 So we'll begin reading here in 1st John chapter 2 at verse 9 I'll read verses 9 through 11 and We'll get into our study 1st John chapter 2 verses 9 Through 11 John writes he who says he's in the light and hates his brother is in darkness until now He who loves his brother abides in the light and there's no cause for stumbling in him But he who hates his brother is in darkness and walks in darkness and does not know where he's going because the darkness has blinded his eyes Now John has been writing to these His recipients of this letter and he's told them that That we've been given a new command. We saw that in verse 8 of chapter 2 He had said again a new commandment when he had spoken of this new commandment I mentioned to you that the word knew there in the original language speaks of that which is fresh a fresh commandment and This new or fresh commandment is new in the sense that it's new in revelation You see the love of Jesus had been something the world had never seen before The love that moved him to embrace across was actually during his day as it would be today It was unheard of the thought that God would send his son to do what he did was beyond belief So that kind of love was a thing that was true in him And this is the love shown by Christ and experienced by his apostles as well as those who have a Relationship with him. He had said in verse 8 that the darkness is passing away and the true light is already shining The love that the world shows has been exposed in other words It's been exposed for what it is the love that is of the world is really darkness He said we love in this fashion because we no longer walk in darkness or children of light and The way we became children of light as we saw is because we've been born again It's a word that is used to describe being born again Regeneration we've been regenerated In John 12 46 Jesus said I've come as a light to shine in this dark world So that all who put their trust in me will no longer remain in the dark So we no longer walk in darkness and that's why in verse 9 when John said he who says he's in the light and hates His brother is in darkness So what he was doing there and what he is doing is he's Contrasting the true believer true follower of Christ was someone who is a false professor somebody who says I know him But in reality doesn't it's interesting how he uses this this phrase he who says He had used that already in verses verse 6 verse 8 verse 10 Chapter 2 verse 4 and chapter 2 verse 6 that would have been chapter 1 verse 6 8 and 10 And that is a way that somebody who's making a false profession of faith would speak So he who says is speaking really of someone who's just saying but not doing So these are the words that false Christians would use they have a false profession of faith in the Lord Because a genuine Christian and this is the key and a very important point to make that John is making in his letter of a genuine Christian loves other believers loves other believers around the world There is not to be any hatred for other Christians This kind of emotion reveals a hardened even a selfish heart And it can even be evidence that the person who harbors hatred for somebody who knows the Lord Is in evidence that person isn't saved The one who says that he loves God ought to love his brother also and that's just a fact So genuine conversion a genuine regeneration is always revealed by the love of God And is always revealed by a walk in the light. Now. Does that make it easy? Is it easy? To love somebody who's harmed to use that easy of course not I wouldn't pretend that it is Because it isn't It's something you die to It's something that you ask God to give you the ability to do to love those who is just who have spiedfully used you To love those who have harmed you to love those to have a love of God in in you for somebody who Who is far away from God, but not only that But to love those who also love Jesus Christ, you know, there's an awful lot of Antagonism in the body of Christ. There's a lot of anger in the body of Christ. I see it quite often And the Lord would have us to know that no if I love then if I love him then I have to love my brother also And that's what John is talking about. That's what John is saying here He says and notice in verse 10 and 11 he said that the one who loves his brother abides in the light So genuine conversion is going to produce what we would call a walk in the light But those who don't love their fellow believers. He is saying our walking in darkness Proverbs 419 says it like this the way of the wicked is like darkness. They don't know what makes them stumble And so a believer in Christ is not one who hates a brother not one who walks in darkness Not one who has been blinded by the darkness, but has been enlightened by the Lord We're to love one another So he goes on and he says this in verse 12. I write to you little children Because your sins are forgiven you for his namesake. I write to you fathers Because you have known him who's from the beginning. I write to you young men Because you have overcome the wicked one. I write to you little children Because you've known the father. I've written to you fathers Because you've known him who's from the beginning. I've written to you young men Because you're strong the word of God abides in you you have overcome the wicked one John has been writing Concerning those who walk in darkness So to encourage his readers he's assuring them of what he thinks of them and these verses Give us a picture of the makeup of the body of Christ It gives us insight into the development of Christian maturity as well And I want you to notice this because I'm going to develop this for a few minutes with you Notice how John speaks of little children young men and fathers Every church is made up of of children of young men and fathers This would be speaking