1 JOHN Series, Message #9 Barry L. Cameron Pastor. OVERCOMING THE WORLD (Text: 1 John 2:18-27)

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1 1 JOHN Series, Message #9 Barry L. Cameron Pastor OVERCOMING THE WORLD (Text: 1 John 2:18-27) We ve been in the 2 nd Chapter of First John since the end of June. For the past 3 weeks we ve looked at the world we live in and why we can t love it: 1. Because of WHAT IT IS (the enemy of God) 2. Because of WHO WE ARE (The family of God) 3. Because of WHAT IT DOES (it turns our hearts away from God) 4. Because of WHERE IT S GOING (its running from God) In our text this morning, beginning in verse 18, John moves from the evil world we live in to the evil spirit that pervades our world. - He warns against the antichrist who s coming and the antichrists who are already here. Oh, great! This is bound to be encouraging! ILL. John Ortberg shares the story about Stephen Ambrose s best selling book, UNDAUNTED COURAGE. It s about the Lewis and Clark expedition. After two years of battling nearly insurmountable problems hunger, fatigue, desertion, hostile enemies, severe illness, and death the party had reached the headwaters of the Missouri River. All their advance information had led them to believe that once they reached the continental divide, they would face about a half day of carrying their cargo over land and then, they would reach the waters of the Columbia River and float safely to the Pacific Ocean. Meriwether Lewis left the rest of his party behind to climb the bluffs that would enable him to see the other side, hoping to see the waters that would carry them the rest of the way. Imagine what he felt when, rather than seeing a gentle sloping valley as expected, he was instead the first non-native American to lay eyes on the Rocky Mountains! You can almost picture Lewis motioning the rest of his party to stay behind a little longer while he tries to figure out how to break the news: Hang on a minute, guys. Don t come up yet. I have a little surprise for you. Eventually, crossing the Rocky Mountains would be perhaps the supreme achievement of the whole trip. This challenge would call forth enormous creativity and perseverance; it would lead them to spectacular sights and unforgettable memories; it would build tremendous confidence because when they had tackled the Rocky Mountains, they would know they could tackle anything. But on this side of the Rockies, of course, they couldn t know any of that yet. All they knew was that when they were hoping for a downstream ride, they had to climb their highest mountain! When you read the 2 nd Chapter of First John, you start to wonder what s next? - We re not to love the world or anything in the world. - The world is an evil system, used by the Devil to entice us to sin. - We have to battle the lust of the flesh (the cravings of sinful man), the lust of our eyes, and the pride of life. Now, John tells us the antichrist is coming and many antichrists are already here? John Hagee: All of us experience adversity. Life can be a grindstone, chipping away at our existence. A grinding stone makes a diamond shine with radiance, but this same stone can reduce solid rock to dust. Life can grind us down or polish us, depending upon the stuff we re made of. Are you made of the right stuff? If what you re doing doesn t produce resistance, what you re doing is not worth doing. Consider these facts: Without the resistance of water, ships can t float. Without the resistance of air, planes can t fly. Without the resistance of gravity, men can t walk.

