Keep sharing good news without ads.
Source: https://www.sermonindex.net/speakers/william-skates/1-john-2-15-3-3/
Let's turn to 1 John, please. Chapter 2. 1 John chapter 2. Let's come in for, I'm not going to spend time here, but let's read at verse 15. Love not the world, neither the things that are in the world.
If any man love the world, the love of the Father is not in him. For all that is in the world, the lust of the flesh, the lust of the eyes, and the pride of life is not of the Father, but is of the world.
And the world passeth away, and the lust thereof, but he that doeth the will of God abideth forever. Now keep your Bible open, we'll read some more. But we notice from these verses, it is possible for true believers to have misplaced affection for this world.
And we notice as well that this is incompatible with loving the Father. And the reason for that is very simple, because this world, this cosmos, has gone rogue because of sin. This word, world, cosmos, brings before us the thought of the unethical arrangement of the world system.
A world system in its alienation from God and in its hostility to God, to the Lord, and to his anointed. So that will encompass most of the arrangements of this world, its politics, its godless entertainment, its social drinking, its professional sporting events, its attitude of irreverence, its philosophy of no absolute truth, postmodernism, where everything is relative, no absolutes, and in the absence of absolute truth, then what really matters is your feelings, and so people are guided by their feelings.
That's the way they talk. I really feel that whatever. Feelings. Feelings come and feelings go. But the word of God is absolute, and God himself, as we've been hearing, is absolute. And this whole world is in opposition to God.
It has gone rogue. Now, not only has the world gone rogue, but you'll notice John goes on to speak about antichrist. Verse 18, shall come, even now there are many antichrists whereby we know it is the last hour.
We're living in the last hour, and John wrote this nearly 2 ,000 years ago, because this world system is headed for judgment. And the antichrist shall come. It will be headed up by a man after the rapture of the church, when the church is taken home.
There will be a figurehead who will head up this rogue system, this world system. And John goes on to say, even now there are many antichrists. Now, he has in mind, I believe, the false teachers. We were hearing this morning about the Gnostics and so on, coming in in its earlier form in this epistle.
But nevertheless, these men are noted by a number of things. First of all, they depart. They went out from us because they were not all of us. They depart. These teachers have gone rogue, and they leave the assembly.
Not only do they depart, but then they deny the truth. Verse 22, who is a liar, but he that denieth that Jesus is the Christ. He is antichrist that denieth the Father and the Son. So they're noted by departing.
They're noted by denying truth. They deny truth pertaining to the person of our Lord Jesus Christ, and thereby denying truth per se. Not just that, but then we notice that they also deceive. Notice verse 26.
These things have I written unto you concerning them that seduce you. Their methods are seductive. They don't come across as teaching error, but rather they are seductive in their approach. Now, to counter all of this, John is bringing before these dear believers, who in chapter 1 he has been pointing out they have been brought into a tremendous fellowship.
They've been brought into fellowship with divine persons. And it's all because of the great work of Calvary for the blood of Jesus Christ. His Son cleanseth us from all sin. And He is the propitiation for our sins, and not for ours only, but also for the sins of the whole world.
And God has laid the foundation in Christ to bring us, who were once sinners of the Gentiles, far from God, those that had gone rogue in sin. He's brought us back into fellowship with Himself. God who is light, and in Him is no darkness at all.
Now, to preserve the believers, John is writing, and he often tells us why he writes. In this chapter, he's writing to the little children, he's writing to the fathers, written unto you young men, he tells us why.
And he's pointing out that there are dangers. There's the world. There is a system that has gone wrong, a ruined system. Then there are religious seducers that are liable to draw the child of God away.
But the solution, notice verse 27. But the anointing which ye have received from Him abideth in you. Now, he's also talked about an anointing up in verse 20 of the Holy One that is in the believer, whereby they know all things.
Now, what does that mean? Well, somebody says, well, that must be the Holy Spirit. Yes, but the way it's treated here, it is not spoken of in terms of a person indwelling the believer. But rather, time to be accurate, rather, it is the capacity that is in the believer who is in fellowship with divine persons, and abiding in that fellowship, there is a capacity within them to recognize truth, to resonate with truth, so that when truth, they're exposed to truth, there is that which teaches them, resonates within them.
That's right. That's true. It's that capacity that is within the believer. Now, that's come by way of the new birth. It has come because the Holy Spirit indwells us. We know that from other scriptures.
Notice what he says now. Ye need not that any man teach you. Oh, he said, I don't need to go to the ministry meeting then. I don't need to go to the Bible study on Sunday morning, before the breaking of bread.
I don't need to go to these things, because he says, you need not that any man teach you. Well, if that's what he's saying, then you'd have a problem, for example, in Ephesians chapter 4, where there are gifts given from the risen head, and the teacher is one of them, to nourish and to encourage the believers, and to nourish up the body.
So, it can't mean that. What does it mean? Well, simply, I take it that the believer does not need teaching from external forces, from external sources, if you will, other than what God has given to us, in his word, and those that teach it, those that he is gifted to teach it.
We don't need anything from any other man. So, it's a man-made source that he's referring to when he says, you don't need that. So, you don't need, for example, a degree in psychology to understand the Bible.
