We are continuing this study in I John titled “Living in the Light.” There are two main messages throughout this book, the first is that “God is light, and in him is no darkness at all,” and the second is that “God is Love and we are to Love like He loves.” That second message we touched briefly on thus far but will really begin to focus on that message in the next week or two.
What we have really focused on so far is that first message “God is light and in Him is no darkness at all.” Now, we all have a dark side, a downside, we all have junk in our trunk, things that we really don’t want to illuminate because we’d be ashamed of them. BUT GOD DOESN’T. God has no dark side, no downside, no skeleton’s hiding in His closest. “God is light and in Him is NO DARKNESS AT ALL.”
Yet, although we have a downside, a dark side, God has graciously invited us through His love (and His Son) to come out of the darkness and into the Light. He has given us a New Name and expects us to live up to that new name. His desire is that we SIN NOT. But, the truth is, we are human, and as such, we have a bad case of the “I can’t help myself.” And because we have a bad case of the “I can’t help myself,” He gave us His Son, who is our Advocate with the Father, He is the propitiation of our sins” – past, present, and future.
God’s desire is that we keep His commandments – what that really means to live in the Light. But you and I in and of ourselves are incapable of living up to God’s commandments. John tells us that if those who do not keep the commandments are liars. It is important to understand that John is not talking about those who mess up, or make mistakes, because the truth is, we all do. But he is talking about those who say they are part of the family of God, but there is no evidence or change in the life they live. These are people who say they Love God yet work behind the scenes to damage the work of God in the church.
Several safeguards John mentions to assist us in Living up to our New Name are: Keep our Word (I John 2:5) – that means to be truthful, say what you mean and mean what you say – don’t talk out of both sides of your mouth. And the second, before you go off and do something incredibly stupid, ask yourself, “What did Jesus do?” or “What would Jesus do? (I John 2:6)”
Then John began to speak to the church both collectively and individually in I John 2:12-14. Collectively, he reminds them all that their sins have been forgiven and they Know the Father – he assures the whole group that they are a part of the family of God. He writes to the young Christians, to congratulate them on becoming a part of the family of God; he mentions their strength and the Word of God that abides in them – and it is the Word of God living in them that allows them to overcome the wicked one. He wrote to us older Christians to remind us what God has already done in our lives, and to encourage us to not Retire from the work of God, but to stay in the fight, because there is a whole generation coming up behind us that will need us to encourage them in their walk, to lift them up when they fall, to be example to that next generation.
In message 6, John mentions that we are not to love the world, because the world is tempting and it is temporal. Yet, although we are not to Love the World, we are called to Live in the World, that means we are not to hide from the world, or provoke the world, but we are to engage the world; we are to stick-out in the world like a sore thumb, we are to be a “Light set on a hill.”
Last week, we spoke about Light Illuminating the Deceiver. We talked about two groups: the antichrist (singular) who is to come, and antichrists (plural) who have already come. The antichrist to come really deals with Eschatology, end-time prophecy. This will be that charismatic figure who will opposes the work of God, will one day pose as God, and seat upon the seat of God. He will be destroyed by Christ and cast into the Lake of Fire.
The second group are the antichrists that have come (and are in the church even today). They walk like Christians, they talk like Christians, but their purpose is to sew doubt in the Deity of Christ and to sew discord in the church. They like to make mountains out of molehills. They like to get us to focus on little things that have no significance when it comes to salvation by grace through faith. They like to make you think there are other ways to God and that you are good enough to make it on your own through your good works like being a member of the right church, using the right version of the Bible, having the right type of baptism, and the right view of end-times.
The key message to end-time prophecy is this – The book of Revelation, II Thessalonians 2:1-10 were not written to scare us, or to trouble our spirit, but to give us the assurance that Christ will come again. Jesus told His disciples in John 14, “Let not your heart be troubled (don’t be scared, don’t be afraid) . . . “I go to
prepare a place for you, and if I go to prepare a place for you, I WILL COME AGAIN and receive you unto myself that where I am, there you may be also.” That is not a threat to us as believers but a promise we can rest in.
