The Children of Life | 1 John 2:18-21

If you have your Bibles with you this morning,

I'd like to invite you to turn to 1 John chapter

1 John 2:18–21

2 verses 18 to 21. Now John likes to hide out

in the back of our Bibles with his friends 2

John and 3 John. They're tiny little books, but

as you get towards the end of your Bibles, you

should find 1 John. Now we're going to do something

a little bit different this morning in that before

we read the text, I actually want to give you

the context as to what's happening here before

I read these verses for you. See, John was writing

to a local congregation that had members that

just picked up and left them. In other words,

they had a church community. They had what they

thought were brothers and sisters in Christ but

then just overnight they disappeared. They shared

fellowship, service and likely even suffered

with them but then all of a sudden they were

just gone. So John writes to this confused and

most likely very hurting congregation to help

them understand exactly what's happening here.

Now just to be clear, John isn't specifically

talking about people here that they didn't like

the renovations that were happening to the church

or the colour of the carpet that the building

committee had chosen, so they went and joined

another gospel believing preaching faithful church.

No, the people John's referring to didn't remain

in the community of Christ because as we'll see

They stop believing the truth of the gospel as

revealed by Christ and given to the apostles.

And the church, they're really struggling here.

They're really struggling to understand how this

could have happened. How could people who had

been with them, that they loved, all of a sudden

just walk away, rejecting both them and Jesus

in the doing? So it's with that context that

we read these words from 1 John chapter 2 verses

1 John 2:18–21

18 to 21. Hear the word of the Lord as given

to us by the Apostle John. Children, it's the

last hour. And as you've heard that Antichrist

is coming. So now many Antichrists have come.

Therefore 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 it might become

plain that they all are not of us. But you, you've

been anointed by the Holy One. You have, you

all have knowledge. I write to you not because

you don't know the truth, but because you know

it and because no lie is of the truth. Church,

why don't you join me in praying and asking our

Father to help us with these words this morning.

Father God, we ask that by the work of your Spirit

you would help us to see the truth of this passage

this morning. That we would be a people looking

to Christ and illuminated by your supernatural

work. We ask for this for the sake of Christ,

his bride and in his name, amen. Right, so as

we've just read, there's a lot going on in these

few words that we have before us this morning.

So I've broken it up into three parts so that

we can kind of get our heads around what's going

on here. First in verse 18, John talks about

being in the last days, the last hour, and about

the Antichrist. Second, in verse 19, he tells

us that real Christians will stick it out, but

false converts will fall away. And third, in

verses 20 to 21, he tells us that Christians

will stick it out because we have the Holy Spirit.

So three things that I want us to have a look

at this morning. First, by looking at verse 18.

