TELLING TRUTH FROM A LIE
Text: 1 John 2:18-27
Introduction
1. Illustration:
I remember hearing about computer viruses. Could a computer catch a germ? I then learned that computer viruses were often malicious programs, developed by evil-doers, to destroy computers. They are often downloaded stealthily, without you knowing it. Perhaps opening an email attachment or surfing the web.
When you combine intelligent effort with evil and the craving to destroy, misery results. False teachers, often unknowingly inspired by Satan, do just that: They are out to destroy the truth of God's Word and they are out to keep believers from living in a godly fashion. They are being manipulated by the evil one and do not even know it. God encourages leaders and Christians to hold a "no tolerance" position of false teaching, particularly in major and clear areas.
1 Timothy 4:1-2 (NLT2)
1 Now the Holy Spirit tells us clearly that in the last times some will turn away from the true faith; they will follow deceptive spirits and teachings that come from demons.
2 These people are hypocrites and liars, and their consciences are dead.
2. There are those today, both outside, and unfortunately, inside the church, that are functioning like computer viruses. Through false teaching and unbiblical belief they are destroying the church.
3. This goes to show us that not much has changed in 2,000 years, as John was dealing with the same thing in his day.
4. He talks about three distinct forces...
A. The Anti-Christ's
B. The Spirit
C. The Faithful
5. Stand with me this morning out of respect for the Word of God as we read 1 Jn. 2:18-27.
Proposition: We need to follow the voice of the Holy Spirit in discerning false teaching from right teaching; from truth and a lie.
Transition: John tells us to beware of...
I. The Anti-Christ's (18-19).
A. Many Such Antichrist's
1. Most people who have been around church at all, and even those who haven't if they have watched an TV programs dealing with the topic of the last days, has heard of a figure know as the Antichrist. However, what most of us realize is that there are many antichrist's in the world today.
2. This was also the case in John's day. In v. 18, he says, "Dear children, the last hour is here. You have heard that the Antichrist is coming, and already many such antichrists have appeared. From this we know that the last hour has come."
A. John begins this section by referring to his readers as "Dear Children." This illustrates the genuine fatherly affection that he has for them.
B. His purpose in writing this to them is to warn them about what will happen in the "last hours."
C. This phrase refers to specifically to the final point in human history, the day of the Second Coming of Christ and the judgment.
D. But why did John consider that time the last day when we consider the time we live in now the last days?
E. The truth is that the "last days" began on the day of Pentecost.
F. Acts 2:16-17 (NLT2)
16 No, what you see was predicted long ago by the prophet Joel:
17 ‘In the last days,’ God says, ‘I will pour out my Spirit upon all people. Your sons and daughters will prophesy. Your young men will see visions, and your old men will dream dreams.
G. So we have been in the last days since the beginning of the church on the Day of Pentecost. However, those days are most certainly coming to their conclusion.
3. The thing that John wants to warn them about is in the last days there will be antichrist’s.
a. He reminds them that they’ve been told that the Antichrist is coming, the one who will appear and perform signs and miracles to deceive believers.
b. The term antichristos, which first appears in the Epistles of John, is related to pseudochristos (5415), "liar-Christ, false Christ (Messiah)," an expression which was used by Jesus himself (Matthew 24:24; Mark 13:22).
c. The preposition anti, "instead of," can also have the meaning "against." The term antichristos then stands for he who is instead of Christ and he who is against Christ. He is the "against-Christ" and a false Christ, the contradiction of Christ and the imitator of Christ.
i. (497. ??t????st??," in The Complete Biblical Library Greek-English Dictionary – Alpha-Gamma, Under: "497).
d. Here, however, John warns them that many antichrists have already come, and they are false teachers who are teaching things contrary to sound doctrine. He says that this is how they know it’s the last hour.
4. John then continues this conception of antichrist's in v. 19, saying, "These people left our churches, but they never really belonged with us; otherwise they would have stayed with us. When they left, it proved that they did not belong with us."
a. Here John deals with the sad reality that these antichrists used to be a part of the church.
b. They were once a part of their membership, but now they have abandoned the church to start a group of their own.
c. Here it is a case of people who left because they held views contrary to John and the other Apostles.
d. Although these people had belonged to the church, John makes it clear that they were not true believers or they never would have left.
e. They may have at one time made a profession of faith, but they now reject that confession in order to do things their own way.