of children in the faith that it's not necessarily chronological But it's speaking of maturity and advancement in maturity in the Lord It speaks of both males obviously and female and he's beginning to write here Notice how he begins he writes to little children now in the New Testament calling Calling them my little children is actually a term of endearment It was used by just teachers who are speaking to their disciples So in these verses John is speaking to the members who are young in faith Now they're spiritual children and so he's giving them some encouragement truth that gives them peace First you see it in verse 12. He says your sins are forgiven them for his sake Their sins are forgiven them for his sake and then in verse 13. He says that they have known the father So here's something that is very practical the foundation of spiritual growth And I shared this with you when we were in Ephesians We saw it I think fairly clearly in the in the writing of Paul to the Ephesian church But the foundation of the Christian life the foundation of spiritual growth is Very simple. It's understanding That you've been forgiven it's Understanding and receiving that you have been completely forgiven because you trusted Jesus Christ This is the foundation of our Christian life Knowing that God has forgiven you The sins that once separated us from him have been completely forgiven some 103 verse 12 as far as the east is from the west So far as he removed our transgressions from us as far as the east is from the west so far as he removed our transgressions from us that Understanding changes our life That understanding is the foundation of a spiritual life Now he's been writing concerning the error that had crept in a denial of a sin nature a denial of acts of sin He already saw said that in chapter 1 verse 8 in verse 10 So he's reinforcing this basic truth as newly converted believers You have little experience in your walk You're learning the way of your father and you're learning of his love for you and this is important And therefore like Paul said in 2nd Timothy 2 verse 1. He said my son be strong in the grace that is in Christ Jesus now There is a fellow some of you may be familiar with his name Carl Meninger the Meninger clinics. He was a psychiatrist and Carl Meninger manager once said that if he could convince the patients in psychiatric hospitals that their sins were forgiven 75% of them could walk out the next day Do you see how important that is even a secular man can say these people are wrestling with guilt These people are wrestling with a burden that they can't relieve themselves up of They need to know you need to know we need to know That we have been 100% forgiven not just 50% or 60% 80% or even 90% What is amazing to me and it took a while for me as a new believer and that's why I'd be referred to as a little child It took a long time for me really to come to grips with the fact that God really had forgiven me because my sin was ever before me because I had I had memories of sinfulness things I had hurt people by doing pain that I had caused other people and and a sense of guilt for doing those things for hurting my parents for hurting my family for hurting friends and When I was given the opportunity by the way when I got saved I asked for forgiveness I asked for forgiveness for my parents. I asked for forgiveness from those whom I'd hurt I I didn't just say oh now I'm forgiven and move on I knew that I had some responsibility to approach people and let them know I know what I've been and I want you to know I'm sorry for that forgive me for that and I did and I asked my dad Dad would please forgive me for the son. I've been and that's something I have to tell you that can stay in the back of your mind that that there are things that you've Done that even though you know God has forgiven you it can still rattle around and and it can still sometimes Pop up in the most interesting ways, but you know, I asked my my my my father my dad I said dad forgive me for the son that I that I have been mama forgive me for the for the This the crazy son that that I've been I asked my sisters You know why because it wasn't just that I was receiving forgiveness from God That was enough, but I also knew that I need to reconcile with those I've hurt So I did that and that's how I started my journey towards healing. So as a new believer I needed to know one thing I have been forgiven by God Now he goes on and he says in verse 13 as well as verse 14 He says I write to you fathers because you have known him you have known him who is from the beginning I'm writing to you fathers fathers have continued in the faith. They've never left their first love They have left behind a legacy of spiritual children who follow their example The fathers are the ones who have gained a deep knowledge of God through trials and experience and that has given them a Certainty that has given them a stability in Jesus Christ. It reminds me of Job chapter 19 verses 25 through 27 Where Job said I know that my redeemer lives and he shall stand at last on the earth After my skin is destroyed this I know that in my flesh I shall see God whom I shall see for myself and my eyes shall behold and not another how my heart yearns within me. I know that my redeemer lives That's the that's the word that a father would say I know beyond a shadow of a doubt That my redeemer lives That's what a father will say a father has a knowledge of God and has walked with the Lord for many many years And then he speaks concerning the young men. He says in verses 13 and 14 I write to you young men you've overcome the wicked one When he says you've overcome the wicked one he's speaking of the devil obviously saying young men have mastered have overcome The wicked one and they are strong in faith. They've gone through spiritual battles and they have