Last Hour Deception - 1 John 2:18

v.18 Little children, it is the last time: and as ye have heard that antichrist shall come, even now are there many antichrists; whereby we know that it is the last time. 

Here we see the urgency of salvation because it is the last hour. Paul and the writer of Hebrews speak to this urgency as well when they say I have heard thee in a time accepted, and in the day of salvation have I succoured thee: behold, now is the accepted time; behold, now is the day of salvation (2 Cor. 6:2) and While it is said, Today if ye will hear his voice, harden not your hearts, as in the provocation (Heb 3:15).

Why the urgency?  Let’s be honest, not one of us knows what tomorrow holds for ourselves, let alone someone else. Jesus spoke to this in the parable of the Rich Fool when he said in Luke 12:16-26 The ground of a certain rich man brought forth plentifully: (17) And he thought within himself, saying, What shall I do, because I have no room where to bestow my fruits? (18) And he said, This will I do: I will pull down my barns, and build greater; and there will I bestow all my fruits and my goods. (19) And I will say to my soul, Soul, thou hast much goods laid up for many years; take thine ease, eat, drink, and be merry. (20) But God said unto him, Thou fool, this night thy soul shall be required of thee: then whose shall those things be, which thou hast provided? (21) So is he that layeth up treasure for himself, and is not rich toward God. (22) And he said unto his disciples, Therefore I say unto you, Take no thought for your life, what ye shall eat; neither for the body, what ye shall put on. (23) The life is more than meat, and the body is more than raiment. (24) Consider the ravens: for they neither sow nor reap; which neither have storehouse nor barn; and God feedeth them: how much more are ye better than the fowls? (25) And which of you with taking thought can add to his stature one cubit? (26) If ye then be not able to do that thing which is least, why take ye thought for the rest? James further drives home the point when he said in James 4:13-15 Go to now, ye that say, Today or tomorrow we will go into such a city, and continue there a year, and buy and sell, and get gain:  (14)  Whereas ye know not what shall be on the morrow. For what is your life? It is even a vapour, that appeareth for a little time, and then vanisheth away.  (15)  For that ye ought to say, If the Lord will, we shall live, and do this, or that. I saw a bumper sticker the other day that very stupidly said, “Sin now.  Pray later.”  My friends, the problem is that you don’t know if you will have a “later”. The biggest lie of the devil is tomorrow. The driver of that car had bought that lie! 

Antichrist 
John also reminds us in this verse that we can know that we are in the last days because of the demonic work of the Antichrist. Notice the description of these “antichrists”: (1) they have a faulty understanding of Jesus Christ and are liars (v. 22; 4:3), (2) they have no relationship with the Father (v. 23), and (3) they are deceivers (2 John 7). Now bear in mind that these references refer to men who had left the church (v.19) and were now aggressively promoting the heretical doctrine that Jesus was not the Christ (4:1).

Yes, there are many today who say that Jesus was not who he claimed to be. Some of those in our area include Mormons and Jehovah’s False Witnesses. Make no mistake, my friend that Jesus claimed to be one and the same with the Father. He made no bones about that. As a matter of fact, they killed him for blasphemy in claiming to be God. The deity of Christ is found from Genesis 1 to Revelation 22. Compare these verses: John 1:1-5, 14; I John 4:1-2. Also, notice Peter’s response in Matthew 16:13-16 when he responded to Jesus when he asked Whom do men say that I the Son of man am? (14) And they said, Some say that thou art John the Baptist: some, Elias; and others, Jeremias, or one of the prophets. (15) He saith unto them, But whom say ye that I am? (16) And Simon Peter answered and said, Thou art the Christ, the Son of the living God.

Temptations - 1 John 2:15-17

How does the Devil tempt us? The Bible says in I John 2:15-17 that the he tempts us in three ways, the lust of the flesh, and the lust of the eyes, and the pride of life. It can be said that the lust of the flesh is Passions, the lust of the eyes is Possessions, and the pride of life is Position. Others have summed it up this way, the lust of the flesh is the consuming desire to do, the lust of the eyes is a compelling urge to have, and the pride of life is a constant thrust to be. We are all tempted in these three areas. As a matter of fact, any sin that we commit is the result of succumbing to one or more of these three temptations.

Of course, to further drive home my point, there are two famous temptations in the Scriptures that bear this out: the temptation of Eve and the temptation of Christ. Yes, we have not an high priest which cannot be touched with the feeling of our infirmities; but was in all points tempted like as we are, yet without sin (Hebrews 4:15). First, let’s take a closer look at the temptation of Eve as found in Genesis 3:16 Now the serpent was more subtil than any beast of the field which the LORD God had made. And he said unto the woman, Yea, hath God said, Ye shall not eat of every tree of the garden? (2) And the woman said unto the serpent, We may eat of the fruit of the trees of the garden: (3) But of the fruit of the tree which is in the midst of the garden, God hath said, Ye shall not eat of it, neither shall ye touch it, lest ye die. (4) And the serpent said unto the woman, Ye shall not surely die: (5) For God doth know that in the day ye eat thereof, then your eyes shall be opened, and ye shall be as gods, knowing good and evil. (6) And when the woman saw that the tree was good for food, and that it was pleasant to the eyes, and a tree to be desired to make one wise, she took of the fruit thereof, and did eat, and gave also unto her husband with her; and he did eat. Notice that Eve was tempted when she saw that the fruit of the tree was good for food (Passions), pleasant to the eyes (Possessions), and desired to make one wise as gods (Position).

