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1 John

1 John 2

By Pastor Doug
Relationships with Christ and not the world.

1 John 2:1

John addresses his little children.  The church leaders in Ephesus said John was like this wise old patriarch overseeing the believers in the church.  This mature saint speaks of what he has learned over the course of his years following the Lord.  John wants it to be clear to the believer that sin is a reality in our life.  We don't like to talk about it but it is a fact in everyone's life.  Strangely enough, many churches never talk about sin.  Yet, how can we appreciate or understand the gospel if we don't understand sin?  How can we war with the flesh if we don't understand the inclination of our flesh is sin?  Just like medicine is the cure for an illness, the gospel is the remedy for sin.  We can't comprehend the full value of the remedy if we don't know how sick we are or the onset of another infection.

 

God's desire is that we don't sin.  As a New Creature in Christ with the power of the Holy Spirit, we have victory over sin.  Sin no longer holds any power over our life.  Yet, when we take our eyes off of Jesus we fall again.  When we do, we don't have to carry the burden or the shame of it.  Our life is not characterized by sin.  Sin has no authority.  The power of our life is found in Jesus.  Our life is characterized by the grace of Jesus Christ.

 

Jesus stands before the Father on our behalf as an Advocate.  The word translated 'advocate' is 'parakletos'.  It's the one who comes alongside, who intercedes.  It sounds very much like the Holy Spirit.  When we sin, Satan is right there constantly making accusations toward us.  In the courtrooms of heaven God is not surprised when we fall.  He knows our heart and He loves us anyway.  Yet, He is also just and will not let sin go unpunished.  Satan makes his accusation before the just judge and we are guilty as sin.  What can our Advocate do but agree?

 

We would try to offer excuses or reasons: I was having a bad day.  Or they treated me bad.  My mom and dad whipped me when I was young.  But our sin can't be justified.  We have no excuse.  Jesus, in His holiness looks at the charges and say, "Yup, he did it, he fell short."  The judge agrees.  The gavel falls, guilty as charged.  Our advocate approaches the bench as the judge pronounces that the penalty for sin is death. 

 

Jesus says, "Father I already died for that sin."  And the gavel falls again.  Guilty as charged, the penalty has been paid in full.  Case dismissed.  If we are in Christ our case was dismissed.  Every charge ever brought, every sentence I deserve, Jesus paid in full.

 

1 John 2:2

This word propitiation means to appease or allay.  Jesus stepped into our place and died where we deserved to die.  He came between us and the just and deserving wrath of the Father.  He took what we deserve.  This plan was worked out before the foundations of time.  We should feel free to ask Jesus to come to our defense.  He is pleased to be our Advocate.  He loves us enough to be our propitiation.  We should honor and praise Him for doing so.

 

1 John 2:3-5

That word for liar is used 10 times in the entire New Testament.  John uses it 5 times right here in this little epistle.  John is establishing light and dark; truth and liar; believer and unbeliever, and saved and unsaved.  How do we know we are saved?  There exists in the believer a simple and loving desire to be obedient to the one who offered us so great a salvation.  Our salvation assurance is our desire to be obedient.  John presents to these believers and to us a way to know if we know Him.  It's a test for obedience.

 

See Matthew 7:21-23

21 "Not everyone who says to Me, 'Lord, Lord,' shall enter the kingdom of heaven, but he who does the will of My Father in heaven. 22 Many will say to Me in that day, 'Lord, Lord, have we not prophesied in Your name, cast out demons in Your name, and done many wonders in Your name?' 23 And then I will declare to them, 'I never knew you; depart from Me, you who practice lawlessness!'

 

Many acknowledge God without every coming to the knowledge of His saving grace or every submitting To Him.  These people spoken about in Matthew weren't spiritual couch potatoes, they were prophesying, casting out demons and doing wonders.  Yet, Jesus will cast them away.  All the religious works in the world won't save you.  Our meager attempt at obedience won't save us.  We are saved by grace through faith, trusting in Jesus and turning from our sins, and the evidence of that is obedience.

 

John makes it very clear, if you know Him you obey his commands.  Those who say they know him but don't follow his commands are considered liars.  There is no truth in them.  John has a specific group of people in mind here.  They are out there sounding like Christians, professing themselves to be Christian, maybe even teaching.  They worship loud, pray long, and maybe give lots of money.  Yet, they had no desire to be obedient.  They still had a heart problem.