prevailed through Christ Young men have endured temptations. They've demonstrated spiritual strength They have resisted the influence of the air that is seeping into the church They resist me by standing in the word of God they they walk in the light and their joy is abounding They're keeping his guarding his word. They're abiding in him. They're loving the brethren And that's because the word of God is abiding in them in John 14 23 Jesus answered him If anyone loves me, he'll keep my word and my father will love him and we will come to him and make our home with him These young warriors have strength. They've endured. They have victory in Christ. Their character is being formed. Their faith is developed Because the word abides in them they overcome they conquer the wicked one that word wicked there is a Greek word panoramic It means the malicious one God's word is in them and they practice it They obey it and because of that they are victorious their warriors in Daniel 1132 the people that do know their God shall be strong and do exploits So I'm 37 31 the law of his God is in his heart. None of his steps shall slide So I'm 40 verse 8. I delight to do your will. Oh my God and your lies within my heart now Every one of us in this room Is in one of those stages For the longest time when I first got saved until not that long ago Well when I was first saved and I was reading my Bible and I said little children I said ask how to be talking me and it is I'm young in my faith and I'm beginning to develop it But at a certain point I Began to identify myself with not just the little children because I'd spent time in the word I was learning the word of God going to Bible college teaching Bible studies and putting it into practice And and I found myself identifying with the young men And it was just recently and I don't know how this is gonna come out That God said you're not a young man anymore you're a father But it's the father you're an elder you're an aged man You've grown old and the Lord it's like King David at one time It was time for war it was time for battle and King David started to suit up to go to war and his men said no You're more valuable to us than thousands of warriors You stay behind David. It's time for us to go forward and fight Well that touches my heart because I know that I have entered into that area and I like it I'm glad to be there I tear up because I'd like to put the uniform on But the Lord said you've got experience that you should be giving to others so that they might do the warfare that you no longer Are called to do every one of us in this room is That one of those stages Little children new believers perhaps are those who have yet to develop their faith You might have been walking with God or knowing him since ten years ago But you haven't grown while you still looked at now as a little child. That doesn't mean you have to stay there It simply means that's where you're at right now little children Then you have the young men who want to do exploits who want to go out and do something for God I want to get I used to say I want to get my uniform dirty When I when I played ball and played a lot of sports for a long time when I used to be able to when I was a young man I wasn't the guy who sat on the bench chewing the edge of my glove Wishing I was the guy who went into the game and I wanted to dirty that uniform I wanted to play hard and I did I played hard when Marie and I were going out as it just when she and I were Dating I played on three softball teams a week. I played a lot of sports I played a lot of sports for a long time That's what I did at a certain point. I realized those days are are overhang up the cleats It's time to do something else, but I've always had that aggressive kind of competitive. Let's go out and let's get our uniforms dirty Let's go out and do something. Let's do it. I brought that mentality into ministry I don't want to sit on the Lord's bench. I want to be in the game. I want to be out there swinging swords I want to be in there combating because life is is filled with opportunity to do something for God That blesses others right and so that I have men and and women in this room that would be called You know the young warriors. He's referring to him as young men, but it refers to us He has that we have those in our church those who want to do something for God And you have the children you have the warriors and you have the elderly elderly not frail Outerly meaning we have walked with God. I've walked with the Lord next month 52 years It's a long time to be walking with Jesus and he's taught me a lot of things over 52 years of walking with him And these are the things that I want to give to you These are the things that I want to share to our fellowship This is what God can do if you trust him This is what God can do if you hold fast to him God can move through you. Why can't he I used to tell That to people all the time I'd say why can't he use you what is it about your life that keeps him from using you? Why can't he use you? Why not? Look at this world. Look where it's going. Look what's happening. The church has to stand up and speak You should do that. Why not when I was a young warrior and I'd be in college in secular college I didn't go to just Christian college. I went to secular college And I would open my mouth in the class when nobody else would and I would say this is what the Lord says I still remember people who had mocked me I still remember the the response that some had but you know what I didn't care Because somebody had to say something in the name of Jesus Christ And if if people weren't going to do it I said to the Lord this and I still remember saying it father if no one speaks for you I will and that was my attitude then long before I was called Pastor David I was a believer in Jesus Christ who wanted people