Living in the last Hour 1 John 2:18-3:10|Pastor Daniel Reese

Sitting here wrestling my head The reality of

sometimes we make plans The serpent that I have

prepared. Or can you do something else? That's

what I'm listening to right now. Sometimes I

wish you were just a... Well, we're talking about

identity. Our identity cries this morning. and

great I am. That's who he is. Capable of doing

anything. And we are his children, that's what

the text will say this morning. But I don't think

a lot of us live our lives. We truly understand

that we are his children. And the freedom of

that comes with it. Sorry, I just had this moment

with myself. I'm just asking all of you to just

give me direction. because i always want to be

um i always just want to be faithful to whatever

however is needed and not just fall into routine

or doing a church service and i think sometimes

the lord uses you to minister to the body more

than people use me and that's the wrestle um

wrestling where does that feel like somebody

here has a testament made that can speak to our

congregation more than what I have to say. I

could be dead wrong on this. It's just the feeling

I have. So what I'm gonna do is I'm gonna open

that mic up. I hope it sounds better than this

one. That it has a lower place on any of your

hearts, something to share in the future. If

not, I'll just jump right into the text. But

I feel like I didn't need to ask that. Does anybody

feel like they need to share this with this body

right here? That's one of those awkward moments

of Daniel. I'm trying to hear from the Lord.

That's all I'm trying to do. But I don't want

to get that opportunity. One of my favorite shows

to watch is The Office. Now what I've learned

is that some people love The Office or some people

hate The Office. That's an average out of the

high 10 to... In verse 18 here chapter 2 if you're

willing and able enough for you to stand as we

honor the Lord's word together Children it is

the last hour and as you have heard this Antichrist

is coming So now many Antichrist have come therefore

we know that it is the last hour They went out

from us, but they were not of us for it. They've

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 have been

anointed by the Holy One, and you all have knowledge.

I write to you not because you do not know the

truth, but because you know it, and because no

lie is of the truth. Who is the liar, but he

who denies that Jesus is the Christ? This is

the antichrist. He who denies the Father and

the Son. No one who denies the Son has the Father.

Whoever confesses the Son has the Father also.

Let what you heard from the beginning abide in

you. If what you heard from the beginning abides

in you, then you too will abide in the Son and

in the Father. And this is the promise that He

made to us, eternal life. Let's pray. Father,

I pray just for clarity of mind in this place

right now. I pray that we will hear from you.

I pray that we will not be detoured or distracted

by anything else except your guiding light in

this place. Help us understand who our identity

is in you. Help us understand what that means

to us, and I pray, Father, that you speak to

our hearts. We ask all these things in Jesus'

name, amen. All right, so John begins here with

a word of warning right out of the gate, right?

He says, this is the last hour. He's not... predicting

a specific date, but what he's doing is he's

highlighting the urgency of living faithfully

in a world full of antichrists, those who oppose

Christ. And he's saying those people are already

active in the world. These false teachers, they've

left the church, which is showing that they never

truly belonged to him. But John reassures believers.

He's reassuring us. He's saying, you have an

anointing from the Holy One, and you know the

truth, meaning the Holy Spirit is not going to

lead you astray. This anointing is the Holy Spirit

who equips us to discern truth from lies and

anchors us in Christ. Now, if that is true back

then when he wrote this, in the first century,

we better know and understand that it's still

true today. Now I am sure every generation since

Christ has left the earth thought that they would

be alive when he returns. Every generation since

Christ ascended into heaven back in Matthew chapter

Matthew 28 · chapter mention

28 through today we have been living in the last

days. the final hours before he returns to make

all things new. This is why there is such an

obsession with some that try to predict the end

of days. Now, I'm not sure if you are aware,

but the rapture was supposed to happen a few

weeks ago. I don't know if you knew that or not.