And you don't need to go to seminary in order to be trained how to understand the Bible. You need a heart. A heart that is drawn out to Christ in devotion, and that is willing to abide in fellowship with him, and to learn of God from day to day, from day to day, in the daily round of life, and in the daily round of assembly life, to learn of God in a practical way, and as we learn the truth, putting it into practice, we learn of him.
We don't need external sources to develop in divine things. Now, the thought of abiding, very quickly, in this chapter, he mentions it at least ten times. So, obviously, it is very important to abide.
Notice verse 28, And now, little children, abide in him. Abide in him. That's remaining close to the Lord. That's remaining in that condition of soul. We're enjoying his presence. We're enjoying his word.
He speaks to us through his word. We speak to him. And there's communion between us and the Lord. We're abiding in him. That, when he shall appear, when he shall become visible, when he shall be manifested, we may have confidence, and not be ashamed from before him at his coming.
At his coming. You say, well, what does that mean? Is that teaching us that it's possible to be ashamed at the rapture? Well, I don't take it that John is actually speaking, per se, of the rapture here.
He's not talking so much about us going into heaven. The blood of Christ has secured that. But rather, I take it, what he has in view is the thought of coming out from heaven, when he shall appear. We may have confidence, outspokenness, freedom of speech.
I take it that this is referring to what will stand the test at the bema, seat of Christ. The results of that, that go through and will be manifested in that coming day when he is seen in his glory, we also shall appear with him in his glory, reflecting the degree of glory that will be seen in the degree to which we have been like Christ down here.
So, the degree of Christlikeness which we have developed in our souls down here will be put on display then. And John's appeal is that we should not be ashamed. In other words, that we would maximize Christlikeness in view of that coming day.
Now, let's come into chapter 3 very briefly. And verse 1. Behold what manner of love the Father has bestowed upon us, that we should be called the sons of God. The thought of beholding this manner of love, it is to take a look at this amazing, sublime, glorious kind of love that has been directed our way by the Father.
How has it been expressed? That we should be called, not just named the children of God, that we should be called. So, this is the thought of the start of a relationship and a relationship that has the potential for growth and development as its goal.
That we should be called the children of God. The dear children of God. Those that are born into God's family. And God has taken up His role as well as not just calling us His children, bringing us into that position, but He has taken His place as Father to us.
That's an amazing thing. That it's not just the God of our salvation, but He has taken His place as Father with all the care that that denotes. With all the love that is directed our way. With all that is involved in being a child of God and an inheritor of the kingdom of heaven.
With that glorious future before us. It's all involved in being called the children, the dear children, born ones of God. Now, the world doesn't recognize that, of course. That's his point at the end of verse 1.
Therefore, the world knoweth us not. And of course, it's because it knew Him not. It didn't recognize the Lord Jesus for who He really was when He was down here on earth. And as you walk around the streets of Cedar Falls or Waterloo or Parkersburg or wherever it is that you live, and the people look at you, they don't recognize you for who you are.
A born one in the very family of God with a glorious future, inheriting with Christ, joint heirs with Christ. Our brother has been bringing before us the vastness of the universe and the tremendous vastness of God's purpose that is focused in Christ who will fill all things.
And we linked with Him as a body is to a head. We've been brought into that. Verse 2. Beloved, now are we the sons of God, genuine children, genuine descendants, born ones of God. And it doth not yet appear what we shall be.
It's not yet manifested. That transformation has not yet taken place in our bodies. We still need our glasses. We still need the pills. We still grow old. But the transformation has not yet been made manifest.
But you know what? When He shall appear, when He shall appear, when it shall be brought to light. Now, actually, if you check Mr. Darby and check some of the other translations, they render the word He as it, when it shall appear.
And if that is the case, then it shall appear is referring to our transformation, our transformation. So read it that way. It doth not yet appear what we shall be, but we know that when our transformation shall appear, we shall be like Him.
For we shall see Him as He is. That is absolutely something that no human mind could conceive of. That conformity to Him defies description. Believers will be as much as glorified humanity can be like incarnate deity, without becoming deity, but He will generate in us what He is in Himself.
And we shall see Him. And when we see Him, that in itself is a transforming sight. What a glorious moment it's going to be to see Him in all His glory. Changed from glory to glory, 2 Corinthians 3. But then that process complete.
Beholding now in the glass the glory of the Lord, we're changed into the same image from glory to glory, even as by the Spirit of the Lord. But when we actually see Him, that process is brought to its consummation and from the inside out.
Made like unto, fashioned like unto Him, the body of His glory. Now that's the hope that we have. Now verse 3, Every man that hath this hope in him purifieth himself, even as he is pure. Now the thought of hope is not the thought of doubt.
We're not just merely hoping for it and maybe it'll work out, maybe it won't. But this is a sure expectation. This is lying before us. It's just around the corner, brethren and sisters. I'll look forward to seeing you on resurrection morning.
Radiant in glory. What a tremendous thing. Now He says, He that has this hope in him purifieth himself. He cleanses himself. He set apart in consecration to God, just as He is pure. Oh, that we were more like Him now.
Pure now. And in Him is no sin, says John. And He is righteous. Chapter 2, verse 29. So there's a practical aspect to these truths too, isn't there? That how you and I live today and how you and I live tomorrow, going into work, that it does matter how we live because there's a coming day when that will be reflected in a degree of glory or not.
So let us seek to live for Him now and live for His glory, knowing that at any time He will come and then soon we will be manifested with Him in His glory. May the Lord bless His Word.