HEARTS – or we do NOT!
- John 14:23 – “If anyone loves Me … My Father will love him – and We will come to him and make Our home with him.”
- 1st – The Antichrist… vs. 18
- 2nd – In what we KNOW… vs. 20-21
- 1st – The Anointing… vs. 20
- But you have an anointing from the Holy One – and you know all things!
- The SECOND reason we should be a LIGHT – because of what we KNOW…
- There are TWO things John gives us that we KNOW [εἴδω]
- FIRST – we KNOW we have an ANOINTING from the HOLY one…
- ANOINTING [χρῖσμα] – 3x in NT [all of them here] – to pour oil onto someone…
- What OIL is poured OIL onto us – the HOLY [ἅγιος] – referring to the Holy SPIRIT…
- OIL in the Bible is used as a picture of the Holy Spirit – He ANOINTS us for MINISTRY!
- I Samuel 16:13 – “Samuel took the… oil and anointed [David]… and the Spirit of the LORD came upon [him].”
- Too often people are just placed in MINISTRY – with disastrous results…
- Listen if we are serving and feeling – BURNED OUT – if there is no JOY…
- Then we are very likely in the WRONG place – we are NOT called to do this!
- Just because there NEED – does not mean we are the ones to step up and HELP…
- Just because we have certain GIFTS and abilities – does not mean we are QUALIFIED…
- The question is NOT who has the most talent – or the best ideas…
- The question is whom has God CALLED – ANOINTED for a work…
- We will be a LIGHT – when we step out to do what God has ANOINTED us to do!
- 2nd – The Truth… vs. 21
- I have not written to you because you do not know the truth…
- But because you know it – and that no lie is of the truth!
- SECOND – we KNOW [εἴδω] – THE [definite article] TRUTH!
- We live in a WORLD that is upside down – a WORLD that does not know God…
- A WORLD where ALL that is evil is good – and ALL that is good is evil…
- When it is a crime in some countries to pray in public places – or bring a Bible into school…
- But where homosexuality – and abortion are protected by the Law!
- Isaiah 5:20 – “Woe unto them that call evil good – and good evil…”
- The WORLD would love for us to question the TRUTH…
- What is right for you – may not be what is right for me – everything is RELATIVE…
- Event Pontius Pilate famously said to Jesus – what is TRUTH – John 18:38
- But it does not matter what MEN say – they are all LIARS – Romans 3:4
- The Bible is our ANCHOR in a backwards world – it is the TRUTH!
- John 17:17 – “Your word is truth.” – also Psalm 119:160
- 1st – The Anointing… vs. 20
- 3rd – By abiding in Him… vs. 24-29
- 1st – Abiding… vs. 24
- Therefore let that abide in you which you heard from the beginning.
- If what you heard from the beginning abides in you – you will abide in the Son and in the Father!
- THEREFORE – in light of Last HOURS we are living in – and because of what we KNOW…
- We MUST [imperative] – ABIDE in what we have HEARD…
- ABIDE [μένω] 120x in NT – a word that John REALLY liked – 68x in his FIVE books…
- The Word means to CLING to something – and never let go!
- What did we HEAR – in the BEGINNING [ἀρχή] – we heard the WORD [λόγος]
- John 1:1 – “In the beginning [ἀρχή] was the Word [λόγος]…”
- When we ABIDE [present] in the WORD – we will [future] ABIDE in the SON – and Father…
- Because it is through His WORD [λόγος] – that we have FAITH!
- Romans 10:17 – “Faith cometh by hearing – and hearing by the word of God.”
- If we were asked to defuse a bomb – but also given a book with detailed instructions…
- How tightly would we hold onto the book – like our lives depended on it!
- This life is like a bomb – one wrong move and it can blow up on us…
- But we have been given an instruction manual that will keep us safe…
- Yet too often our Bibles are just what we bring to church on Sundays…
- They are only used when we cannot fall asleep at night…
- We need to CLING to the Bible – because our life does depend on it!
- 2nd – The promise… vs. 25
- And this is the promise that He has promised us – eternal life!
- If we ABIDE in Jesus – we have the PROMISE from God…
- PROMISE [ἐπαγγέλλομαι] 15x in NT – from the word ANGEL [ἄγγελος] – MESSENGER
- The MESSAGE we have been given – is we have ETERNAL [αἰώνιος] life!
- The fact is everyone will live forever – our spirit is eternal…
- The question we are left to answer – is WHERE will we spend out eternity…
- For those who REJECT the LIGHT – those who do NOT abide in the WORD…
- They CHOSE to spend their eternity in hell – because they rejected the hope of the Word!
- But for those who are in the LIGHT – those who ABIDE in Jesus…
- Then we are given the PROMISE of HEAVEN – we will be with Jesus always!
- 3rd – The deception… vs. 26
- These things I have written to you concerning those who try to deceive you!
- John wrote these THINGS – about the importance of ABIDING in the WORD…
- Because of those who want to DECEIVE us…
- DECEIVE – [πλανάω] – where we get the word PLANET – the WORLD!