Now, to really understand what our apostle is

telling us here, We have to understand that really

important phrase that he employs there of the

last hour. I think that's really important that

we see what he's doing there because it's actually

a phrase that helps us to understand the big

picture story of the Bible. You see, if you open

your Bibles to the very first few pages, you

might come across a page that simply says the

Old Testament. And then as you kind of go towards

the back of your Bible, as you're flicking through,

there's going to be another page that says the

New Testament. Now thinking about the Old Testament

here and everything kind of in between the old

and the new, the book of Hebrews tells us that

God is telling us all about his unfolding plan

of redemption that's revealed in types. in types,

kind of in the shadows. We might think about

it like what we see around us this morning. There's

scaffolding. And with scaffolding, you get a

picture of what's to come, right? But obviously,

what we see around us, well, that's not the final

form. We get the picture in part, but it's in

kind of its skeletal stage, we might say. That's

how we're to think about the Old Testament. It

gives us a picture of something to come in types,

in figures. It's in skeletal form. Well, the

New Testament reveals that that all changed when

Jesus came to us 2 ,000 years ago. He is, we

might say, the flesh on the bones. He's the gyproc

on the frame. The full picture of what the Old

Testament was pointing to us all along, us two

all along. But what's this got to do with the

last hour? Well, the Old Testament writers, they

spoke about the Messiah, the anointed one, that's

what it means, and of Israel, which the New Testament

writers called the Christ, who would come in

the last days to rule and to reign. He would

rule and reign and judge the world. Now, this

is where things get really interesting. The apostles

throughout their writings continually pointed

to Jesus and said that that which was written

of the Christ in the Old Testament was being

fulfilled in the Jesus that they knew and that

they walked with. In other words, according to

the apostles, according to the new explaining

the old, The last days were inaugurated in the

life, death, resurrection and the ascension of

Jesus to the right hand of God the Father. for

you keen beings out there, we know that that's

not everything that the Bible has to say, that

the prophets look to. They also look to something

called the Day of the Lord, where God will come

to judge all the peoples of the world, which

quite obviously hasn't happened yet. And so we

might ask, did the apostles get it wrong? Well,

let's think about it like this. When you look

up at the night sky and see all the stars from

our perspective here on earth They all kind of

appear to be roughly the same distance away,

right? But if you could view those same stars

from a different angle, let's say from the side

You would quickly see that there's millions not

if not hundreds of millions of kilometers Separating

those stars from each other which seems so close

together from our point of view here on earth

What am I trying to say here well the prophets

they really did see the life of Christ from their

point of view and Much of the time they wrote

about him and his coming in the last days as

one great big event. But in the New Testament,

Jesus and the apostles, they give us this other

point of view. They give us this side view, we

might say, in that there was a first coming and

Jesus came as a lamb for the slaughter, for the

sins of his people, and there will come a second

coming where Jesus will come as the lion of the

tribe of Judah, where he really will come to

judge. the living and the dead. And so Jesus

really does rule and reign. He really will judge

the world but it hasn't happened all in one big

event like the prophets saw it from their point

of view. All this to say church, Jesus is the

Christ. He is the one that the prophets spoke

about that they were pointing to in the Old Testament

and the last days were truly inaugurated. They

truly started when Jesus came on the scene 2

,000 years ago. But as the apostles make it clear

in their writings, there's a first coming and

there will be a second coming. A future day when

all things will be brought to completion and

where the people of God will be taken into glory.

To put that another way, we're no longer in the

Old Testament, reading it, wondering what it's

all about, who it's really pointing to, but neither

are we in the new heavens and the new earth just

yet. Now, we're living in the final stage of

God's redemptive plan before He wraps everything

up. It's as John tells us here, we're in the

final hour. Now, if that was mind -blowing to

you just then, well, this is really going to

blow your mind. John then starts to speak about

this person, the Antichrist. We see this here

in verse 18. And before we dive into what he's

saying here, I want us to pause for a moment

and have a think about what he's not saying.

You see, over the years, there's been so many

different misunderstandings and wild interpretations

about who and what the Antichrist is. If you

grew up in the 70s, you might remember a cult

classic movie called The Omen. which is a dramatic

and fictional story, let me highlight fictional

to you, about the devil fathering a child through

a mysterious woman and that child turned out

to be none other than the Antichrist, the devil

incarnate. Or if you're from my generation, you

might remember how some people were seriously

convinced that Marilyn Manson was the Antichrist

just because of his makeup and his lyrics in

his wild stage antics. History is full of names,

some famous, some infamous that people have labelled

as the Antichrist. Napoleon Bonaparte, Adolf

Hitler, and even as recently as Barack Obama.

It seems that every generation has a stab in

the dark as to who this Antichrist might be.

Usually they're informed by the news. So we might

ask, where does this image come from? Well, interestingly,

John is the first to call this person the Antichrist,

but the person as it's described is first talked

about in the Old Testament by Daniel, particularly

in chapters seven through to nine where we're

given a picture of one who will set themselves

up against the Messiah, the Christ and his kingdom

and his people in the last days. And that's certainly

something that we need to be aware of, but instead

of trying to figure out the identity of this

mysterious person here, John wants us to see

this principle of the Antichrist that was already

present in the church that he was writing to

2 ,000 years ago. There were many Antichrists,

as he says here in verse 18. And he says that

that was the case because people were very much

like that archetypal figure to come were denying

the truth of who Jesus is as revealed in the

Word. And they were leaving Christ's rule in

the church that he had established to go and

set something else up in its place. Brothers

and sisters, pop culture might paint the picture

of the Antichrist as the devil incarnate or a

rock and roller or an internet influencer, but

John would have us see that the principle of

the Antichrist is actually anyone who denies

what the Bible has to say about Jesus. and then

ends up taking themselves out of what Christ

has established on earth with his people so as

to set something else up in its place. It's really

serious what our apostle is saying here in verse

18. John says we're in the last hour. because

he's drawing on Daniel to say in the last days

one would come and set themselves up against

Christ and his people and he's saying that principle

is being seen in the church here and now. People

are leaving to go and set something else up.

So what are we meant to do with this in our day

and age? Well first I would say that we should

remind ourselves that we are living in the final

stages of God's plan for this world. I don't

know if you've ever gone to a grand final event

and been in the sports stadium as the time is

ticking down. It's a thrilling event to say the

least, especially in the final half of the game.

Well, our apostle is telling us here. He's saying,

Church, stop playing like you're in the first

half. time is near to where the referee is going

to blow that whistle and the whole thing is going

to be wrapped up. Don't live life like you have

all the time in the world. Church, let me remind

you of the last words that our Lord said to us.

It's in the very last pages of our Bibles. He

said, surely I'm coming soon. Jesus said that

2 ,000 years ago. I'm coming soon. The point

is this, there's an urgency to what we're meant

to feel here. The world as we know it, the reality

that we've grown accustomed to won't last forever.