It was supposed to happen and here we are still

waiting. Now, I am sure... positive that there

is a group of people right now trying to predict

the next time it is supposed to happen and they

will start a campaign to make sure that people

are aware of his impending return. Now the problem

with that is that we have heard so many times

that the Lord is going to come back. It's been

predicted and disproven so many times throughout

the generations that we have become numb to that

reality and we don't live with urgency. Because

if we lived with urgency of his return, knowing

he's coming again, we would prioritize things

differently. Our lives would be changed completely.

Now I read a story about a graphic designer this

week, her name is Sarah. She has had some mild

success at her company, but nothing major. She

was 34 years old at the time and started to wonder,

maybe some of you have been there, if this is

even the right profession. Is this what she wants

to continue to do with the rest of her life?

She'd always wanted to do something big, but

it never seemed to come. She was just doing these

mediocre things and collecting a paycheck. One

day, she gets a call that her company is about

to launch their largest campaign in over a decade

and the client was coming to see - what she could

put together. Now, she had a little over 24 hours

to make something spectacular. There was no extensions,

there's no do -overs. She had until 9 a .m. the

following day to try to impress them. She felt

the weight. She doesn't panic, though. She gets

to work. She clears her desk. She silences notifications.

She puts a sticky note on her monitor that says,

this is my shot. Her coffee becomes fuel. Sleep

becomes optional. And every minute of her day

is guarded like gold. She skips the group chats.

She has lunch ordered into her desk. She turns

her phone upside down so she's not distracted

by the glow. And at 3 AM, her eyes are burning.

because she's been awake so long, but she whispers,

this is the shot, this is my opportunity, and

she keeps designing. By 8 .45 a .m., she's in

the conference room with her USB in hand, her

heart is racing because she's exhausted, she's

nervous, this could be it, but her work is flawless,

and the client loves it. It blows them away.

And she collapses in her chair, exhausted, but

grinning. She lived those 24 hours like they

were her only ones. She'd made sure every minute

counted. Now here in verse 18 of chapter 2, he

says, children, this is the last hour. This is

it. Sarah's deadline was artificial. Ours is

eternal. Live with that same clarity. Live with

that same urgency that Sarah lived with. Now

in our world, we face all kinds of similar distractions.

We hear false messages all the time. There's

cultural pressures. There's these voices around

us or even in our heads that are denying the

reality of Jesus. But as believers, we're not

left adrift. The spirit with in us confirms the

truth of the gospel it reminds us of the truth

we know that Jesus is the son of God we know

that he's our Savior and that truth has to hold

us steady I mean do you ever feel like you're

just going through life maybe this week you just

went through life and didn't really feel like

there was any purpose behind it every day is

like the day before you you wake up you get the

kids ready, you head off to work or whatever

it is you do, you go through the day, you come

home and you eat dinner and you get ready to

do it all over again. And that is your routine

with no real urgency, no focus on eternal things,

maybe not even acknowledging God in our life

at all throughout the week. To live with urgency.

means we need to prioritize things in our life

that have lasting value. We have to make those

things priority. Scrolling through your phone

mindlessly does not have eternal value. Bench

watching TV shows that does not amount to anything.

Going into work every single day and never understanding

that God has placed you there for a purpose is

wasteful. It's not eternal to live with urgency

means we have to prioritize these things Living

with urgency means we always have to be prepared

to give an answer For the hope that is inside

of us Which means you need to be equipped to

do that. You need to be in a discipleship relationship

It's not gonna work if you just show up every

Sunday Hear a message and sing some songs and

don't do anything with it. You need to get plugged

in It's good for your spiritual health. You have

to believe that every opportunity to share what

is going on in your life that to discuss all

the things that God is doing in your life is

a God -ordained appointment for you to share

about the grace that has been given to you. Now,

I recently saw this interview with Chris Tomlin.