Now that is a recap of what we have covered so far in this series of messages. Today, we are going to discuss Living in the Light: Shedding Light on Lies. Let’s look at I John 2:19-29.
24 Let that therefore abide in you, which ye have heard from the beginning. If that which ye have heard from the beginning shall remain in you, ye also shall continue in the Son, and in the Father. 25 And this is the promise that he hath promised us, even eternal life. 26 These things have I written unto you concerning them that seduce you. 27 But the anointing which ye have received of him abideth in you, and ye need not that any man teach you: but as the same anointing teacheth you of all things, and is truth, and is no lie, and even as it hath taught you, ye shall abide in him. 28 And now, little children, abide in him; that, when he shall appear, we may have confidence, and not be ashamed before him at his coming. 29 If ye know that he is righteous, ye know that every one that doeth righteousness is born of him.”
WE MUST RECOGNIZE THE COUNTERFEIT (vv. 19–23)
“19 They went out from us, but they were not of us; for if they had been of us, they would no doubt have continued with us: but they went out, that they might be made manifest that they were not all of us. 20 But ye have an unction from the Holy One, and ye know all things. 21 I have not written unto you because ye know not the truth, but because ye know it, and that no lie is of the truth. 22 Who is a liar but he that denieth that Jesus is the Christ? He is antichrist, that denieth the Father and the Son. 23 Whosoever denieth the Son, the same hath not the Father: he that acknowledgeth the Son hath the Father also.”
When I was working in Iraq and Afghanistan, I came across a lot of counterfeit products: counterfeit movies, counterfeit clothing, counterfeit equipment, and yes, counterfeit money. Most of the time, the counterfeits were easy to see: For example, some of the movies you could clearly see that they were being filmed by some sitting in a movie theatre filming a movie. That was an easy counterfeit. Some of the movies were harder to discern. Same thing with clothing. Some of the more famous counterfeits there were North Face clothing. You could pick up a nice Northface jacket in the Haji mart for next to nothing – it would have the emblem, it looked like the real thing, but it was a knock-off, a counterfeit.
What John is telling us here is that in the church – every church, there are some knockoffs, some counterfeits. They look like Christians, they talk like Christians, they sometimes act like Christians. They know the right things to say to pass themselves off as authentic – but they are counterfeits.
Now, when John says in verse 19, “They went out from us, but they were not of us…” he is not saying that they actually departed the church, because remember, he is writing to the church to let them know about the antichrists currently IN the CHURCH. And there are several ways to identify the counterfeits.
First, there is a Departure
This is not necessarily a departure from the church (though sometimes it is – that usually happens when they have sowed discord and then God illuminated the fact that they are a counterfeit, so they depart and go hide in the shadows and sew discord in another church). But the departure John is speaking of here is a departure from the Truth.
Most of the time, this departure is not obvious, like denying Christ is the Son of God, but it is subtle and hard to detect.
- They will twist the Word of God to make it mean what they want it to mean by adding human emotion, or human opinions to it, or maybe even socially acceptable trends, and try to pass them off as Truth.
- Another way they Depart from the Truth is by only accepting the Scriptures that fit their personal preference while ignoring the verses that deal with their own personal sin or call to obedience.
- Another way to depart from the Truth is by elevating denominational standards, cultural customs, or popular opinions above the Scriptures.
- There are also those who will accept the world’s values and moral standards, even if they oppose the Word of God.
John says of these, “They were not (and I might add – are not) of us.” They do not share the same spirit or perspective of those who have been brought out of darkness to now “Live in the Light.”
But not only is there a Departure,
There is Also a Denial (v.22, 23)
“Who is a liar but he that denieth that Jesus is the Christ? He is antichrist, that denieth the Father and the Son. Whosoever denieth the Son, the same hath not the Father; [but] he that acknowledgeth the Son hath the Father also.”