In fact, we're standing on the cusp of the next

great phase of God's plan. We're living in the

last days. We're in the final moments. It's as

John tells us here, Dear ones, we're in the last

hour and we have been since Christ came on the

scene 2 ,000 years ago. I just want to say something

as a quick word in passing. This doesn't mean

that we are meant to live like frantic people.

To hear this sermon, to read these words and

then go out into the world and sell all our possessions,

being reckless with all the things that we have

and not plan for anything in the future. That's

not the takeaway here, but what we should get

is a sense of weight and urgency. The truth of

scripture ought to be a light to our path. It

should stir us, especially when it comes to thinking

about the Church's witness in this world. We're

to live with expectation because we know our

Lord God is coming again to take us to where

He is but also with urgency because He's coming

soon. Second, I believe there is a very serious

warning in our Apostles words here as well and

that's that we must be watchful and on guard.

We live in a day and age where anyone can call

themselves a Bible teacher, they can set themselves

up a website, make themselves a YouTube channel

and preach their own newfound truths, things

that they claim others, in fact even the apostles

somehow missed. Well the reality is this, Jesus

established his church through his chosen apostles

and prophets, we see that in Ephesians. And the

apostles, along with the prophets, formed the

foundation of the church. What they have given

us in the scripture is the solid foundation on

which we are to build upon. That's the sober

warning that John is giving here. He knew that

from the very beginning false teachers, wolves,

would come into the flock and claim that the

apostles got it wrong. That they didn't capture

the whole essence of the gospel. That they had

discovered something more. They misunderstood

God's Word and what it truly said and they were

taking people away. John understood the danger

then and the warning is for us now. Some in the

church will believe false teaching and they will

leave. So be on guard. Now, as horrid as that

warning is, as sobering as it is, there's good

news in our verse as well, in our passage this

morning. We see it here in verse 19. True believers

will not fall away. False converts will, but

true believers cannot and will not because of

who we're united to. Hear John's words again

as told to us in verse 19 here. 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 it might become plain

that they are all not of us. I really want you

to see what John is not telling us here this

morning. You see he isn't saying that that these

people that had left, that they were true believers

and that they had given up on the gift of faith

and disappeared. Or that they were legitimately

born again of Christ, brothers and sisters in

Him who fell away. Now notice the language. He

says that they left. And in the doing, they actually

revealed that they were never truly believers

in the first place, as it might become plain

that they are all not of us. It's what John says

here in verse 19. He says that when these people

left the church, when they denied the gospel,

When they shunned the community of Christ, they

actually revealed that they were false converts

in the first place, as their leaving, their rejection

of the truth, actually only ended up showing

their true colours. John says, for if they had

been of us, they would have continued with us.

So according to our apostle, if we're understanding

him right this morning, Being part of a Christian

community is really important. Because the way

that our apostle sees it, being part of a faithful

church and continuing in fellowship, is only

the outworking of the fellowship that we've already

obtained in Christ. In fact, that's how John

starts his whole letter, that which we have seen,

we have heard and we proclaim to you so that...

so that you may too have fellowship with us.

And indeed, our fellowship is with the Father

and His Son, Jesus Christ. Brothers and sisters,

that's why the Christian longs and desires to

be with their spiritual siblings, with their

church family, no matter where in the world you

might find yourself or what biblically faithful

denomination that you like to affiliate with.

We long to be with our brothers and sisters because

we have a supernatural fellowship in Christ and

that supernatural fellowship manifests itself

in wanting to be part of the body, to be with

others in Christ's body. That's why true Christians

desire fellowship with God's people and why they

won't ultimately They won't ultimately abandon

their brothers and sisters or Christ. It's because

there is a bond, a supernatural bond that is

deeper than flesh and blood. All this to say

this desire to be with each other and fellowship

isn't something that is manufactured or that

we're forced to do. No, we desire to be around

one another, to fellowship with one another because

It's the supernatural outworking of already being

part of God's family. Say that another way, we

don't gather in Christian community in order

to get saved. It's not what we're meant to take

from this. We gather because we already are.

I think the 19th century, the great 19th century

preacher, Charles Spurgeon, he hammered this

one on the head in one of his sermons when he

says, God's people are not dogs. Otherwise they

might be a people that go about by themselves.