B. False Messiah's and False Prophets
1. Illustration:
In an unethical selling technique called the bait-and-switch method, a retailer lures customers into his store by advertising a well-known product at a very low price. When the buyer asks to purchase it, however, he is told that it is out of stock. The salesperson then tries to sell him an inferior line of merchandise, hoping to pocket a bigger profit. The brand name was used just to get potential customers to step inside.
In a similar way, a false teacher uses biblical words to capture interest and gain a hearing. He may talk about Christ, redemption, the cross, and the resurrection, but these "trusted terms" amount to nothing more than a come-on. The "seller" uses them to advertise truths that, as far as he is concerned, are "out of stock." When an interested person responds, he is confronted by beliefs that are completely contrary to God's Word.
2. We need to beware of wolves dressed up in sheep's clothing.
Matthew 24:24-25 (NLT2)
24 For false messiahs and false prophets will rise up and perform great signs and wonders so as to deceive, if possible, even God’s chosen ones.
25 See, I have warned you about this ahead of time.
a. Church, we are in a very dangerous time in the history of the church.
b. There are churches, once known for orthodox Christian belief, that have strayed from Biblical truth.
c. There are churches that have come out in support of abortion.
d. There are church who have that have accepted homosexuality as a normal expression of human sexuality.
e. There are churches today that no longer accept the Bible as the inerrant Word of God.
f. And the list goes on and on.
g. They are more concerned with how much money is in the offering and how many people in the seats, rather than standing on the truth of God's Word.
h. They are more concerned with preaching things that people want to hear rather than things they need to hear.
i. It's at times like this that we must cling to the true teaching and preaching of the Word and stand for the truth!
Transition: One of the ways that we stay on paths of truth is through the lead of...
II. The Spirit (20-23).
A. For The Holy One Has Given You His Spirit
1. John now addresses the believers greatest asset in dealing with right teaching and falsehood.
2. In v. 20 he says, "But you are not like that, for the Holy One has given you his Spirit, and all of you know the truth."
a. John now draws a contrast from those who have abandoned the church and those who have remained faithful.
b. He says that they can recognize the error of these people based on the spiritual understanding they have in their hearts.
c. The NLT translates this phrase as, "for the Holy One has given you his Spirit," of course, referring to the Holy Spirit.
d. The Greek word being translated here is the word chrisma.
i. Chrisma occurs three times in the New Testament, at 1 John 2:20 and 27 (twice).
e. In each of these cases chrisma refers to an anointing that provides the believers with knowledge by teaching them "all things." (The Complete Biblical Library Greek-English Dictionary – Sigma-Omega, 5380).
f. In the OT the use of this word was symbolic of someone receiving the Holy Spirit
g. 1 Samuel 16:13 (NLT2)
13 So as David stood there among his brothers, Samuel took the flask of olive oil he had brought and anointed David with the oil. And the Spirit of the LORD came powerfully upon David from that day on. Then Samuel returned to Ramah.
h. So what John is talking about here is believers receiving an anointing of the Holy Spirit who comes and teaches them all things that are true, and conversely, against those things which are not true.
3. So based on this anointing from the Holy Spirit, John tells us in v. 21, "So I am writing to you not because you don’t know the truth but because you know the difference between truth and lies."
a. Now John reinforces what he has been saying, and assures them that they are people who know the truth.
b. As such they should realize that no false statement comes from the truth.
c. If people teach false doctrine this is an indication that they do not have a divine anointing from the Holy Spirit.
d. Therefore, believers ought to be able to recognize these people for who they really are.
e. They have no share in a personal relationship with Christ, and therefore, their statements are false.
f. Those with the Holy Spirit not only know the truth about the Father and the Son but can also detect the difference between truth and falsehood.
g. John wrote, not giving them further teaching; the false teachers were attempting to do that.
h. Instead, he was reaffirming the truth that had already been taught to them and that they had believed (Barton, Life Application New Testament Commentary, 1157).