- We have to be so careful what we allow to INFLUENCE our lives…
- If we are constantly pumping social media – Hollywood – advertising into our heads…
- Is it no wonder that we are being DECEIVED by this world…
- Instead of being filled with the LIES of the WORLD– we need to be filled with the WORD!
- Matthew 18:13 – “Jesus answered and said to them – you are DECEIVED [πλανάω] – not knowing the Scriptures.”
- 4th – The instructor… vs. 27
- But the anointing which you have received from Him abides in you!
- The ANOINTING [χρῖσμα] we have received from Jesus – ABIDES in us…
- As we have already noted – the ANOINTING – speaks of the Holy Spirit…
- The HELPER [παράκλητος] that Jesus sent to us – John 16:7
- I Corinthians 6:19 – “Do you not know that your body is the temple of the Holy Spirit…”
- God gives us His Holy Spirit to give us the POWER to take action…
- When was the last time we experienced God doing something amazing in our lives…
- We may NEVER have experienced it – because we have no power!
- Zechariah 4:6 – “Not by might – nor by power – but by my spirit – says the LORD.”
- You do not need – anyone teach you – but as the same anointing teaches you all things!
- We do NOT need anyone to TEACH us – we have THE teacher in us…
- The ANOINTING [χρῖσμα] – the Holy Spirit who ABIDES in us – He will teach us ALL things!
- John 14:26 – “The Holy Spirit… will teach you all things – and bring to your remembrance all things that I said to you.”
- Have you even been talking about Jesus – and suddenly remember a verse – teaching…
- That is the ANOINTING – the Holy Spirit working in us!
- Often we get the mistaken idea we are not able to understand the Word…
- We need to have someone INTERPRET it for us – EXPLAIN the Word to us…
- There are plenty of people who are willing to tell us what the Bible means…
- But the question is are they RIGHT – or is it just their OPINION…
- God has given each of us His Holy Spirit – HE is the one who will TEACH us…
- We can be absolutely certain that what the Holy Spirit gives us – it the truth!
- And is true – and is not a lie – and just as it has taught you – you will abide in Him!
- The Holy Spirit is TRUTH – He cannot lie – He ONLY speaks the TRUTH…
- John 16:3 – “The Spirit of truth has come – He will guide you into all truth.”
- The TRUTH the Holy Spirit TAUGHT [aorist] us – is to ABIDE in Jesus…
- John 15:26 – “When… the Spirit of truth [comes]… He will testify of Me.”
- Some church today have unusual practices they say come from the Spirit…
- Where people lay hands on each other and are slain in the Spirit – fall over…
- I have even heard of churches where people bark like dogs – in the Spirit!
- We are left to wonder if these things are really from the Spirit of God…
- While it is true the Holy Spirit does gift us GIFTS – I Corinthians 12-14
- WHAT those gifts are very clearly defined – prophecy – miracles – healing…
- As well as HOW they are to be used in the church – I Corinthians 14:40
- Most importantly – everything the Spirit does ALWAYS points to Jesus!
- 5th – The confidence… vs. 28
- And now – little children – abide in Him!
- Little Children [τεκνίον] – 7x in this letter – someone who is NEW to the FAITH…
- ABIDE [μένω] in Jesus – this is not a suggestion – it is a COMMAND [imperative]
- There are not many commands in I John – less than TEN…
- Yet for the SECOND time in this passage – we are COMMANDED to ABIDE!
- When He appears – we may have confidence and not be ashamed before Him at His coming!
- We MUST abide in Jesus – so that we can be [subjunctive] CONFIDENT and not ASHAMED!
- Jesus gave the parable of the TALENT – Luke 19:11-27
- The Master gave TALENTS to each of His servants – and went away for a LONG time…
- When we returned – He demanded to know what they had done with their TALENTS…
- TWO of the servants – had used their TALENTS wisely – and were CONFIDENT…
- ONE of the servants – was not WISE – and he was ASHAMED when the Master appeared!
- Luke 19:21 – “I was afraid because you are a hard man…” [NLT]
- If Jesus came back TODAY – how would we REACT…
- Would we be CONFIDENT – exciting to see Him – because are living for Him…
- Or ASHAMED – embarrassed – because we know have not!
- If we are ABIDING in Jesus – then we can be CONFIDENT we are using are TALENTS wisely!
- 6th – The Evidence… vs. 29
- If you know that He is righteous – you know that everyone…
- Who practices righteousness is born of Him!
- If we can SEE [subjunctive] that Jesus is RIGHTEOUS – He is the standard of being GOOD…
- Then we will SEE [indicative] that everyone who is RIGHTEOUS is – BORN from Him!
- It has been said the Apple does not fall that far from the tree…
- You can SEE what family a person comes from – by how they act!
- The PROOF that we are ABIDING in Jesus – EMPOWERED by the Holy Spirit…
- Is the GOOD works that come from our life – so that look just like Jesus Christ…
- We become a LIGHT in a dark world – just as Jesus is the LIGHT of the world!
- 1st – Abiding… vs. 24