We've been involved in a series of messages concerning what we can be sure of. We have found so far that we can be sure of God's forgiveness if we ask. And we can be sure of a relationship with God if we walk daily with Him. Today I want to take it one step further. Can we be sure of what is true today? Let's talk a little bit about the surety of the truth.
Prayer
It seems that our culture has become increasingly less adept at determining what is true and what is not. We live in a culture of 24-hour news feeds and online opinions that masquerade as fact. It shouldn’t be any surprise that many Americans believe ideas that are nothing more than conspiracy theories.
For example, 40% of America’s population believe the FDA is withholding natural cures for cancer. 27% of our population believe America is hiding aliens in area 51. 19% believe the government is using chemicals to control the population. It goes without saying that the struggle for truth is real. However, there is good news! Absolute truth does exist, and it is found in Jesus Christ.
Today I want to continue to use the book of 1 John chapter 2 for this message. To continue his teaching, John issued a warning to his readers and to us: he said there will always be those who oppose and distort truth. That was true back then and it’s still true today. False teachers will attempt to mess up the truth about Christ. Their primary goal is to deceive. God's word, however, declares who Christ is and what He has done. We can know the truth!
1 John 2:18-21 - "Children, it is the last hour. And as you have heard that antichrist is coming, even now many antichrists have come. By this we know that it is the last hour. 19 They went out from us, but they did not belong to us; for if they had belonged to us, they would have remained with us. However, they went out so that it might be made clear that none of them belongs to us.
20 But you have an anointing from the Holy One, and all of you know the truth. 21 I have not written to you because you don’t know the truth, but because you do know it, and because no lie comes from the truth.”
Since the coming of Jesus, believers have known they were living in the last days. The expression last hour is only found here in the New Testament. John highlighted the reality of the last hour by telling us an antichrist is coming, and even now many antichrists have come.
An antichrist is an individual opposed to the clear teaching of Scripture, primarily the doctrine of Christ. His goal is to deceive people. While the last days will involve a central figure who will oppose Christ, multiple antichrists also exist, who even now are working in opposition to the kingdom of God. Do you believe that? I certainly do. John reminded us of antichrists so that we would not be caught off guard by them. False prophets and antichrists will arise, and their goal is to deceive us.
The next question is, “How do we identify false teachers?” We know them by their commitment to falsehood and their separation from the church. In John's day, these peddlers of deception showed their real character by leaving the church. So, John says, “They went out from us, but they didn't belong to us; for if they had belonged to us, they would have remained with us. However, they went out so that it might be made clear that none of them belongs to us.” These false teachers were nothing more than wolves in sheep’s clothing. As they continued in their unrighteousness, it became evident that they were never truly a part of the believing community.
We still see the same thing today. Virtually every false teacher leaves the true, Christ-led Church in order to start his own. According to these false teachers, everyone else is getting it wrong and they are the only ones getting it right. So, they pray upon the weak and unsuspecting. They're like clouds without water. They can't deliver on what they promise. And they will one day stand before God and answer for their deceptions.
But oh there is good news. The Holy Spirit indwells each of us as a believer and helps us as we study God's word to know truth from falsehood. We can know and be assured of what is true.
Thankfully, true believers have an anointing from the Holy One, and know the truth John says in verse 20. This anointing is the Holy Spirit's presence and indwelling, which all believers receive at the moment of their conversion. Do you realize that the moment you became a Christian that the Holy Spirit came to live within you? With the Holy Spirit residing in us as a believer, we can rest assured that the Holy Spirit is the ultimate teacher. When we study the Bible, it is the Holy Spirit that teaches us and leads us into truth, which guards us against any error or falsehood.
I thank God for the Holy Spirit, who helps us know God's word.
1 John 2:22 - "Who is the liar, if not the one who denies that Jesus is the Christ? This one is the antichrist: the one who denies the Father and the Son.”
The false teachers of John's day denied the truth of who Christ is. The specific falsehood that was being taught was called gnosticism, and it had two primary doctrinal errors. Now I'm going to use a little seminary training for this next statement.
1. Docetism. This is a fancy Greek word which means that something seems or appears a certain way. The gnostics believed the body is evil. So, God, who is Spirit, could not take on flesh. They said. So, according to them, Jesus did not become a man. He did not come in the flesh, it only appeared that He did. They denied a real, human Jesus. Of course, this is a blatant denial of the incarnation of God becoming man.
2. Cerinthianism. Cerinthus was a contemporary of John. He thought that Jesus had a real human body, but that he was not the Christ until the Holy Spirit came upon Him at His baptism. Cerinthus and his followers taught that the Holy Spirit remained upon Jesus throughout his three years of public ministry, but the Holy Spirit left him before the crucifixion, since the Holy Spirit could not be associated with suffering.
Of course, the Bible teaches that Jesus is fully God who came in human flesh. To deny that is defiance against God and makes you a false teacher. Jesus is the eternal God who stepped out of eternity into time, born of a virgin, clothed in human flesh, died upon a cross, and rose from the dead. That's my story and I'm sticking to it.
John says that anyone that teaches differently from that is a liar. The fact that they are opposed to Christ means they deny the reality of who Jesus is. The antichrist lies because he denies that Jesus is the Christ. And whoever denies the Divinity of Christ, that He is the Christ, the anointed One from God, ultimately denies the Father as well.
A person cannot believe whatever he wants about God's son, Jesus Christ, and think he can have a relationship with God the Father. To believe wrongly concerning Jesus is to believe wrongly about God. Why? Because Jesus is God. He is God who came in human flesh.
