Series: 1 John
Title: If They Had Been of Us
Text: 1 John 2: 18-28
Date: October 11, 2018
Place: SGBC, NJ
1 John
2: 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.
We know we live in the last days because
there are many antichrists, as Christ warned there would be. John begins by saying, “It is
the last time” [hour].” John was old.
He was the last of the apostles.
John knew his departure was at hand and he is warns us the same thing
that Paul told the Ephesians elders:
Acts 20: 28: Take heed therefore unto yourselves, and to all the flock, over the
which the Holy Ghost hath made you overseers, to feed the church of God, which
he hath purchased with his own blood. 29:
For I know this, that after my departing shall grievous wolves enter in among
you, not sparing the flock. 30:
Also of your own selves shall men arise, speaking perverse things, to draw away
disciples after them. 31: Therefore
watch, and remember, that by the space of three years I ceased not to warn
every one night and day with tears.
Illustration: Rolph Barnard’s departure
In John’s day many antichrist had already
entered. They were scattering the flock
and drawing away disciples after themselves with perverse doctrine. They were antichrists, opposed to Christ,
adversaries of Christ. But by these antichrists, we know we are
living in the last days. Christ
said they would come—"as ye have
heard that antichrist shall come, even now are there many antichrists; whereby
we know that it is the last time.” The last days began when Christ came in the
flesh.
Hebrews 1: 2: [God] Hath in these last days
spoken unto us by his Son,…
Brethren, Christ
warned us. That means antichrists are
under the sovereign rule of God our Savior.
The devil sows tares amongst his wheat only by Christ’s permission to
accomplish his purpose. So as
heart-breaking as it is to see professing believers depart from us, know Christ
is in control.
John does not speak
of antichrist as one person that shall appear in the end of these last days, he
said, “even now are there many
antichrists.” But why does Paul
describe antichrist as one man? He is describing the great falling away of men
and women who together, as one man, oppose Christ in religion.
Think of Christ and
his body: Christ is our Head and the church is his body. When every elect child is called then
scripture says we will be one body—"a
perfect man, the stature of the fullness of Christ.” Yet, that one body, that one man, is made up
of many members.
The devil imitates it:
the devil is the head opposer of christ and his body is so united in opposing
Christ that they are as one man in opposing Christ. But that one body, that one man, is made up
of many antichrists. The devil and his seed are so united in
opposition to Christ that he sits as one man in the temple of God…
2 Thessalonians 2: 3:
Let no man deceive you by any means: for that day [of Christ’s
return] shall not come, except there come a falling away first, and that
man of sin be revealed, the son of perdition; [here is the common
characteristic of the devil and his body] 4: Who opposeth and exalteth himself above all that is called God,
or that is worshipped; so that he as God sitteth in the temple of God, shewing
himself that he is God.
Indeed, that
describes the pope to a T. And the pope is
antichrist! But in our day we see the
same in so-called churches everywhere preaching the message of
will-worship—universal redemption—exalting sinners, putting the works of God in
the sinner’s hands. The most subtle are
those who preach the gospel yet mix in lies, which disannul the truth they spoke. Another subtle antichrist are those who teach
the truth but live contrary to this book by making merchandise of men’s souls
for personal gain, by seeking glory for themselves, by sowing discord among
brethren along the way. These are
antichrists, too!
This last
antichrist is a danger for folks who leave the gospel, thinking they can listen
to sermons over the internet. You cannot
know a preacher’s character from the internet.
He may speak smooth words about unity but really be the very man slandering
God’s people in private, sowing discord, promoting himself for filthy gain. But
you will not know it by what he says on the internet. God has his people unite under the gospel together!
So we know we are
living in the last days. But take comfort brethren, it is exactly as Christ
told us it would be. He is ruling all
things well!
Proposition: The Spirit
of God reminds us in this text that when professing believers leave the gospel
it is no loss but a gain to the true church.
Title: If They Had Been
of Us
ANTICHRIST COMES FROM US
1 John 2: 19: They
went out from us, but they were not of us; for if they had been of us, they
would no doubt have continued with us: but they went out, that
they might be made manifest that they were not all of us.
This is a scripture
folks like to quote when a professing believer leaves their assembly and moves to another. That is not what John means. If
God’s saint leaves one local church where Christ has established his gospel and
moves to another where the gospel is preached, they have not gone out from
among us.
“They went out from us” includes those who leave the gospel to preach or to sit under lies and
those who leave for the world who do not assemble at all but separate
themselves and live for their lusts.
Preacher, are you
saying that believers born of the Spirit of God can fall away? Absolutely not! Then why do preachers and professing
believers go out from us?