 

 

1 John 2:6

How did Jesus walk?  He walked in obedience to the Father.  He walked in love and mercy and grace.  To be a disciple of Jesus is to believe as he believed.  We are following after Him, chasing after him, in constant pursuit of Him.  We ought to do the things he did, walk the way He walked.  We should be imitators of Christ. 

 

Paul said a very similar thing in Ephesians 5:1.

Therefore be imitators of God as dear children. 2 And walk in love, as Christ also has loved us and given Himself for us, an offering and a sacrifice to God for a sweet-smelling aroma.

 

1 John2:7-8

Okay, so is it old or is it new?  The old command that is new is the love presented by Christ.  Jesus is the personification of love.  This isn't a new love.  It's the love of God that has been from the beginning.  Jesus is a new way of God presenting his age-old love.  It's both old and new.  John is declaring this unchanging love to the brethren.  This love is the unifying force and the mark of a believer.  Love is a mark of a disciple of Jesus.  What is the commandment? 

A new commandment I give to you, that you love one another; as I have loved you, that you also love one another. 35 By this all will know that you are My disciples, if you have love for one another." (John 13:34)

 

This is My commandment, that you love one another as I have loved you. (John 15:12)

It's not new at all, but Jesus is the new and ultimate example of the old.

 

The false teachers on the other hand offered new revelation that was really not new or a revelation at all.  They called into doubt the old truths yet had no foundation of truth of their own.  They had nothing new or old to stand on.  They offered new, hip, relevant, understandings.  They could tickle the ear of someone wanting temporary comfort.  Men are easily drawn away from the light into the darkness, especially by someone offering something new.

 

If it's "NEW and IMPROVED" we must have it because we've been told we deserve only the finest.  No one markets the same ole, same ole.  If a product is unchanged, they market it as retro, original recipe, classic; always a new presentation of the old.  The false teachers were offering NEW and IMPROVED religion.  In spite of the marketing it was just another counterfeit presentation from Satan of the same old lies.  As time passes, false religions come and go.  The teachings of men come and go.  Philosophies ebb and tide in popularity.  Through all those times, through the tide of the wisdom of men, the word of God has never changed.  John presents the classic, original recipe of religion.  It's Jesus, the New Covenant that isn't really new at all.

 

John said the true light is shining.  The darkness is passing away.  He's the same light of the same God from eternity past but He stepped into our world to save us.

 

1 John 2:9-11

John already examined the disciple by his obedience.  If you walk with God, sin won't be a defining part of your life.  You will keep His commandments.  Now John is examining the Christian by their love for others.  If you walk with God, you will love your brother.

 

The one who says he walks in the light but hates his brother is really walking in the dark.  His hatred reveals his hypocrisy and a dark heart.  If we don't love our brother it becomes a stumbling block.  If you hate your brother, John said you are blinded by darkness.  You may think you can see fine but in fact you lack the spiritual knowledge to even recognize you are in the dark.  John is the man standing in the light.  He's standing before those in the dark telling them they are in the dark.  They say, awe John, it's not dark at all.  All the while they are attempting to lead others and both are stumbling all over the place.

 

Just like our eyes adjust to the dark, the spiritual eyes of these men had adjusted to darkness.  They thought they were saved yet there was no obedience and no love.  Their witness was powerless; their testimony was harmed.  They were fishing with holes in their nets.

 

Remember John's tests are: 

  • Obedience and a moral walk;
  • a love for God and fellow man;  

John will offer another later in the chapter: he will offer the test of doctrine, or a belief system. 

 

As professed disciples we have to see how we are holding up.  How is our obedience to the Lord in a culture that says what you want is all that's important?  How is your moral walk in a world of moral filth?  How is your love for God?  Is it growing?  Are you learning to love God more each day?  Are you learning to love your fellow man?  Can anyone argue that the love for God and fellow man has not declined in the last 20 years?  Jesus told us that in the end times that many false prophets will rise up and deceive many.  And because lawlessness will abound, the love of many will grow cold.  How are you holding up in that kind of economy?  As the world gets darker in its lawlessness and love grown cold it will be that much harder on the true disciple of Jesus Christ.  And their very existence will be a testimony to God.

 

John is talking to some who profess to be followers of Christ.  Yet they were standing in darkness, calling it light.  They were caught up in the lies of the false teachers and the lies of Satan and they were stumbling and bumbling. 