to know him. I was in a class that you know When I was in college, I was in a class. It was a California history class and the professor said every one of you have an assignment You're gonna have to stand before the class. I'm gonna give you a word and I want you to just Excemperaneously use that word and give to us give to us some thoughts concerning the word I give to you And so I'm just seated there in this class and I still remember this very well And I it was like a few weeks into the class lots of students had already gotten up And he said David, it's your turn And I'm you know 20 24 years old and I stand up and I go to the front of the class just like this And I look at all these bored people Just like this and I said and I stood there and the professor said your word is freedom And so I said freedom and I gave a message. I said when you say freedom I Have one who has given me that his name is Jesus Christ He said you shall know the truth and the truth shall set you free and every person in this room Who doesn't know Jesus Christ as a slave But Jesus Christ and set you free because that's what Christ came to do and I shared the gospel with him And I sat down and a woman sitting next to me young woman sitting next to me said out loud He doesn't say much but when he does speak he says something important to hear I was willing to do that and I was only a couple of years old in Christ I was not pastor David I'd been a Christian a little over three years three and a half years But these kids needed to know Jesus Christ that professor needed to know Jesus Christ as that Cal Poly I had a homosexual professor who was teaching marriage and the family and so my The he won he had us do a paper and I and the paper you could choose what you want So I I wrote a paper on the husband being the priest of the home And I gave a Bible study to him and paper format of Ephesians 5 homosexual teacher and after the class he approached me he and I walked to the car as he was talking to me and he said to me I've never heard anything like that before So walking through that parking lot with this man real nice guy and everything You know, but walking with him and talking to him shared the gospel of Jesus Christ with him. That's what you do See, that's what young men do That's what warriors do and at a certain point you become the elder Because you you have had your battles. You've had your scars. You've had your your victories You've had your defeats the times that you wish you wouldn't have said that I could have said it better You've learned from those things But there's one thing you haven't done and that is you haven't departed from the truth and That's how I've been for 51 almost 52 years. I've had my ups and I've had my downs and the downs have been bad But the ups are wonderful and at this point now I've come to realize that no, I'm not the little child and I'm certainly not the young man I've become the father and yesterday in our I meet with pastors That's one of the responsibilities. I have as a as a pastor here I meet with pastors in a region that I that I oversee and I had a group of pastors who came yesterday And one of the pastors as we were in the class one of the pastors said to me He said he said pastor David. I'm 60 years old, but I look at you as you're my father and One of my friends who you know says, you know, how old are you? You're 60 and you look at him and he said Dave. You're just an old old man And and I looked at my friend who's older than me and I said you're almost dead shut up, you know, but But I said, you know and and forgive me for a moment. This is going to seem I don't know if everybody will understand this and I don't intend to Exclude anybody by the illustration or inside. I want to be careful with this, but it's true And maybe you need to know this. I don't know My friend who teased me about an older older man calling me father My friend is not a Hispanic man, but the man who spoke to me is and So I turned to my friend another pastor and I said to him one of the things you don't realize or understand that in the Hispanic community when a man calls you his father, that is the highest compliment you can have That is an honor that I receive Because that's what we're like in the community. I was raised in So for a man to say you're a father to me That's one of the highest compliments and I turned to the man who's 60 years old and I said I want to tell you how deeply I appreciate what you just said and I love you for it. Thank you so much I hope that I can live up to your your thoughts of who I am that is what it's all about To be a father to be a mother of the faith to grow and to be looked at by those who may not be that much younger than you But respect you for what God has done in you That's something that I tried to share with my sons to be a man To be a man that they can look at my women my young my daughters be a woman that women can respect Because respect means everything especially in the body of Christ So live in such a way that people will respect you live for Jesus Christ And so John is speaking to them in that way. I speak to you little children I speak to you you young many fathers and he's saying these are the things that I see in you and therefore just hold fast to him moving on Do not love the world verse 15 or the things of the world if anyone loves 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 is passing away and the lust of it But he who does the will of God? abides forever Now when he says do not love the world, let me give you brief some brief thoughts The word world is used in various ways in the Bible World can speak of the created or the natural world. We see that in John 1 9 and 10 It says this was a true light which lights every man who comes into the world He was in the world the world was made by him and the world knew him not it speaks