1 John 2: 23-26 - "No one who denies the Son has the Father; he who confesses the Son has the Father as well. 24 What you have heard from the beginning is to remain in you. If what you have heard from the beginning remains in you, then you will remain in the Son and in the Father.
25 And this is the promise that he himself made to us: eternal life. 26 I have written these things to you concerning those who are trying to deceive you.”
You can tell by the tone of John's writing in this passage that his message about false teachings was a serious one. For believers, though, John offered encouragement. He said that if what you have heard from the beginning remains in you, then you will remain in the Son and in the Father. What they had heard from the beginning was the preaching of the gospel. They were to let the truth of the Gospel remain and take up residence in them. They were to hold on to it and not be moved away from it.
The same goes for us. Don't be swayed from what you hear on the news or read in the newspapers or see on social media or see on Facebook. Hold on to the truth of the gospel and do not be moved away from it. The heart of the Gospel message is that all who know the Father through the saving work of Christ His Son has the promise of eternal life. Do you believe it? So many people hope for eternal life, but eternal life is a sure promise for every believer in Jesus Christ. The truth is found in Him alone. Jesus said, “I am the way, the truth, and the life. No one comes to the Father but by me.”
1 John 2:27-28 - "As for you, the anointing you received from him remains in you, and you don’t need anyone to teach you. Instead, his anointing teaches you about all things and is true and is not a lie; just as it has taught you, remain in him.
28 So now, little children, remain in him so that when he appears we may have confidence and not be ashamed before him at his coming.”
What is John saying here? The proof of true salvation is not just believing the right thing. Conforming to doctrine is not enough. Our belief should translate into right living. We are to pursue righteousness in light of the return of Jesus. John mentioned the return of Christ to motivate his readers to live righteously.
John urged his readers to remain in Him. We're not to be moved away from the hope of the gospel. We are to hold to the Christ of Scripture, and live our lives for the Glory of God so that when Jesus does appear again, and He will, we may have confidence and not be ashamed before Him at His coming.
So John exhorts us all to remain in Christ. John specifically mentioned two benefits of remaining in Christ in verse 28. “So now, little children, remain in him so that when he appears we may have confidence and not be ashamed before him at his coming.
1. The first benefit that John mentions is confidence. That word can also be translated as boldness. God wants all of us to be prepared to meet Him and have solid confidence in His return. Are you absolutely certain that Jesus will come again one day?
2. The other benefit that John mentions is to be unashamed. Sadly, many people don't have confidence. Instead, they carry the weight of guilt and shame. But, God wants his people to remain in Him and have no reason to be ashamed when Jesus returns.
So John highlights one particular blessing that Christians can count on; the certainty that He will one day return for His people. This event may cause some to worry. But believers have no reason to feel shame or dread. Those who remain in Christ can look forward to that event with confidence.
Everything that I have told you today is the absolute truth. You can be sure of it. But John's message included more than a warning against false teachers; he also called the believers to demonstrate what they believed in their day-to-day lives. It wasn't enough to simply know the truth. They were to live the truth. They were to live their lives in light of the truth. He said in verse 29:
1 John 2:29 - " If you know that he is righteous, you know this as well: Everyone who does what is right has been born of him.”
I find it difficult to believe that there are still many people in this world today that do not believe the truth that Jesus will return. Many people, including Christians, don't see the return of Christ on the horizon. They don't see a reason for the need to change their routines or live with Christ's return in mind.
For the Christian, the right belief must be consistently supported by the right ethic. We look to Christ and in response to the new birth that He offers, we are to do our best to live a righteous life. But there are so many untruths in our world today that can cause us to fall away from the truth.
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As I was preparing this, I came across something in a note that I wrote someone a few years ago. I forgot that I had even written it and don't remember who I wrote it to. But it goes along with what I am saying today about being sure of the truth. Here is what I said:
I find myself advising people all the time that have the same fears you have that they need to quit watching the news. Social media also plays a big part in sensationalizing the events of the world. The news gets revenue based on the number of listeners. The news also receives private funds from political parties and movements to persuade society to believe as they do.
This world is full of evil. Satan's band of fallen angels have always been here. Satan would prefer nothing more than to hurt God by steering us in the wrong direction. Demons are real and have always been here on earth. So, politicians use the media to manipulate society. As long as the news media gets under the table money, they will report whatever the evil politicians want.
I don't know exactly who it was I wrote this to but I continue. It sounds like social media has caused you to be misled. Don't believe everything you read on Facebook or that you hear on the news or what you read on the world wide web. Pictures have been cropped and photoshopped to make things look real.
Now how does Jesus fit into all this? Jesus is, has always been, and always will be. This is God's world and we must always lean on Him. He is still in control as long as we allow Him to be.
Who knows what our world will come to in the coming years? But I can tell you, that I rely on my heavenly Father to take me by the hand and walk me through it. He is my strength and I will pray to Him, listen to Him, and read about Him in His Word. So, turn off the news, open your Bible, talk to God daily, and you'll see that your attitude will change. Your fears will disappear as you come to know the real truth.
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When we work at doing our best to live a righteous life, it is proof of genuine salvation. We can be sure of our salvation, and we can be sure of the truth. The truth that is found through a personal relationship with Jesus.
And if you don't have a personal relationship with Jesus, I offer you the opportunity to come to him now. Ask Jesus to be your personal Savior as we stand and as we pray.