Now, let’s consider the temptation of Christ as found in Matthew 4:1-11 Then was Jesus led up of the Spirit into the wilderness to be tempted of the devil. (2) And when he had fasted forty days and forty nights, he was afterward an hungred. (3) And when the tempter came to him, he said, If thou be the Son of God, command that these stones be made bread. (4) But he answered and said, It is written, Man shall not live by bread alone, but by every word that proceedeth out of the mouth of God. (5) Then the devil taketh him up into the holy city, and setteth him on a pinnacle of the temple, (6) And saith unto him, If thou be the Son of God, cast thyself down: for it is written, He shall give his angels charge concerning thee: and in their hands they shall bear thee up, lest at any time thou dash thy foot against a stone. (7) Jesus said unto him, It is written again, Thou shalt not tempt the Lord thy God. (8) Again, the devil taketh him up into an exceeding high mountain, and sheweth him all the kingdoms of the world, and the glory of them; (9) And saith unto him, All these things will I give thee, if thou wilt fall down and worship me. (10) Then saith Jesus unto him, Get thee hence, Satan: for it is written, Thou shalt worship the Lord thy God, and him only shalt thou serve. (11) Then the devil leaveth him, and, behold, angels came and ministered unto him. Notice that Christ himself was tempted to make these stones be made bread (Passion), to cast thyself down (Position), and to fall down and worship the Devil in exchange for the kingdoms of the world (Possessions).

While both of these temptations are similar in that they involved three common temptations (i.e., Passion, Possession, and Position), they are different in the way that the tempted responded. Eve apparently did not seek to counter the Devil’s accusations at all, but merely took the fruit. On the other hand, our Lord responded by taking Scripture that had been quoted out of context to him by the Devil and placed them back into context. Of course, to respond with Scripture one must actually know the Scriptures, thus 2 Timothy 2:15. I mean, it’s kind of hard to remember something that has never been made a memory. Trust me; I’ve got enough years in the classroom to know this to be the case. Some students merely pray for remembrance before tests while others pray for an epiphany!

What’s the conclusion of the matter? We are all tempted in the exact same way: Passions, Possessions, and Position. It is common to all of us. As a matter of fact, the Apostle Paul put it this way, There hath no temptation taken you but such as is common to man: but God is faithful, who will not suffer you to be tempted above that ye are able; but will with the temptation also make a way to escape, that ye may be able to bear it.

Well, there it is. We are all tempted the same way. No, you are not unique in this area and neither am I. We are the same. So the question must be, “How do we overcome temptation?” The answer, is by putting on the mind of Christ (1 Corinthians 2:16) and submitting ourselves to God (James 4:7-10). It’s the only way folks, God will lower the gate of warning, sound the bell, flash the red light, but He will not keep us from crossing the tracks.

The God of This World – 1 John 2:12-17

vv.12-14 I write unto you, little children, because your sins are forgiven you for his name's sake.  (13)  I write unto you, fathers, because ye have known him that is from the beginning. I write unto you, young men, because ye have overcome the wicked one. I write unto you, little children, because ye have known the Father.  (14)  I have written unto you, fathers, because ye have known him that is from the beginning. I have written unto you, young men, because ye are strong, and the word of God abideth in you, and ye have overcome the wicked one.

If there is anything that we can learn from these verses, it’s that wherever and whoever you are in the family of God, new or old, we do have the ability to overcome Satan by: 1. remembering our salvation (v.12); 2. remembering past spiritual victories (v.14); and by 3. abiding in God’s Word (v.14). Amen!

The God of this World

vv.15-17 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.  (16)  For all that is in the world, the lust of the flesh, and the lust of the eyes, and the pride of life, is not of the Father, but is of the world.  (17)  And the world passeth away, and the lust thereof: but he that doeth the will of God abideth for ever.

Notice that John says that we are not to love the world. This world spoken of here is thalassa, which is the world of men or humanity as compared to the kosmos (universe) that is commonly used in the Old Testament.

Well, we must ask ourselves the obvious question at this point, “What is so bad about the world?” Again, this is not referring to the wonderful creation of God (kosmos) that all of us can certainly say with confidence that we all stand in awe of. Instead, it is referring to the fallen world of mankind (thalassa). I think that we can all agree that world is in serious need of redemption. Just look around. It is no doubt under the sway of the prince of this world (i.e., the devil himself). Our Lord verified this when he said in John 12:31 and 14:30 Now is the judgment of this world: now shall the prince of this world be cast out…Hereafter I will not talk much with you: for the prince of this world cometh, and hath nothing in me. He also said in John 16:7-11 Nevertheless I tell you the truth; It is expedient for you that I go away: for if I go not away, the Comforter will not come unto you; but if I depart, I will send him unto you.  (8)  And when he is come, he will reprove the world of sin, and of righteousness, and of judgment:  (9)  Of sin, because they believe not on me;  (10)  Of righteousness, because I go to my Father, and ye see me no more;  (11)  Of judgment, because the prince of this world is judged.