of the natural world The world is another way of speaking also of the sinful human race The race that Jesus came to redeem God so loved the world so it can be used in that way It is also used of what has been referred to as the death system that opposes God and is led by Satan In John 14 verse 30 Jesus said I will no longer talk much with you for the ruler of this world is coming And he has nothing in me So John is concerned That the believers would abandon Jesus and desire the world and that's why he says Do not love this world system now when you look at the the language It is literally saying stop giving the world that which belongs only to God, which is your love Stop loving the world is what he is saying and that's a common concern that runs through the history of the church Somebody once said I believe that one reason why the church of God at this present moment Has so little influence over the world is Because the world has so much influence over the church And that's absolutely true absolutely true The world has influenced the church But the church is supposed to be influencing the world for jesus christ. What is in the world? while lust and pride He says first he speaks of the lust of the flesh when he says The lust of the flesh all that is in the world the lust of the flesh the lust of the flesh speaks of inward desires It's the appeal to the body appetites It's the temptation to gratify and satisfy our bodily desire When you have this great desire to satisfy what you consider to be Needs that you have it can be exposed in some ways that are very obvious like alcoholism Or gluttony or the use of drugs or venereal diseases Of pregnancies out of wedlock Is diseases like AIDS In first chrithian 6 9 and 10 the bible says do you not know that the wicked will not inherit the kingdom of god? Do not be deceived Neither the sexually immoral nor idolaters nor adulterers nor male prostitutes nor homosexual offenders nor thieves Nor the greedy nor drunkards nor slanderers nor swindlers will inherit the kingdom of god We're living in time when people need to reread this passage do not be deceived Because many are So what is in the world? Well the desire to satisfy your bodily needs he also speaks of the lust of the eyes The lust of the eyes that's the desire after luxury of every kind It lends itself to the spending sprees or irresponsible spending for things you really don't need I used to use the term credit card mania I knew a lady I knew a lady at one time many years ago now a young lady Who every year would use her credit card every year would use her credit card She would get rid of all the furniture in her in her front room in different areas all of it In every year and then she'd buy new furniture One year then she'd buy new furniture credit card mania Irresponsibly spending lusting for things with your eyes And Psalm 119 verses 36 and 37 incline my heart to your testimonies Not to covetousness Turn away my eyes from looking at worthless things revive me in your way In closions three one and two Since then you have been raised with Christ set your hearts on things above Where Christ is seated at the right hand of God Set your minds on things above Not unearthly things Loss of the eyes a desire after these things third pride of life my reputation my achievements my status my titles One commentator said the pride of life speaks of boasting of ancestry boasting of connections or great offices Of name dropping Name dropping is always trippy to me. Yeah, I was talking to so-and-so just the other day Sometimes I don't know who the so-and-so is that they're talking about so I just smile right really that's nice Who is that? In Luke 22 26 He who is greatest among you let him be as the younger He who governs as he who serves You see he's saying that the fashion form and scheme of this world is doomed In 1st Corinthians 7 Paul said it like this versus 29 through 31 He said what I mean brothers and sisters is that the time is short From now on those who have wives should live as if they do not that's pretty good. No, anyway Those who mourn as if they did not Those who are happy as if they were not Those who buy something As if it were not theirs to keep Those who use the things of the world As if not engrossed in them Why is that Paul for this world in its present form is passing away Don't use the system as your model for life Don't think that because and this is this is I believe that if you I should say it this way I'll begin this way I really do believe this is a proper way to think, you know, they you've been given whatever you've been given and thank god for it If you have a great house bless the lord for it, of course you have a nice car wonderful I think that's great. Just make sure that it doesn't take your heart Make sure that you use it and it doesn't use you Because that's where the trap is You know, if you work hard and and the reward of your labor is is material blessing Praise the lord put god first in your giving and and enjoy what he gives you You know, I guess that the the greatest thing that I have learned and I'm learning is contentment I'm just content I'm thankful for a mom and a dad who are not materialistically inclined. I thank god for that I thank god that my dad Put his family where the family should have been Love to his wife to his very last breath Care for his children the way he did So I'm thankful for that My dad wasn't a materialist at all My dad was a man who was not taken by money, but he would use it and I think that's good advice to give even now be careful You can be taken by the money You can you can think that if if I get this particular thing and it's true We all know this especially when you're young, but it doesn't necessarily grow away go away You don't necessarily outgrow it. It's it's something that has to be turned from But when you're young