John doesn’t mince words here – he describes the liar in verse 22 as the one who denies that Jesus is the Christ: he says denying Christ is not just and intellectual mistake, it is moral deception. Verse 23 says that to reject Christ as the Messiah is to also reject the Father. You simply can’t claim fellowship with God while rejecting His Son. Christianity with Christ is nothing. II John 2:9 says, “Whosoever transgresseth, and abideth not in the doctrine of Christ, hath not God…”
We must be rooted and grounded in the truth of God’s Word in order to distinguish between truth and error, especially when those errors come wrapped up in religious language. Don’t be shaken when some leave the faith. Instead, be rooted in Christ so that you recognize spiritual counterfeits instantly.
John tells us we must Recognize the Counterfeits;
WE MUST RELY ON THE SPIRIT (vv. 24–27)
“24 Let that therefore abide in you, which ye have heard from the beginning. If that which ye have heard from the beginning shall remain in you, ye also shall continue in the Son, and in the Father. 25 And this is the promise that he hath promised us, even eternal life. 26 These things have I written unto you concerning them that seduce you. 27 But the anointing (Unction v. 20) which ye have received of him abideth in you, and ye need not that any man teach you: but as the same anointing teacheth you of all things, and is truth, and is no lie, and even as it hath taught you, ye shall abide in him.”
The Word of God Grounds You (v. 24)
“Let that therefore abide in you, which ye have heard from the beginning . . .”
John is encouraging them to let the truth that they have heard from the beginning remain in them. What have they heard? The Word. What is the Word? It is the Word that became flesh and now dwells in us.”
The Spirit of God Teaches You (v.20 and 27)
“But ye have an unction (anointing) from the Holy One, and ye know all things.”
“But the anointing (unction) which ye have received of Him abideth in you, and you need not that any man teach you . . .”
Paul tells us “The natural man receiveth not the things of the spirit of God; for they are foolishness to him; neither can he know them for they are spiritually discerned” (I Cor. 2:14).
When we were brought out of darkness to Live in the Light, Jesus Christ sent His spirit to live inside of us, to abide in us, and it is that Spirit living in us that opens our eyes to the truth of God’s Word.
The Spirit of God and the Word of God work together in our lives. The Spirit never teaches contrary to the Word, and the Word is never rightly understood without the Spirit’s illumination.
Just as a GPS not only gives you directions, it corrects you when you get off course, that is how the Spirit and the Word work together in our lives guiding and correcting us.
Not only must we Recognize the Counterfeits and Rely on the Spirit;
WE MUST REMAIN IN CHRIST (v. 28–29)
28 And now, little children, abide in him (continue in Him); that, when he shall appear, we may have confidence, and not be ashamed before him at his coming. 29 If ye know that he is righteous, ye know that every one that doeth righteousness is born of him.”
Continuing in Christ Brings Confidence (v. 28)
By “Abide in Him . . .” John assures us that if we continue in Christ, if we abide in Him, if we have fellowship with Him, we will have nothing to be ashamed when He returns. We will be able to come boldly before Him in confidence. Abiding in Him gives peace for the present and boldness for the future. A branch can’t live apart from the vine. We must stay connected to Christ.
Continuing in Christ Brings the Right Results (v. 29)
Verse 29 says those who practice righteousness show they have been born of Him.
John is telling the believers in Ephesus to not just start well – but finish well. Live every day with eternity in mind. Matthew 7:16 says, “You shall know them by their fruits . . .” and verse 20, “Wherefore by their fruits you shall know them.”
Let me ask you this morning, if God were to look in your basket, what kind of fruit would He get?
Conclusion:
John’s message is clear: we are to Recognize the Counterfeits – so you don’t fall for them; we are to Rely on the Spirit – so you stay anchored in truth; and we are to Remain in Christ – so you’re ready for His return.
Christ is coming. Will you meet Him with confidence or with shame?
Now is the time to stand firm, stay faithful, and live as though His return could be today – because it could.
Fighting for My Pea Patch 