I'm sure we all know who he is. We've sung his

songs. But in this interview, he was talking

about this Uber ride that he was taking to the

airport to fly out to Arizona. He was flying

out to Arizona to lead worship at Charlie Kirk's

memorial service a few weeks ago. The driver,

this random Uber driver, doesn't know who Chris

Tomlin is, brings up Charlie Kirk out of the

blue, and he's talking to Chris Tomlin about

Charlie Kirk. The guy then asks, hey, Chris Tomlin,

what do you do for a living? And his response

was, oh, I'm a singer. I'm a singer. He doesn't

tell him, I'm a worship leader who has written

some of the most used songs in the church. He

doesn't tell the Uber driver, I've led thousands

and thousands of people throughout my career

into the presence of God. He didn't even actually

say, I'm actually on my way to lead worship at

the Charlie Kirk Memorial. Remember that guy

that you just brought up? I was pretty disappointed

in Chris Tomlin. Because if you're getting picked

up in Nashville and somebody asks what you're

doing What you do for a living being a singer

is a pretty common answer. I'm assuming What

a great opportunity that he had that was missed

to share the hope that Chris Tomlin writes songs

about He's not living with urgency based on that

interview What about you? How do you live with

urgency? How do people that are in your circle

know that you have a blessed hope? Are you able

to be easily swayed by false teaching, or are

you ready to defend against distractions that

are keeping you from living with urgency? I mean,

we are here to help you be ready, but you have

to take the first step. Now, I know there's many

people, maybe you're one of them, that think

that a church staff only works on Sundays. I've

heard that countless times throughout my life.

Like, oh, you just work on Sundays. But it is

my job to equip you for the work of ministry.

It is not a bother for you to come up to any

one of us and ask for help in reaching your circle.

So let's go to lunch. Let's do a Bible study

together. Let us help you with your questions.

That is my job. That's what I do throughout the

week. If someone were to ask you, what defines

you? Who are you? What would your answer be?

Our identity so often is what we do for a living.

How we make money. I mean, even retired people

will go back to the career to define who they

are. I've heard it countless times. I'm retired

from the military. I was an engineer. I used

to be an accountant. Whatever it is, that is

where we place our identity. But here in chapter

three, John tells us who we are. He says, we

are children of God. That is the heart of our

identity. That is who we are. God's love isn't

just a feeling. It's a transformative act that

makes us His children. The status isn't earned.

It's a gift of grace through Christ that we are

called children of God. And John has a future

hope that when he returns, right, we're in the

last hour, and when Christ returns, we are going

to be like him, fully transformed into his likeness.

Fully transformed into his holiness. This identity

shapes who we are. As God's children, we are

called to reflect His character. We show His

love to others. We model His holiness, His righteousness.

The world may not understand us, but it also

didn't understand Jesus either, did it? Our identity

as God's children gives us purpose and hope.

So real quick, can I brag on my daughter? The

answer is yes, I will. Since August, she has

been rehearsing to be an Allstate singer. 7 AM

rehearsals, extra time on the weekends, she's

meeting with these group of peoples, and yesterday

were tryouts for Allstate. She made it. I am

proud that she - of the work that she put into

it. I am glad and happy for her that she achieved

her goal. However, last year was the same situation.

She did the rehearsals. She put in the work.

She auditioned. But for whatever reason, she

did not make it. Maybe it was political. Maybe

she just wasn't good enough. It doesn't matter.

She didn't make it. When she told us... last

night that she made it, it reminded me of this

time last year when she said she didn't make

it. And I remember feeling the same amount of

pride in her last year as this year because she

didn't let it define her. She was okay last year.

It didn't keep her from trying this year. She

knew. and knows that being in all state or not

being in all state didn't change who she was.

I wish that I had the same identity in Christ

as she did when I was her age. In a world that

tries to define us by our jobs, our looks, our

likes on social media, we can feel lost. We can

misplace our identity, but in Christ, we find

it. In Christ, that's who we are. Our identity

is we are God's children. We are fully loved.

We are chosen. We are secure. It's the reason

we are able to live our life on purpose. It's

not something we earn. It's not something we

lose. It is given because of God's lavish love

for us. And when doubts or distractions make

you feel stuck, hold fast to this truth that

you are His. And that identity opens up the way

to a life that reflects his love and it lasts

forever. And John says, he says in chapter three,

the world is not going to get it because the

world doesn't know him. It's not going to make

sense to the world. So because of that, there's

going to be a tendency in the circles we run

in to label us by our failures. to label us by

our jobs, to label us by our past, and they're

going to use all these other things to try to

define who we are. But God's voice has to be

louder because He is reminding us that we are

His. We are His. The world is going to lie to

us. The world is going to distract us from that

reality. You have to fight against it. And now

here's what I've learned over the years. The

best way to fight against a lie is with truth.