2 Page Two We have an ADVERSARY, called the devil and we are going to face ADVERSITY in the world. - John tells us about that here in Chapter 2. He also tells us how to respond. We re introduced to a couple of terms here that are important. - The first is found in vs. 18, Dear children, this is the last hour, This is how we know it is the last hour. - John addresses his readers as children (PAIDIA all the children of God.) - The last hour began at the first coming of Jesus Christ and will end when He returns. - The age to come encompasses all of the future, including the millennial kingdom, the thousandyear reign of Christ and the beginning of eternity. In our text, we re also introduced to the term anti Christ. ( In the place of or against Christ ) - This is the first time this term is used in the Bible. - John is the only Bible writer to use it. (1 John, 2 John, 3 John & Revelation) The antichrist described in Revelation tries to come in the place of Christ and then, he tries to take the place of Christ. Ever since the moment Satan and his demonic forces rebelled against Heaven, there s been a supernatural, God-opposing, evil power throughout the universe. - In vs. 18, John refers to the coming of THE antichrist. The Bible teaches that during the 7-year tribulation period (Mark 13:19) one man will emerge as the ultimate antichrist. People have speculated for years who that would be: Nero, other Roman emperors, Muhammad, various popes, Napoleon Bonaparte, Benito Mussolini, and Adolph Hitler. - Such speculation has always proved futile. Vs. 18b. John says even now many antichrists have come. This is how we know it is the last hour. John shows the contrast between antichrists and Christians. (1) THE CHARACTERISTICS OF ANTICHRISTS (1 John 2:19, 22-23, & 26) - There are three unmistakable marks of an antichrist: (a) They DEPART (vs. 19) Like Judas, they look good for a while, but eventually they show their true colors. These are not just backsliders, these are apostates. (There s a difference!) If you dig deep into the heart of a backslider, you ll find Christ. - Get beneath the surface of an apostate, in the dark depths of his or her heart and you ll find the devil, himself. In Matthew, Mark & Luke, Jesus not only predicted their coming but said there would be many of them coming and they will try to deceive even the elect if that were possible. - They come into a church and look good for a while. But eventually they have to depart and almost always leave a path of spiritual destruction behind them. - They also take some of the weak with them and leave behind others confused and confounded. Those who defect give clear evidence of their true character and unregenerate condition. - Paul warned about them in Acts 20: Why does God allow antichrists in His church? (Ultimately for the church s own good.) - Jesus said to let the wheat and tares grow together (Matthew 13).

3 Page Three WHY DOES GOD ALLOW THAT TO HAPPEN? ILL. Years ago, fishing for codfish up in the Northeast had become a very lucrative business. The fishing industry recognized a great market for codfish existed. However, when they froze the fish and shipped it across the country, the fish lost its taste. So, they decided to ship them in huge tanks filled with fresh seawater. That made matters worse because the fish became soft and mushy and, again, lost their taste. Someone came up with the idea of putting catfish in the tanks along with the codfish. Catfish are a natural enemy of codfish. So, as the tank traveled across the country, the codfish had to stay alert and active. When the tank arrived at its destination, the codfish were as fresh and tasty as they were in the Northeast. They DEPART. (b) They DENY (vs ) They deny the faith. They deny that Jesus is the Christ, the Son of the Living God. John MacArthur: A right view of Jesus Christ His person, work and saving message is an essential mark of genuine saving faith; no one can be saved who rejects the biblical revelation about Christ. - Antichrists have another gospel, another revelation besides Scripture and another way to Heaven. 1 John 4:2-3, This is how you can recognize the Spirit of God: Every spirit that acknowledges that Jesus Christ has come in the flesh is from God, but every spirit that does not acknowledge Jesus is not from God. This is the spirit of the antichrist, which you have heard is coming and even now is in the world. - These people may sound spiritual but they re not even saved. They DEPART, They DENY... (c) They DECEIVE (vs. 26) They deliberately try to lead others astray. Matthew 24:24, For false Christs and false prophets will appear and perform great signs and miracles to deceive even the elect if that were possible. Like the devil, himself, they like to create doubts about what you believe, what you ve been taught and who s been teaching you. - They like to hide behind honest questions to conceal their deceptive purposes. - They want to get you to question your faith, your church, your small group leader, your pastor, so that it will open the door for them to be your teacher. The good news is that antichrists and false teachers won t affect the faith or the faithfulness of strong Christians. - The bad news is, unfortunately, they often succeed with new believers or weak believers, who ultimately end up discarded and left behind when the antichrist or false teacher heads someplace else. The characteristics of antichrists: They DEPART, they DENY, they DECEIVE. (2) THE CHARACTERISTICS OF CHRISTIANS (1 John 2:20-21, 24-25, & 27) - Quite the opposite of antichrists are genuine Christians who are committed to the truth. - There are two reasons why genuine believers are not led astray: (a) They EMBRACE The Faith (vs , & 27) True believers have an anointing from the Holy One. (A reference to the Holy Spirit.) We have the true understanding because Jesus lives in us through the power and person of the Holy Spirit. Colossians 2:9, For in Christ all the fullness of the Deity lives in bodily form, and you have been given fullness in Christ... (vs. 3) in whom are hidden all the treasures of wisdom and knowledge. - The Holy Spirit has taken up residency in every believer and He reveals through Scripture all we need to know.