Christ said some are stony ground hearers.
Matthew13: 20: But he that received the seed into
stony places, the same is he that heareth the word, and anon with joy receiveth
it; 21: Yet hath he not root in
himself, but dureth for a while: for when tribulation or persecution ariseth
because of the word, by and by he is offended.
He hears the word and receives it with joy: makes
a profession, joins a church, appears zealous for a while. But it is all of his flesh,
there is no root in himself. So in time, Christ comes with his
winnowing fan and sends a test—it could be that his dearest, nearest family member
opposes him calling the church a cult or it could be his will is crossed so
that he does not get his way or he has a misunderstanding with a brother or he
cannot get the saints to compromise on a certain doctrine. Christ says persecution
arises over the word. Perhaps the devil attacks the church on a
certain doctrinal point and antichrists
begin to slander his brethren and he is afraid he will be next for uniting with
them. So Christ forces him to take a
stand or depart. By and by he is offended. Oh, he did not leave his job any of those
times he was offended there. How many times
have you, brethren, been offended at your job? Oh, he sacrificed whatever necessary to keep his
business open? Afterall, that’s his life. But
antichrist will sit under the gospel
only so long. When the time comes to
bear the cross of sacrifice and commitment, he’s gone.
Christ said others
depart who are thorny ground hearers.
Matthew 13: 22: He also that received seed among the
thorns is he that heareth the word; and the care of this world, and the
deceitfulness of riches, choke the word, and he becometh unfruitful.
He receives the
word and unites for a time. Then he comes
into prosperity or gets a promotion or is honored or gets into politics. If he is a
preacher perhaps he sees an opportunity for more glory and money at a
bigger church but he will have to change his message. Christ said, “and the care of this world, and the deceitfulness of riches, choke the
word, and he becometh unfruitful.”
Why does Christ
permit the devil to sow tares among the wheat? Why does Christ allow false
preachers and false gospels to abound in these last days?—"but they went
out, that they might be made manifest that they were not all of us.”
One, their going
out manifests to his saints that Christ is using his gospel to do his winnowing
work.
We get discouraged when we see folks come and go. But we should not. It should remind us to continue preaching
only Christ and him crucified because the fan is in Christ’s hand and he is
doing his winnowing work thoroughly purging his floor.
Two, it is to test his people and prove who
are his
Deuteronomy 13: 3: Thou
shalt not hearken unto the words of the prophet, or that dreamer of dreams: for
the Lord your God proveth you, to know whether ye love the Lord your God with
all your heart and with all your soul.
1 Corinthians 11: 19: For there must be also heresies among you, that they
which are approved may be made manifest among you.
It hurts us to see brethren walk away to lies
or to nothing at all. Especially when we
have labored for them in prayer and sacrificed to have a quiet place where they
can hear. It makes me want to say what
Christ said, “Have I been with you so
long and you don’t know me?” But understand what John is declaring here: it
is not a loss to Christ’s church but a gain.
The body of Christ never loses living limbs!
WHAT
KEEPS GOD’S ELECT UNDER THE GOSPEL?
1 John 2: 20: But ye have an
unction [anointing] from the Holy One, and ye know all things.
God’s true sanctified child has been born of God and taught of God.
2 Corinthians 1:21: Now he
which stablisheth us with you in Christ, and hath anointed us, is God; 22 Who hath also sealed us, and given the
earnest of the Spirit in our hearts.
When he sent the
gospel to us, scripture says, “But of him
are ye in Christ Jesus, who of God is made unto us wisdom, and righteousness,
and sanctification, and redemption.” (1 Cor 1:30) You know all things—not just intellectually—but
you have a new man created in you in which Christ has given you an
understanding so that you really and truly know all things! You know all things because God has made
Christ your Wisdom—we have the mind of Christ—a divine revelation. Therefore, we know Christ is our
Righteousness—his blood has purged me of all my sins and I am complete in his
righteousness. We know Christ is our
Sanctification—it is not Christ plus my works that makes me holy. Christ alone
sanctifies—"the water and the blood,
from thy wounded side which flowed, be of sin the double cure, save from wrath
and make me pure.” We know Christ is our Redemption—if the Son shall set
you free you shall be free indeed! You
know all things because you know Christ is All!
By the anointing,
Christ won’t let us forget!
John 14: 26: But the
Comforter, which is the Holy Ghost, whom the Father will send in my
name, he shall teach you all things, and bring all things to your remembrance,
whatsoever I have said unto you.
By the anointing,
we know his voice from the voice of strangers when we hear the gospel preached!