4. John continues he line of thought in v. 22, where he says, "And who is a liar? Anyone who says that Jesus is not the Christ. Anyone who denies the Father and the Son is an antichrist."
a. There is one false teaching that characterizes those who do not come from the truth more than any other.
b. It is a lie that John expects his readers to recognize, and as a result, draw the conclusion that these people cannot have any share in God the Father.
c. He makes his point with a rhetorical question, "Who is a liar? Anyone who says that Jesus is not the Christ."
d. Now based on our context it should be obvious that John is not talking about Jews who denied that Jesus is not the Christ, because he has already indicated that these people were once a part of the church.
e. It has nothing to do with accepting Jesus as the Jewish Messiah, but rather with the teaching that denied the reality of the incarnation.
f. It’s the idea that Jesus, the Son of God, became a human being. John says that anyone that denies that Jesus is the Son of God is an antichrist.
5. John then continues this idea in v. 23 with, "Anyone who denies the Son doesn’t have the Father, either. But anyone who acknowledges the Son has the Father also."
a. John here makes it clear that anyone who denies that Jesus is the Son of God has no share in the Father.
b. If these false teachers thought they could have God without Jesus they were sadly mistaken. It is only through the Son that we know God the Father, and it is only through the Son and his sacrificial death that we can have access to God as Father.
c. Therefore, to deny that Jesus is the Son of God is to deny the Christian doctrine of God.
d. The Christian teaching of a personal, fatherly God is totally dependent on the revelation of God given in Jesus.
e. Acceptance of Jesus automatically leads to personal communion with God as Father. There are only two options, confession or denial.
f. Because Jesus is God’s Son and the Messiah, anyone who denies the Son doesn’t have the Father either.
g. Many cultists today call themselves Christians, but they deny the deity of Jesus Christ. Some churches, such as the Unitarian church, deny the unique status of Christ as the Son of God (Barton, 1157).
B. He Will Lead You Into All Truth
1. Illustration: A little boy, whose mother was prevented from going with him to church because of illness, asked her little son about the sermon which he had heard. "What did the preacher preach about?" she asked him, and he gave the surprising answer: "The preacher said God was going to send us an extra 'bed quilt.' " Surprised, the poor mother asked if he remembered the text and he replied. "The preacher said 'He shall give you another comforter.' " (John 14:16) We smile at the simplicity of the boy but there is an analogy between the work of the Holy Spirit and a bed quilt. He bestows warmth and rest. He can keep us warm in our service and protect us from becoming cold and indifferent. The Comforter promotes a refreshing sleep, and renews our sense of security and safety. As we are led by the Holy Spirit to do the will of God, we alone can know the peace of God.
2. Jesus said the Holy Spirit would be our teacher!
a. John 16:13 (NLT2)
13 When the Spirit of truth comes, he will guide you into all truth. He will not speak on his own but will tell you what he has heard. He will tell you about the future.
b. The Holy Spirit has many purposes in our lives.
c. He empowers us to do ministry.
d. He gifts us so that we can minister to each other and to those outside the church.
e. However, one of the greatest purposes that the Holy Spirit has in our lives is that of a teacher.
f. Jesus said that the Holy Spirit would guide us and direct us into all truth.
g. He will remind us of what Jesus has already said to us.
h. He will enlighten us as we read the Scriptures.
i. He will give us discernment between what is true and what is a lie.
Transition: When we allow the Holy Spirit to teach us we then become...
III. The Faithful (24-27).
A. Remain Faithful
1. In order for us to continue and mature in our relationship with the Lord we must hold true in the things we have been taught.
a. It's not about what our society thinks.
b. It's not about what social media thinks.
c. It's not about what Hollywood thinks.
d. What matters is what God has taught through the Holy Spirit and the Word.
2. So John tells us in v. 24, "So you must remain faithful to what you have been taught from the beginning. If you do, you will remain in fellowship with the Son and with the Father."
a. John now continues with an emphatic, "But you," in which his readers are contrasted with the false teachers who have lost their grip on the truth, and they are encouraged to let the teaching which have received in the past continue to control their thinking and action.
b. The phrase from the beginning refers to the beginning of their Christian walk.
c. So important is this need to hang on to their original Christian teaching that John actually repeats as the NLT’s reference of "If you do."
d. Such adherence to true Christian teaching has as its result that the reader themselves will remain in the Son and the Father.
e. John makes it clear that acceptance of the original Christian teaching involves confession of Jesus as the Messiah and Son of God, and that confession leads to fellowship with him and the Father.
f. This teaching must continue to be present and active in the lives of those who have heard it. They must continually call it to mind and let it affect their lives (Marshall, 161).
g. If the believers resisted the lies of the antichrists, they would continue to live in fellowship with the Son and with the Father.
h. By clinging to the truth about God the Father and Christ his Son, believers can be sure they will never be separated from fellowship with God.
i. That fellowship will literally continue forever, for Jesus promised that his followers would be given eternal life.
j. John recorded many of these promises in his Gospel.
k. The believers understood the character of the one who made these promises and could trust that he would fulfill them (Barton, 1157).