 

John is a man who has had an encounter with Jesus Christ while in a fishing boat on the sea of Galilee at 26 years old.  He spent the next 70 years walking in the light.  There was evidence of that encounter all over his life.  Just like the hunter with a story, John has a story.  It's the story of what Jesus had done in his life.  He had taken this young man right in the middle of mending his nets and the Lord put him to work.  And in many ways, John was still mending nets as He wrote these words.  Many in the church claimed to be disciples of Jesus Christ.  But they were slipping away.  There were holes they slipped through and were washed away in the tide.  John offers the mending to the disciples.  If you've had an encounter with the Almighty, it's going to leave a mark on your life.  The marks on a believer's life are obedience and love and belief.  If these things aren't evident, no one could or should believe you've had an encounter with the God of the universe.

 

1 John 2:12-14

The little children are the infants in Christ.  Their sins are forgiven.  The little children still don't know what all this is about.  All they know is, I once was blind but now I see.  The mature men are at the other end of the spectrum.  They've walked with the Lord for some time.  They are fathers because in their walk they have created spiritual offspring.  Disciples create new disciples.  Because of the walk of the mature men there are little children coming to the Lord.  This is the next generation of disciples.

 

The young men are those who are doing the work.  They are no longer children.  They haven't matured in the Lord but they are on the front lines.  They are carrying the ball right now. 

 

John writes to those of all levels of maturity.  The little children must continue to grow and soon carry the ball.  The young men and women are to grow up.  As they mature in the Lord their value is found in their maturity.  But they must grow to that so they can train up the next generation.  The old men and women, those mature, become the stability of the church. 

 

At each level you should see obedience, love, and doctrine consistent with a person's spiritual maturity.

 

1 John 2:15-17

Loving the world is the same as loving sin.  It's the number one thing that keeps men from God.  They simply love their sin enough to overcome any fear of dying in their sin and standing before a holy God.  A love of the world is a worldliness that opposes God.  This worldliness manifests itself in 3 ways:

  • The lust of the flesh is the craving of sinful man, physical desires.
    • Eve stood in the garden and saw the forbidden fruit.  She craved it.  She felt it would satisfy her flesh.  She told herself she needed it, had to have it.  She didn't even really understand why.  This is the lust of the flesh.
  • The lust of the eyes is collecting things, materialism.
    • As Eve then gazed upon this fruit, she saw that it was pleasing to her eyes.  She liked the color and the shape.  It appealed to her.  She evaluated it strictly by the surface appearance.  There was no love, no depth, and no evaluation of the consequences.  This is the lust of the eyes.
  • The pride of life is what we have and do, our status.  It's the arrogance of perceiving a security in 'bios life' due to possessions.
    • Then Eve was deceived into thinking that the fruit would make her wise.  She needed this wisdom and wouldn't be denied.  She felt cheated in not having it and convinced herself she deserved it.  This is the pride of life.

 

One can't love God yet hold fast to the lust of the flesh, lust of the eyes and the pride of life.  All that is in the world is not of the Father but is of the world.  You can't love God and the world.  You either hold onto the world with all you have with an attitude of eat, drink and be merry for tomorrow we may die, he who dies with the most toys wins and grab for all the gusto you can or you let go of the world and the things of the world and hold fast to Jesus Christ.  It takes 2 hands and all your reach to hold either one.

 

Lust of the flesh, lust of the eyes and the pride of life are all a manifestation of a love for the world.  These 3 things are alive and well in our world, if not just downright prevalent.  This love for the world and its ways cause us to do strange things that ultimately destroys relationships, lives, families, and marriages.  But most important of all it moves you further from the things of God.

 

This is what John wrote in the gospel of John, chapter 3:

And this is the condemnation, that the light has come into the world, and men loved darkness rather than light, because their deeds were evil. 20 For everyone practicing evil hates the light and does not come to the light, lest his deeds should be exposed. 21 But he who does the truth comes to the light, that his deeds may be clearly seen, that they have been done in God."

 

We've talked a couple times of this vertical contrast John creates.  There are no gray areas.  In the light of Jesus Christ every man will move.  When the light of Christ shines in a life you will either be drawn to the light because you agree with God that your deeds are evil resulting in a broken heart and repentance and trust in the savior; or you will be repelled by the light because you love the darkness.  You will run for cover holding tight to your dark deeds.  The one who is moved to the light is moved by their knowledge of sin and darkness but a desire to have a restored relationship with their God.  The one who is moved to the darkness is moved also by their knowledge of sin.  Yet they hide in the world among the darkness of the world.  They retain Lordship of their life though they may not realize that's what they are doing.  They ignore God even while at times acknowledging that there is a just and holy God.  The bible says they suppress the truth in unrighteousness.