you say, oh if I only had this car if only had this relationship or only lived in this neighborhood Or I only had this degree if I only had this kind of a relationship with a girl or whatever And then those things become yours and then you realize that they perish with the using it doesn't matter You've been saving up your money to get that car and you finally got it and that's wonderful. You enjoy it. That's great, too And then you drive to the supermarket to get something and you come out and somebody had let their shopping car run off And it smashed into the side of your car and your joy goes out the window, right? That's a fact. That's just true. You know before you know it you're parking, you know taking up three spaces and We just have to be careful Don't let the system Model your life for you be content in the things the lord gives to you Let's see now. I think I can take you a little bit further I don't know. Let's see shall we Verse 18 little children It is the last hour and as you have heard that the antichrist is coming even now Many antichrists have come by which we know that it is the last hour They went out from us, but they were not of us for if they had been of us They would have continued with us, but they went out that they might be made manifest that none of them were of us and so He says it's the last hour the last hour is another way of speaking of the last days It's the time between the first and second coming of jesus christ These last days actually began at pentacost. You see that in peter's pentacost message Acts 2 14 through 17 Peter stood up with the 11 raised his voice. He dressed the the crowd fellow jews and all you who who live in Jerusalem, let me explain this to you listen carefully to what I say Now pentacost that happened and so the people were being mocked as being drunk So he said these men are not drunk as you suppose It's only nine in the morning No, this is what was spoken by the prophet joel in the last days god says i will pour out my spirit on all people Your sons and daughters will prophesy your young men shall see visions Your old men will dream dreams in the last days god says and so that's when it began Hebrews 1 2 says it like this god has in these last days spoken into us by his son Whom he has appointed heir of all things by whom also he made the worlds So the last period in human history began with jesus and we are now in the final stage John is saying that in the last days many anti christ will arise This all will lead to the revelation of the final world ruler the anti christ. He's the coming world ruler He's empowered by satan. He attempts to replace jesus and we're going to be looking at that as we go through first john And i'm going to develop that further But he's speaking of people who went out. He says now notice in verse 19 He says it like this they went out from us, but they were not of us These are people who went out from us. They separated themselves from genuine believers is what he's saying They departed first from god and then from the church They departed he's saying from the congregation of believers These are people who had been participants in the church, but never were saved They were like judas. They were like demas. They were deniers betrayers. They were traitors to christ And that by the way is something that is part of church life to this day Paul and first grintians 11 19 said it like this. He said there must also be factions The word faction speaks of uh party or a party division or disunion There must also be factions among you that those who are approved may be recognized among you these people have departed But the fact that they departed john is saying reveals them that they were never saved If they'd been of us they he says they would have continued with us If they were of us, they would have accepted the doctrine of the apostles You see evidence of being a believer is abiding in the word of god with other christians So those who are genuinely christian continue in the things of god like jesus said in john 8 31 If you abide in my word, you are my disciples indeed The false teachers leave the church and they take people with them Their departure from truth and the church fellowship unmasks them as deceivers They were not saved because a genuine believer abides in christ So those who depart only had a passing taste of the gospel You see when god is moving deceivers infiltrate it's inevitable The enemy begins his attempts to destroy god's work and sometimes he uses people who come in to destroy by bringing in error with them We have had that here in this church, especially in earlier days When we were lived we were on this property and we had our bookstore There was a particular cultic group that was in upland I was aware of it and had shared with some people related to it And they were teaching that you could be perfect. You could be sinlessly perfect and things like that And so I had warned people and I said be aware of this and what had happened is during that day at that time they would come in to buy bibles here and They began to proselytize to try and convert one of the young men I didn't know about it when it was going on. I had not heard this. Nobody told me But they began to share with the young man who was working behind the counter in our bookstore many years ago And I didn't know about that I knew of the I knew of the cult I knew of the leader of the cult and a variety of things They knew of that but I didn't know they were coming on campus here And they did regularly until one day too late The young man who used to work for us quit so he could go off with them And uh follow the god that they were teaching And there was nothing we could do to help him with that You see these things happen even have happened here We have had people who have left their brochures and pamphlets in church fuse our church