You fight a lie with truth the world might say

to you. You're worthless You might feel that

about yourself. I'm worthless First Corinthians

six says that you were bought with a price. You're

not worthless You might believe that you are

alone Deuteronomy says the Lord goes with you

and he will never leave you the lie of I'm not

good enough I'm not I'm not good enough is combated

with Hebrews that says by one offering he forever

made perfect those who are being made holy You

are good enough There is nothing special about

me. I've heard that so many times. There's nothing

special about me Well, that's not true based

on Genesis 1 where where God where it says God

has made us in his image You are his creation

Culture tells us that we need more. We need more

stuff. We need more experiences. We need more

activities. But Philippians tells us that God

will supply all of our needs. I can't overcome

my addiction. I'm defined by it. I can't. I've

tried to get help over it. I can't overcome my

addiction. That's a lie. The truth is Christ

can set you free from your bondage. Whatever

lie you tell yourself or the world says about

you has to be fought with scripture. You fight

lies with truth, and one absolute truth we know

comes from the Word of God. That is our identity.

We are His children. And maybe you don't have

a good relationship with your parents. Maybe

they're split up. Maybe they didn't love you

the way you thought you experienced. Don't let

your view of your parents define how you think

God views you. He's not some baby daddy that's

abandoned you. He is the creator of the universe

who knit you together in your mother's womb and

when he created you he said that's very good

He sacrificed his son for you so that you could

be adopted into his family That is not some passive

type of love that is an outpouring of love that

is Unbelievably difficult to wrap our minds around

but he did it because he desires a relationship

with you Then John gets practical in verses 4

through 10 of chapter 3 and he begins drawing

this sharp contrast between the children of God

and the children of the devil he says no one

who lives in Christ keeps on sinning and Anyone

who does not do what is right is not God's child

nor is anyone who does not love their brother

and sister Now hear me. This isn't about perfection.

This isn't about never ever walking in sin It's

about direction. Children of God, empowered by

the Spirit, pursue righteousness and love, while

those who persistently choose sin or hatred show

they don't belong to them. This is a call to

action. Our identity as God's children isn't

just a title. It's a lifestyle. It's how we are

to live. We're to live righteously. We're to

live avoiding sin. We're to love others sacrificially,

just as Jesus did, because this proves who we

are. Now, in my house, if you know my family

very well, we have done a lot of renovations

over the years. A lot of renovations. There have

been times where we have had to open up walls

to fix electrical issues or plumbing issues,

and Sina absolutely hates it when you have to

spend money on things that can't be seen. New

water pipes and new water lines are not pretty,

according to her, right? But if we didn't do

that, and we just did the cosmetic things and

made it look pretty, it would all be worthless

once we had a busted pipe or a water leak. and

have to tear it all out to do it again. John

calls us in the same way to examine our lives

the same way we examine the bones of our house.

If the foundation or the things inside the walls

are not good, then it doesn't matter how good

things look on the outside. Like checking a house,

it takes courage to shine lights on our habits,

to shine a light on our thoughts, to shine light

on our relationships. But when we do, with the

Holy Spirit's help, we can address the cracks.

We can address the broken pipes. We can address

the leaks. Maybe it's a grudge. Maybe it's a

hidden habit. Maybe it's a lack of love. And

when we address those things we realign our lives

with Christ. This honest self -examination, it

strengthens our walk. It ensures we're building

a life that reflects our identity in Him. So

examine your life for patterns. Do you habitually

choose sin? as a lifestyle? Things like ongoing

dishonesty, immorality, selfishness. Or do you

grieve your sin? Do you confess it quickly? Do

you pursue change? If you do not pursue change,

and you begin to think through priorities, then

you are not going to draw closer to the Lord.