 

John said the world is passing away but those who abide in God live forever.  That's a quite a contrast.  And it seems like a no brainer.  Of course, we want to abide in God, yet, the opposition is great.  In John 17 Jesus is praying for the disciples when He said this:

14 I have given them Your word; and the world has hated them because they are not of the world, just as I am not of the world.

Here's our problem.  We begin to feel lonely as a Christian.  We begin to think we are missing out on something in the world.  At times each one of us is fooled into thinking we can hold onto Jesus and somehow reach out and grab onto the world also.  Remember, John is speaking this to those of all level of spiritual maturity because we need to be reminded.  John said, don't love something that is passing away.  Don't love something that will disappoint.  When this world passes away the citizens of this earth will pass away with it and be separated from God for all eternity.  Those found in the Lord will live with the Lord for all eternity because they trusted in eternal things.  The contrast is stark.  A dying world contrasted to a living God.  Yet we constantly make more of the world than we do of Jesus.

 

One more point before we move on.  In Romans 12 Paul wrote something very similar.

I beseech you therefore, brethren, by the mercies of God, that you present your bodies a living sacrifice, holy, acceptable to God, which is your reasonable service. 2 And do not be conformed to this world, but be transformed by the renewing of your mind, that you may prove what is that good and acceptable and perfect will of God.

If John were preaching his message its clear Paul would be agreeing with every word and adding some of his own.  When we are in Christ we are changed from light to dark.  We are a new creature in Christ.  The new creature has a renewed mind.  We don't conform to the world and its thinking.  We are transformed in a supernatural way by the Holy Spirit.  We no longer love darkness.  We are instead drawn to the light.

 

1 John 2:18

If John was speaking of the last hour back then we should speak as though it were the last few minutes.  You can hear the expectancy in John's voice; the thought that Jesus could come any second now!!  We can know the hour is late by the many antichrists that have come and continue to come.  These antichrists are little previews by the spirit of antichrist.  "Anti" means "instead of".  That's important because we tend to think of antchrist as that person who will do everything the opposite of Jesus.  That's not the case. 

In fact, the Antichrist will be an "instead of".  This spirit will sound very right and very religious.  This spirit makes us feel good about our self.  This spirit of antichrist may even use the Christian lingo and spout off bible verses.  The antichrist is the "Instead of"; the other option.  There's Jesus and then there's everything else.  The culmination of the "instead of" Jesus option will someday manifest itself as THE antichrist.

 

There will come a day when The antichrist will step onto the scene.  He may even be alive today for all we know.  Up until now we've seen the spirit of the antichrist alive in the world.  And we've had a few previews of the antichrist.  These were men who were the personifications of evil; think Hitler, Saddam Hussein, Nero......  But they don't have to be so well known.  They can operate on a smaller scale.  The common denominator in each case though is that some number of people are being fooled and led astray.  Some of these personifications of the antichrist were popular among the people.  Some were hailed as great leaders, visionaries.  When THE antichrist comes on the scene it will be even worse.

 

The antichrist will be disguised as an angel of light.  He won't be menacing with a pitchfork, breathing fire and promising hell.  Instead he'll say peace, peace.  He'll perform many signs and wonders.  And many will be deceived.  They will be awe of his mighty power.  They will fall at His feet and worship him.  And he will lead them and they will mock and despise the true disciples.

 

I don't think we'll be around to hear most of it so I'm not too concerned.  Scriptures make it clear the church will be raptured before this man really starts wreaking havoc.  We may see his rise to power but the saints will watch the worst from on high.

 

Our concern is dealing with the Spirit of antichrist now and even today.  The spirit of antichrist has created many "instead of' Jesus options in our world.  These "instead of" options all join together in darkness to work against Christianity.  The spirit of antichrist is alive and well today.  Instead of Jesus you can listen to those who say it doesn't matter what you believe as long as you are sincere.  Oprah herself said it doesn't matter what you call him; some call him Jesus, some call him Allah, Buddha and so forth.  According to her and many like her, it doesn't matter.  The "Instead of" Jesus can also be a Jesus of our own making which is no Jesus at all but a dumb idol that looks a lot like us.  Instead of the Jesus of the bible you can find many who worship a phony Jesus.  Those who create a new Jesus do it out of ignorance at the leading of others.  That's why it's no important to know Jesus of the bible.  Christians, in general, are so enamored with anyone bold enough to say the name of Jesus we don't even stop to figure out if it is the right Jesus.  We automatically assume they are Christian, very wise and very religious.  This is the spirit of the antichrist leading you astray!