4 Page Four ILL. I heard about a man who talked to a Mormon who claimed that Joseph Smith was a latter-day prophet and that the Book of Mormon was a second New Testament. The man asked the Mormon, What does he prophesy? If it s in the Bible, I don t need it... and if it s not in the Bible, I don t want it. The Holy Spirit has a 3-fold ministry toward the world: 1. A REPROVING MINISTRY (John 16:7-11) To convict the world of sin, righteousness and of judgment to come. 2. A REGENERATING MINISTRY (John 3:1-8) Jesus explained that to Nicodemus. The Spirit is very involved in our salvation experience. 3. A RESTRAINING MINISTRY (2 Thessalonians 2:3-8) Acting through the church, He is hindering the premature appearing of the Antichrist. The Holy Spirit has a 7-fold ministry toward believers: 1. He SITUATES (baptizes) us (1 Corinthians 12:13) 2. He SUSTAINS us (Romans 8:8, Acts 2:38) 3. He SANCTIFIES us (1 Corinthians 3:16; 6:19) 4. He SECURES us (Ephesians 1:13) 5. He SEPARATES us (Ephesians 1:14) 6. He STRENGTHENS us (Ephesians 5:18) 7. He SHOWS us (1 John 2:20, 27) Genuine Christians EMBRACE the FAITH. (b) They EXEMPLIFY Faithfulness (vs ) Even though John knew that true sheep could never lose their salvation, he encouraged them to persevere. John 10:27-29, Jesus said: My sheep listen to my voice; I know them, and they follow me. I give them eternal life, and they shall never perish; no one can snatch them out of my hand. My Father, who has given them to me, is greater than all; no one can snatch them out of my Father s hand. The word remain in vs. 24, refers to a continual action of remaining. Jesus illustrated the concept of remaining by referring to Himself as the VINE and His followers as THE BRANCHES (John 15:1-8). - The branches of the Vine have three responsibilities: to cling, to climb and to cluster. They can only do that as they abide in the Vine. - When we do that the result is fruit, more fruit and much fruit. So, the contrast between antichrists and Christians couldn t be clearer. - Antichrists DENY the faith, DEPART from the faith, and attempt to DECEIVE the faithful. - Christians EMBRACE the faith and EXEMPLIFY faithfulness to the end. The GREAT NEWS is: You can OVERCOME THE WORLD! - With God s help you can be an overcomer. ILL. One of the greatest illustrations of this has to be the story of Josh Hamilton, centerfielder for the Texas Rangers. A player who was banned from baseball in 2003 because of drugs and alcohol addiction. In 2004, he burned through his entire $4 million signing bonus on cocaine and alcohol. He acquired 26 tattoos during his years on booze and drugs and now says he regrets every one of them, including one with Satan s face and blue flames shooting down both his forearms. He s been in rehab over half a dozen times. What happened? Josh says, It s a God thing. He decided to overcome the world instead of being overrun by it. He says, I surrendered. I didn t make a deal with God, I just surrendered. Baseball is third in my life right now, behind my relationship with God and my family. Without the first two, baseball isn t even in the picture. Believe me, I know.

5 Page Five This past May at the Great American Ballpark in Cincinnati, where Josh used to play, a young boy about 9 or 10, wearing a Red s cap, handed him a pen and something to sign. As Josh was signing his autograph the little boy said, Josh, you re my Savior. Josh said that stopped him and he looked at the young man and said, Well, thank you. Do you know who my Savior is? He thought for a moment, Josh said, and he could see the gears turning in the little guy s mind. Finally, he smiled and blurted out, Jesus Christ! Josh said the little guy said it just like he d come up with the answer to a test. That s exactly right, Josh said. Josh said he couldn t win the battle with the devil on his own. But with Jesus, he said, I couldn t lose. Friend, you can t win the battle with the devil and the world on your own. - But, with JESUS, you can t lose!