A New Commandment - 1 John 2:7-11

vv.7-11 Brethren, I write no new commandment unto you, but an old commandment which ye had from the beginning. The old commandment is the word which ye have heard from the beginning.  (8)  Again, a new commandment I write unto you, which thing is true in him and in you: because the darkness is past, and the true light now shineth.  (9)  He that saith he is in the light, and hateth his brother, is in darkness even until now.  (10)  He that loveth his brother abideth in the light, and there is none occasion of stumbling in him.  (11)  But he that hateth his brother is in darkness, and walketh in darkness, and knoweth not whither he goeth, because that darkness hath blinded his eyes.

Two things can be learned from these verses. The first is found in vv.7-8: The commandment to love is both old and new. It’s old because the Bible says in Leviticus 19:18 Thou shalt not avenge, nor bear any grudge against the children of thy people, but thou shalt love thy neighbour as thyself: I am the LORD. It’s new because Jesus said in John 13:34 A new commandment I give unto you, That ye love one another; as I have loved you, that ye also love one another and again in John 15:12 This is my commandment, That ye love one another, as I have loved you. The old commandment told us to love our neighbor as ourselves while the new tells us to love them as Christ has loved us! That’s a big difference.

The second thing that we learn from these verses is found in vv.9-11: As Christians, we should not hate. It’s been said that hate is like acid. It damages the vessel in which it is stored and destroys the object on which it is poured. It kills both the person who you hate, and yourself. It’s been said that hating people is like burning down your own house to get rid of a rat. There are many verses in the Scriptures that deal with this subject. They include 1 John 2:9-11; 3:10, 15; 4:20-21.

We need to be honest with God and confess our feelings of hatred for other people so that God can replace our hatred with His love. Yes, God does now whether we choose to admit is our not.

At-One-Ment - 1 John 2:2-6

He is our Propitiation
v.2 And he is the propitiation for our sins: and not for ours only, but also for the sins of the whole world.

Propitiation for our sins: Another way to translate this is that the Lord is our atonement (at-one-ment). It means that he was the appeasement in that he settled our sin debt. Jesus did what we could not do; lived a sinless life. And He did not only do it for me and you, but the entire world (John 3:16-17).

Knowledge Produced Obedience
vv.3-5 And hereby we do know that we know him, if we keep his commandments.  (4)  He that saith, I know him, and keepeth not his commandments, is a liar, and the truth is not in him.  (5)  But whoso keepeth his word, in him verily is the love of God perfected: hereby know we that we are in him.

A true knowledge of God produces obedience. Our Lord said in John 14:21 He that hath my commandments, and keepeth them, he it is that loveth me: and he that loveth me shall be loved of my Father, and I will love him, and will manifest myself to him. The prophet Hosea expressed the same thing when he said For I desired mercy, and not sacrifice; and the knowledge of God more than burnt offerings (Hosea 6:6). Jesus expressed these same words when he said But go ye and learn what that meaneth, I will have mercy, and not sacrifice: for I am not come to call the righteous, but sinners to repentance (Matthew 9:13). The word mercy in both of these verses means “faithfulness or obedience”. Summation: God wants our obedience more than our sacrifice.

He is our Example
v.6 He that saith he abideth in him ought himself also so to walk, even as he walked.

We are called to walk like our Lord who said in For I have given you an example that ye should do as I have done to you.

Jesus said in John 15:4-8 that “abiding” or “living in him” is what produces fruit in our lives. Abide in me, and I in you. As the branch cannot bear fruit of itself, except it abide in the vine; no more can ye, except ye abide in me. I am the vine, ye are the branches: He that abideth in me, and I in him, the same bringeth forth much fruit: for without me ye can do nothing. If a man abide not in me, he is cast forth as a branch, and is withered; and men gather them, and cast them into the fire, and they are burned. If ye abide in me, and my words abide in you, ye shall ask what ye will, and it shall be done unto you. Herein is my Father glorified, that ye bear much fruit; so shall ye be my disciples.

As a matter of fact, the fruit that is produced from abiding in him is actually proof that we are truly children of God. Ye shall know them by their fruits. Do men gather grapes of thorns, or figs of thistles? Even so every good tree bringeth forth good fruit; but a corrupt tree bringeth forth evil fruit. A good tree cannot bring forth evil fruit, neither can a corrupt tree bring forth good fruit. Every tree that bringeth not forth good fruit is hewn down, and cast into the fire. Wherefore by their fruits ye shall know them (Matthew 7:16-20).