And listen, sometimes I get it, change is hard.

You're probably going to have to have a difficult

conversation. You're probably going to have to

take steps that feel unnatural because it's working

against the flesh. But does your daily life show

a consistent pursuit? of God's standards. Do

you have honesty at work? Do you have integrity

in your relationships? Is there a lie that you

have been living that you've been too afraid

to come clean? Do you love others selflessly

and expect nothing in return? We're children

of God. if our lives bear the family resemblance,

meaning we have to turn from habitual sin, we

have to practice righteousness, we have to love

sacrificially. And listen again, this isn't about

earning salvation. That's a free gift. It's an

outflow, it's an overflow of what it looks like

to be born again through faith in Jesus. Now,

if you're unsure, if you don't know where you

stand, the good news is God invites you. It's

not some special club. He invites you believe

in Christ Receive his forgiveness step into the

family today be adopted into that they examine

your life prayerfully and Let these truths anchor

you Now I know absolutely nothing about plants

trees anything a trees a tree a plants a plant

in my mind But here's what I do know I know an

apple tree is an apple tree if there's apples

growing on it. If there's no apples on it, I

could not tell you what kind of tree it was.

I know a tomato plant is a tomato plant when

I see tomatoes growing on it. If there's no tomatoes

growing on it, it's just a weed to me. Scripture

says that everyone will know that you are mine.

Everyone will know that you're a part of my family

by the fruit that you bear. If you are unforgiving

like everyone else around you, how in the world

do you look different? If you are a gossip and

like spreading that nonsense, how does that look

any different from the world? If you are holding

on to bitterness and refusing to forgive, how

in the world is the world supposed to know that

you are a believer? Your identity is different

from what the world tells you you are. Your identity

is in Christ. We are children of God. We are

living in the last hours. We have to live with

urgency. There's people in your circle, whether

that's your family, whether that's your neighborhood,

whether that's where you work. There are people

in your circle that have no idea who Christ is.

They do not have a relationship with him. They

are not adopted into his family. And I believe

God has placed you in your circle for a purpose.

Let your life Reflect his character. Be different.

Love sacrificially. Extend grace. Be quick to

forgive. Be slow to speak. You can change your

circle because your identity is in Christ. You're

not defined by your past. You're not defined

by your job. You're not defined by how much money

you have in the bank account. You are not what

the world says you are. You are a child of God,

and we need to live like it. And so as I close

this out in prayer, as the worship team comes

up, maybe you don't know how to pray. Maybe that's

you just don't know how to pray. And so when

we come to this time, you're just kind of sitting

there looking at the floor or just reading the

words on the screen. If you don't know how to

pray, let me encourage you in this way. God,

reveal to me my heart. That's it. Reveal to me

my heart. Reveal to me where I'm not walking

as a child of God. Reveal to me where I'm not

living a life that honors you. Reveal to me my

need for a savior. And just allow them to speak.

Allow them to speak. So let me pray for us, and

we'll have time to reflect on that. Father, I

pray that as we close out this service, I pray

that your voice will be louder than any distraction.

I pray that we will be known as a church that

is rooted in our identity in you. And I pray

for the individual that's just struggling with

lies. I pray that your spirit will just guide

them to the truth. That we are secure in you.

We are loved by you. We are adopted by you. We

are set free by you. And so God, we ask you to

freely move in this place. We do ask your spirit

to move, to blow on through. So open our hearts

and ears to hear from you. We ask all these things

in Jesus' name, amen. As we're saying, I wanna

encourage you, the altar's open. If you need

to lay those things before him, I'm also gonna

remind you that we have communion available.

If you wanna just remember the sacrifice that

Jesus made for us on the cross by partaking in

communion, you're welcome to do that. We invite

you to the table. Remind yourself of who you

are in Christ, as we're saying. Thank you for

listening today to 563 Church, a production of

Cornerstone Church, Eldridge, Iowa. For more

information about our church or just getting

right with God, please visit us at 563church

.com. You can also find us on Facebook and Instagram.

Have a great week.