3. In v. 25 John tells us the reward of remaining faithful, he says, "And in this fellowship we enjoy the eternal life he promised us."
a. For those who let God’s Word remain in their lives there is an appropriate reward.
b. Here is what Jesus has promised to us: eternal life. This is the only use of the word promise in all of John’s writings.
c. It is a term that is used to refer to the prophetic elements of the OT which make promises that have already been fulfilled or are sure to find fulfillment.
d. The promise being referred to here is that of eternal life, John is explaining that the experience of remaining in the Son and the Father is, precisely, eternal life, available here and now.
e. This in with the teaching of the Gospel where eternal life is a blessing, which commences to be enjoyed in this present life.
f. By clinging to the truth about God the Father and Christ his Son, believers can be sure they will never be separated from fellowship with God.
g. That fellowship will literally continue forever, for Jesus promised that his followers would be given eternal life. John recorded many of these promises in his Gospel.
h. The believers understood the character of the one who made these promises and could trust that he would fulfill them (Barton, 1157).
4. John then gives his purpose in writing this portion of his letter. In v. 26, he writes, "I am writing these things to warn you about those who want to lead you astray."
a. The false teachers were trying to lead people into error, away from the basic gospel that had been taught in the beginning.
b. John wrote as he did because the Christians needed to be aware of those who want to lead them astray.
c. To move away from the basic teachings into various sidelines that contradict those basics is to be "led astray" into heresy.
d. These false teachers not only left the faith and the fellowship, but they wanted to lead others astray as well (Barton 1158).
e. Christ had promised to send the Holy Spirit to teach his followers and to remind them of all that Christ had taught.
f. As a result, Christians have the Holy Spirit within them to keep them from going astray.
g. In addition, they have the God-inspired Scriptures, against which they can test questionable teachings.
h. To stay true to Christ, we must follow his Word and his Spirit. Let the Holy Spirit help you discern truth from error.
B. Faithfulness
1. Illustration: The hymn with chorus "Hold the fort, for I am coming!" written by P.P. Bliss, was suggested to him by an incident in the American Civil War. At Altoma Pass the fort being held by General Corse was besieged by the enemy under General Hood, who summoned it to surrender. Corse refused to surrender. Many were the casualties, but in spite of the hopeless situation the defenders remained faithful. Then a white signal flag across the valley, some twenty miles away, waved the message, "Hold the fort, for I am coming." General Sherman was marching to the relief of the beleaguered and faithful defenders.
2. If we remain faithful to him he will be faithful to us.
a. Psalm 18:25 (NLT2)
25 To the faithful you show yourself faithful; to those with integrity you show integrity.
b. "When you honor God, when you are faithful, you are not going to have to find blessings--blessings are going to find you."
c. When we remain faithful to the leading of the Holy Spirit we will not be lead astray by false teaching and erroneous beliefs.
d. When we remain faithful to the truths of the Word we will not be led astray by every wind of doctrine that gets blown down the pike.
e. When we remain faithful to God he will always be there and will always help us through whatever the enemy throws at us.
Conclusion
1. John talks about three distinct forces...
a. The Anti-Christ's
b. The Spirit
c. The Faithful
2. THREE THINGS TO REMEMBER...
1. ALWAYS ESTIMATE WHAT OTHERS BELIEVE BY WHAT THE WORD OF GOD TEACHES.
2. ALWAYS FOLLOW THE LEADING OF THE HOLY SPIRIT AND ALLOW HIM TO HELP YOU DISCERN TRUTH FROM A LIE.
3. ALWAYS REMAIN FAITHFUL TO GOD AND HIS TEACHING AND HE WILL REMAIN FAITHFUL TO YOU.