fuse here To try and draw people away Part of the reason we have men who are around stationed around You know helping you find a place to park and sometimes people get all upset because how come they're doing that? We have them there for more than one reason One of the reasons is we had people who were coming under the church grounds and leaving their pamphlets on the windshields of the cars They will come on the grounds. They will come into church services. I've had debates with them after church services They will come in and do that they will come in and do that And so deceivers do that they whenever the lord is moving amongst people the the enemy tries to infiltrate It can happen in a variety of ways. It's really big right now through social media So by ignoring their presence they're allowed to gain a foothold. So our responsibility is to teach with conviction and be aware of the error In roman 16 17 and 18 paul said it like this. I beseech you brethren Mark those who cause divisions and offenses Contrary to the doctrine which you've learned avoid them For they are such they are such who sir That they are such that serve not our lord jesus christ But their own belly their own appetites and by good words and fair speeches. They deceive the hearts of the simple What does the antichrist want to do the antichrist has? Antichrists who come in preparing the way for the acceptance of the final world ruler the antichrist They will undermine the gospel of jesus christ. They will present false things that can sound true Especially to a little child A young person in the faith. It sounds true. They're used in the bible. They they say things similar to you But the bottom line is is the christ that they're teaching isn't the same one that's found in scripture Some are saying that jesus christ is the is the savior of the world But when you ask him who is jesus christ, they'll say well He's the brother of lucifer Or when you say who is jesus christ, they'll say well, he's the first creation of god Or you say well, who is jesus christ? Oh, he is the uh, he is the uh, the the master Master over the universe. He is a great teacher and when you begin to ask him to define who jesus christ is You discover that it's a different christ entirely And so they use language But they use they put into the words definitions that aren't true to the scripture As a young believer I I spent some time under one of the one of america's premier Apologists his name was walter martin and I had the chance to sit under his teaching for about a year when I was a new believer Uh, I I had that privilege and so he's the one who actually Wet my appetite to be correct in scripture to make sure that the words that are being used are filled with the proper meaning Because one of the things that walter taught us as students was simple He said that you have to know what the definition of the word is because they use the same word that you do But they pack it with the different meaning So who is jesus? That's a big question And when they say well, he's the first creation of god or he's a spirit brother of lucifer He's married to uh, mary magdalene And when they begin to say things like that then you know these are people who aren't speaking the truth out of scriptures It's something that we need to know And so let's see how far I can go right here Let's see. I got a couple more minutes So verse 20 You have an anointing from the holy one and you know all things Again during that time the nostics were we're entering in and given a new definition for who jesus is in the work of god and some of the nostics Anointed with what they called a special anointing oil So john is saying that believers have gods anointing It's his spirit And so he's saying in verse 21 He says i haven't written you because you don't know the truth But because you know it and that no lie is of the truth No lie in other words no matter how well crafted can ever find its origin in the truth Who is a liar verse 22? But he who denies that jesus is the christ he is anti christ who denies the father and the son So that is what has been called a test of orthodoxy Who is jesus christ is jesus god in the flesh second person of the trinity Not a manifestation or revelation of god but god in the flesh You see the nostics denied this they believe that christ was actually separate from jesus There was a there was the christ anointing and and that the christ descended from above and came upon the human jesus at his baptism And because the spirit christ was unable to suffer the nostics taught that that the christ departed at his crucifixion So the denial of jesus's humanity struck at the very heart of the incarnation And that's why he says in verse 23 whoever denies the son doesn't have the father either He who acknowledges the son has the father also Denying the son does not have the father to have jesus is to have god And to deny this is to deny the truth And the denial of what scripture teaches is heresy When you have the son You have the father And so we need to understand that jesus christ is god in human flesh The holy spirit has descended and is filled our hearts. We have become the temple of the spirit of god We serve the lord jesus christ We don't need some secret initiation through nostic Understanding, but we receive that anointing when we ask the lord to baptize us in his holy spirit To fill us with his power and from that point We know him because he has sealed us with his spirit and works within us There was heresy entry in the church. We're going to look at this more deeply as we go through first john There was heresy entering in and john is dealing with that heresy. Why because that's what true teachers do Is they deal with the error to set the people will be taken captive by that error to set them free That's what true teachings intended to do. We'll stop here