 

1 John 2:19

These specific false teachers that were the spirit of the antichrists in John's time went out from us.  They went out from among the faithful.  They were among the faithful at one time but they weren't faithful them self.  Because, John said, if they had been of the faith they would have continued.  Their departure shows they were never really there.  They went out so it would be evident to all.  They weren't ever really part of the faithful in Christ.

 

John is saying that some of the antichrist were among them and appeared to belong to them.  That's important for us to know.  We must be on our guard all the time.  John wrote these words a few thousand years ago, yet here it is, as relevant as ever.  We are in the final hour.  John wrote this to us and for us.  The "instead of" Jesus options are wide and varied.  They are becoming more powerful and joining forces.  And they are speaking out against Christianity.  And in many cases have found a home base in churches and denominations and on TV and internet.  These spirits exist today and some day soon a man will rise to power.  And He will step into the limelight and lead all these spirits.

 

1 John 2:20-21

This is just saying, you have the Holy Spirit with you.  This is what makes you different from these antichrists.  These false teachers and deceivers that may be among you sound holy and religious but you have the anointing of the Holy Spirit that sets you apart for God's use.  They don't have that.  The Holy Spirit is our resource to know all things.  John is reminding these folks to rely on the Spirit in them and not to yield to the spirit of antichrist present in these false teachers.  Don't love the world.  Don't be deceived by these antichrists.  Stay true to the light that is in you.

 

1 John 2:22-23

The false teachers of John's time were beginning to distance themselves from Jesus.  We talked about this.  They were explaining away Jesus saying he wasn't really a man.  John's saying you can't just accept this.  The Holy Spirit ought to be ringing bells and blowing whistles in your head.  We need to pay attention to those things.  You can't be in the Father without believing in Christ and you can't be in Christ without the Father. 

 

This same thing is happening all around us today.  Many churches are distancing themselves from Jesus in an effort to draw a crowd.  And we see Mormonism presented as Christianity.  Mormons have a great choir but they believe in a different Jesus.  Look it up if you think I'm being too harsh.

 

1 John 2:24-25

Remember the false teacher's sales pitch, it's NEW and IMPROVED.  We love new and improved, don't we?  The spirit of antichrist was in the presentation from these false teachers -and it still is today.  We are inherently drawn to it so we must be on guard.  This spirit of antichrist will look very inviting, very logical; it will appear loving on the surface.  It can only be discerned by the Spirit of God and by His unchanging word.

 

John said to stay with that unchanging truth of God.  Stay with that which abides in you; exists in you as the presence of the Holy Spirit.  Stay true to the gospel that saved you.  Don't let someone convince you they have something newer, better, improved, more valuable or anything else.  If we abide in the Father and Son, we have His promise of eternal life.  The inverse is also true.  If those false teachers don't hold to the saving work of Christ and abide in Him and the Father, He does not abide in them and they don't have eternal life.

 

1 John 2:26-27

The basic truth of the Gospel was being abandoned by these counterfeit ministers.  The Holy Spirit and the word will keep us in the truth if we allow it.  The 'anointing' is the endowment of the Holy Spirit in and over our life.  The word means 'to be smeared with' and gives us the picture of the covering of the Holy Spirit of God over our life.  He is our guide and provides the one on one teaching we need to keep us abiding in the truth.

 

1 John 2:28-29

We will stand before Him; Jesus, the One and only.  All the "Instead of" options will be judged.  They will be proven powerless and without hope.  Jesus is coming soon.  We must be sure we are in Christ.  If we are not sure, we mustn't put it off any longer.  We abide in Him as we walk in this world in the midst of all the substitutes that attempt to woo us away.  Like barkers at a carnival trying to get your attention, they offer everything under the sun.  Why don't the false teachers chase those of false religions?  Why don't they chase unbelievers?  They don't need to move those people, they are already deceived.  Isn't it interesting that the false teachers only work within Christian circles, trying to draw away true believers?

 

When you have the real thing there is no reason to even consider the counterfeits.  Walk bold and secure as a son or daughter of God.  And don't be thrown off by these anti-Christ.  Soon we will stand before Him without shame, when He comes. 

 

©2012 Doug Ford

Revised & edited 2020