Introduction: That You May Know
One day, while Wim was in the marketplace in the Netherlands, he struck up a conversation with a woman who remarked that you can get to heaven by doing good works.
His attempt to explain that it is by God’s grace that we are “saved through faith” (Eph. 2:8) brought a smile as the woman repeated confidently: “and . . . by doing good works.” Then another woman volunteered, “You can hope you’ll go to heaven, but you can’t be sure.” Wim’s assertion that he did know for sure was met with a muttered, “Nobody knows for sure.”
Wim then showed the woman what 1 John 5:11-13 says. He explained: “See, it doesn’t say hope there, it says know.” Unconvinced, she said, “Like you, my pastor says that we have to have faith, but you really never know whether you’ve been good enough. You may think you have, but who can be sure?”
To some, Wim’s confidence may seem incredible. But he based his words on this statement: “For by grace you have been saved through faith, and that not of yourselves; it is the gift of God, not of works” (Eph. 2:8-9).
It’s true. We can’t be good enough. We can never do enough good things. But we can be sure of heaven if we simply believe on the Lord Jesus Christ! (Acts 16:31)
Source: Cindy Hess Kasper, Our Daily Bread
I. Jesus Is The Bridge 20
20 ¶ But you have an anointing from the Holy One, and you know all things.
A. Who Is The You That John Is Writing To? 20a
1. You have the power to withstand the little a antichrist and the big A Antichrist.
2. If I know the Christ, I will be able to identify the antichrists
B. How Can I Know Something So Mystical and Spiritual? 20b
1. John tells us something magnificent here!
a. There are only four kinds of people who are anointed for public office.
i. Kings
ii. Priests
iii. Prophets
iv. Messiah
b. Now John says that believers are anointed!
2. If you want to go one step better, we are anointed by none other than the Holy Spirit of God!
a. Those kings, priests, prophets and the Messiah were all anointed for a reason.
b. Not just to fulfill their public office…
c. The anointed oil was a physical reminder of the spiritual mandate they held.
C. We Also Are Anointed For A Purpose 20c
1. So we can know the Christ and the Antichrist…
2. So we can know all things
3. I want you to listen to this verse in another version:
But you have an anointing from the Holy One, and you all have knowledge.
—1John 2:20 HCSB
a. I really think the HCSB, along with other versions, capture the spirit of this verse.
b. We will not know all things until we get to glory.
c. All of us will know some things now.
d. The most important thing for us to know is the Christ!
For I determined not to know anything among you except Jesus Christ and Him crucified.
—1Corinthians 2:2
II. Jesus Is The Christ 21-23
A. You Know The Truth 21
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.
1. There are nine verses of Scripture in which we find Jesus and truth.
a. To me the best of these is
Jesus said to him, I am the way, the truth, and the life. No one comes to the Father except through Me.
—John 14:6
b. In this verse Jesus defines Himself as:
i. The Great I Am – God in the flesh
ii. The Truth – the opposite of a lie
iii. The life – the opposite of death
iv. The way – the only pathway to God
2. This is the truth John is writing about in 1st John!
B. You Know The Liar 22
22 Who is a liar but he who denies that Jesus is the Christ? He is antichrist who denies the Father and the Son.
1. The Liar is the Devil!
2. He is the antichrist!
C. You Know The Father And The Son 23
23 Whoever denies the Son does not have the Father either; he who acknowledges the Son has the Father also.
1. Do you remember the Apostle Philip asking this very question?
8 Philip said to Him, Lord, show us the Father, and it is sufficient for us.
9 Jesus said to him, Have I been with you so long, and yet you have not known Me, Philip? He who has seen Me has seen the Father; so how can you say, ‘Show us the Father’?
—John 14:8-9
2. John reminds his readers that Jesus and God are One!
III. Jesus Is The Everlasting 24-27
A. Abide In The Truth 24
24 Therefore let that abide in you which you heard from the beginning. If what you heard from the beginning abides in you, you also will abide in the Son and in the Father.
1. 1st thing – if you have the truth to start with - abide in the TRUTH
a. This is a throwback to John 15
i. Jesus told His Apostles to Abide in Him
ii. John was there in the Upper Room and heard this with his own ears
b. Now he passes it along to his readers.
c. If that Truth has been in you from the beginning - abide in that Truth!
d. Who is that Truth?
2. 2nd thing – if you abide in the truth – you abide in the Son and in the Father
a. If you abide in the Son, you abide in the Father.
b. If you abide in the Father, you abide in the Son.
c. The Father and the Son are One!
B. Abide In Eternal Life 25
25 And this is the promise that He has promised us — eternal life.
1. Jesus promised us eternal life.
Do not labor for the food which perishes, but for the food which endures to everlasting life, which the Son of Man will give you, because God the Father has set His seal on Him.
—John 6:27
2. When does eternal life begin?
C. Do Not Be Deceived 26
26 These things I have written to you concerning those who try to deceive you.
1. Deception belongs to the devil.
2. If I had a dog and a cat, each in his own box…
a. Long before I released them, they would know they were enemies.
b. If I released them, there would be a big hullabaloo!
3. That same innate animosity exists between the truth and a lie.
D. Abide In The Holy Spirit 27
27 But the anointing which you have received from Him abides in you, and you do not need that anyone teach you; but as the same anointing teaches you concerning all things, and is true, and is not a lie, and just as it has taught you, you will abide in Him.
1. When you are saved, you are anointed by the Holy Spirit of God.
a. Abide in the Son
b. Abide in the Father
c. Abide in the Holy Spirit
d. All are one
2. You are anointed by the Holy Spirit to be in tune with God
a. When someone teaches you something and it sounds funky – do not accept it on face value!
b. Check out the word of God!
Beloved, do not believe every spirit, but test the spirits, whether they are of God; because many false prophets have gone out into the world.
—1John 4:1
c. Let the Holy Spirit be your guide
i. You will be Spirit Filled
ii. You will be in tune with God
iii. You will spiritually discerning
iv. You will abide in the Lord Jesus Christ eternally!
E. Application To The Church
IV. Conclusion