No, they are called sheep. And therefore sheep,

they naturally are found in flocks. There's one

last thing that I want to draw your attention

to here, and it's found in verses 20 and 21,

and it's this. True believers are anointed of

the Holy One. In other words, all the children

of God are indwelt by the Holy Spirit who actively

works in us. He brings us into the light, into

the truth, and He gives us discernment, recognising

gospel truth. from demonic deception. Let's have

a look at verse 20 there. But you have been anointed

by the Holy One and you all have knowledge. Now

we're not going to spend as much time here but

I want to highlight for you that John is affirming

only something that the other apostles knew to

be true of every born -again believer. God the

Father has given God the Holy Spirit to unite

us to His Son, Jesus. And through the Spirit's

ongoing work in us, we will have a firm grasp,

a growing, maturing grasp of the truth because

it's been planted deeply within our hearts. so

that we might stand firm until the end. Listen

to how the Apostle Paul puts it in 2 Corinthians

2 Corinthians 1:21–22

chapter 1 verses 21 to 22. Now it is God who

makes both us and you stand firm in Christ. He

anointed us, he set his seal of ownership on

us and put his spirit in our hearts as a deposit,

guaranteeing what is to come. Essentially our

apostle is saying here to the church, to true

believers, to born again children of God. He's

saying that the Holy Spirit that was given to

you is to establish us so that we can stand firm

in the truth of our most holy faith. That's the

Spirit's role. He is an anchor that doesn't let

us drift off too far. from the truth if we could

see it like that. Now this is incredibly important

both in John's context and in ours now because

there were and there still are people claiming

that there is more to the gospel than that which

was revealed by the prophets and the apostles.

They're saying there is a secret knowledge a

hidden truth something that the Apostles didn't

have but we do and if you don't follow our teaching

Ultimately, you can't be saved But John He uses

the sword of the Lord He counters this directly

and he says to the believers in the church you

have the Holy Spirit of God You know the truth

not because of your superior intellect but because

of the one who has anointed you. You know to

whom you belong and you can discern the truth

from these lies because of the Holy Spirit who

dwells in you. John wraps it up for us nicely

here in verse 21 and he says, I write to you

not because you don't know the truth but because

you know it and because no lie is of the truth.

Brothers and sisters, do you see what the Apostle

John is doing here? He reminds us in the church

that there is no new truth about Jesus that you

haven't already heard. You've heard the gospel.

You've believed the gospel. You've put your trust

in the Gospel as it's been revealed to you by

the Word of God and through the preaching, the

writing, the inscriptuation, I can't say that

word properly, of the prophets and the apostles.

Because of this you know the truth. A truth that

will protect you from lies. For the Holy Spirit

has given us wisdom and understanding. Church,

one final thing to say here, we live in a world

that gets very, very bored very easily. Always

looking for the next big thing to cure the soul.

We live in a world where a lot of people get

their worldview from Instagram clips and YouTube

channels and it's a complete understatement to

say that there's a lot of fake news out there.

Well, as we've seen this morning, we are a people

who are in danger of falling for an antichrist

agenda. But that's not to say that we will fall

for the schemes of the enemy. No, the Holy Spirit

has been given to all God's children and the

Spirit is the one who has joined us to Christ.

He will never leave nor forsake us and He will

never contradict the revelation that has been

given to us in the Good News. Now the Spirit

will never contradict His Word because He gave

it to us. He will only illuminate what He has

given to us. If anyone comes along and claims

a new truth about the Gospel, a secret wisdom

about how to really be saved, a new teaching

that contradicts what we know about Jesus as

revealed in his word to us, then instinctively,

the sheep know the voice of the shepherd. And

we will run from that wolf. That's why we need

the church. That's why we need each other, brothers

and sisters. We need each other to keep pointing

one another to the way, to the truth, to the

life. The church was founded by the prophets

and the apostles with Christ as its cornerstone.

It is a gracious gift of God's mercy to us in

this world. We're in a spiritual battle. If we

go Han Solo on the rest of the platoon, it's

not a great thing. The church is here to help

us to persevere in our most holy faith. Look

around you this morning, brothers and sisters.

Christ has given us to one another. To love each

other, to encourage each other. to help each

other on this journey until our Lord comes again

to take us to where he is. We are the sheep of

his flock. And so let's stay close to our great

shepherd and encourage each other along the way.

Would you please pray with me? Lord Jesus, we

thank you so much that you have Torn us out of

this world Lord that we by nature were going

one way, but you revealed yourself your life

your perfect life your substitutionary death

your resurrection for justification Your ascension

to the right hand where you rule and reign until

you come to get us again Father, we thank you

for the gift of the church. We thank you that

we're not just gathered here in Armidale, that

we're gathered in Brookden, that we're gathered

in Gosnells, that we're gathered in North Perth,

South Perth, Sydney, Papua New Guinea, Africa

and so many different places. There's churches

that are visibly able to promote you and there's

churches that are somewhat underground. We thank

you for the gift that you have given us of each

other. Lord, I ask that we would be a people

that would hear truth, know truth, and weigh

everything that we hear by your word. That everything

we would do would be for your glory. We ask for

this in Jesus' name.