John 10:4: And when he putteth forth his own sheep, he goeth before them,
and the sheep follow him: for they know his voice. 5: And a stranger will they not follow, but
will flee from him: for they know not the voice of strangers.
To those who can go
away from Christ, who rebel against Christ, he says
John 10: 26: But ye believe not, because ye are not of my sheep, as I said unto
you. 27: My sheep hear my voice,
and I know them, and they follow me: 28:
And I give unto them eternal life; and they shall never perish, neither shall
any man pluck them out of my hand. 29: My Father, which gave them me, is greater than all; and
no man is able to pluck them out of my Father’s hand.
Sheep
only follow the voice of our Shepherd. We
will not follow the voice of the stranger.
There is a message the world loves to hear and there is a message
Christ’s sheep love to hear and we cannot stand the world’s message and they
can’t stand ours.
1 John 4: 5: They are of the world: therefore
speak they of the world, and the world heareth them. 6: We are of God: he that knoweth God heareth us; he that is not
of God heareth not us. Hereby know we the spirit of truth, and the spirit of
error.
While those who can, go out from us and walk
no more with Christ, Christ says to us,
John 6: 67…Will ye also go away? 68
[we answer] Lord, to whom shall we go? thou hast the words of eternal life. 69: And we believe and are sure that
thou art that Christ, the Son of the living God.
Mt 16: 16: Thou art the Christ, the Son of
the living God. 17: [he says to
you] Blessed art thou,…for flesh and blood hath not revealed it unto
thee, but my Father which is in heaven.
He is saying, “Ye have an unction from the
Holy One and know all things.” Those planted by the Lord never go out
because we are kept by the power of God through faith unto salvation ready to
be revealed. That is the only reason we
do not go away! That is how we
persevere! In the face of every trial, every
offense, all persecution, while others go out from us—no matter the case—
Romans 8: 38…I am persuaded, that neither death,
nor life, nor angels, nor principalities, nor powers, nor things present, nor
things to come, 39: Nor height,
nor depth, nor any other creature, shall be able to separate us from the love
of God, which is in Christ Jesus our Lord.
This is not true of a few, but this is true
to all who God anoints with the oil of gladness.
Ephesians 4: 4: There is one body, and one
Spirit, even as ye are called in one hope of your calling; 5: One Lord, one faith, one baptism, 6: One God and Father of all, who is
above all, and through all, and in you all…
Therefore, when Christ sends his gospel in
truth, he brings each one he anoints into “the
unity of the faith, and of the knowledge of the Son of God” (Eph 4:13).
Romans 12: 5: we,
being many, are one body in Christ, and every one members one of another.
Therefore, this thing ceases to be about me personally. It is about these members of my own body, my
brothers and sisters. I cannot severe
one of my members from the body, nor can I sever myself from it for their
sakes. “Therefore I endure all things
for the elect’s sakes, that they may also obtain the salvation which is in
Christ Jesus with eternal glory.” (2 Tim 2: 10) Christ
suffered for these members to make us one!
How dare I not suffer for them and with them? How dare I walk away? How dare I not do whatever it takes to endeavor to keep the unity of the Spirit in
the bond of peace!
A WORD OF APPLICATION
1 John 2: 24: Let
that therefore abide in you, which ye have heard from the beginning. If that which ye have heard from the
beginning shall remain in you, ye also shall continue in the Son, and in the
Father. 25: And this is the promise that he hath promised us, even
eternal life. 26: These things have I written unto you concerning them
that seduce you.
Believer, give
yourself to grow in grace and knowledge of Christ. Remember how Eve was deceived? She debated with the seducer, adding to and
taking from the word of God. Then she parted
from the word of God altogether. But how
did it all start? She gave ear to the
seducer.
2 Peter 3:17: Ye
therefore, beloved, seeing ye know these
things before, beware lest ye also, being led away with the error of the
wicked, fall from your own stedfastness. 18: But grow in grace, and in the knowledge of our Lord and Saviour
Jesus Christ. To him be glory both
now and for ever. Amen.
But know that it is
the anointing of the Spirit that shall keep you—
1 John 2: 27: But
the anointing which ye have received of him abideth in you, and ye need not
that any man teach you: but as the same anointing teacheth you of all things,
and is truth, and is no lie, and even as it hath taught you, ye shall abide in
him. 28: And now, little
children, abide in him; that, when he shall appear, we may have confidence, and
not be ashamed before him at his coming.
Jude 1:21: Keep
yourselves in the love of God, looking for the mercy of our Lord Jesus Christ
unto eternal life.
This anointing forever preserves the child of
God in union with Christ and our brethren.
This anointing is God's infallible security against all the designs of
antichrist.
Amen!