Author: missionspaul

When hate and division enters the church it does more damage than we realise and it really is not worth it!

John has been clear about the sin he is seeing and it comes from the ‘AntiChrists’ who are deceiving the Church to not see Jesus as the Christ, not to hold on to his teaching and also they were demonstrating a lack of love to others.

“Dear children, do not let anyone lead you astray. The one who does what is right is righteous, just as he is righteous. ⁸ The one who does what is sinful is of the devil, because the devil has been sinning from the beginning. The reason the Son of God appeared was to destroy the devil’s work. ⁹ No one who is born of God will continue to sin, because God’s seed remains in them; they cannot go on sinning, because they have been born of God. ¹⁰ This is how we know who the children of God are and who the children of the devil are: Anyone who does not do what is right is not God’s child, nor is anyone who does not love their brother and sister.” (1 John 3:7-10)

The failure to love:

1. Will lead you astray (from abiding in Christ). V7
2. Moves the one who perhaps thinks others are the sinner to actually be the one in sin. V7
3. Means the work of the devil is being done. V8
4. Belittles the work of Christ. V8
5. Exposes your Christian status. V9
6. Grieves the seed (the Spirit) within. V9
7. Reveals whether the spiritual birth was truly of God. V10

“No one who lives in him keeps on sinning”. These few words are occupying my mind this morning. They have caused many Christians to consider giving up. How is it ever possible to abide in Christ? John is either meaning it is possible to live a life without sin (though 1:9 would indicate otherwise); or he is speaking of habitual sin using the words ‘keeps on’; or (as I believe) John in writing to oppose those who are trying to lead the church astray from the orthodox position of who Jesus is and his teaching and the outworking of that being seen in our love for others is saying that no one can abide in Christ without love.

“Everyone who sins breaks the law; in fact, sin is lawlessness. But you know that he appeared so that he might take away our sins. And in him is no sin. No one who lives in him keeps on sinning. No one who continues to sin has either seen him or known him.” (1 John 3 v 4-6)

So from these verses here are 5 evidences to know a person is remaining in Christ:

1. The choice of love. Everyone who sins breaks the law. It is a choice we make.
2. You know the consequences if you do not love. sin is lawlessness. Being unloving places us in opposition to God.
3. You know Jesus came to make it possible to love. you know that he appeared so that he might take away our sins. The cross is where we receive love.
4. You know He is love. And in him is no sin. No matter what has happened or what the person has done. Jesus always loves.
5. You loving others is crucial to your relationship with Jesus. No one who continues to sin has either seen him or known him.

Last night a friend called me and told me of the struggle they were going through. My response was simply this: ‘Hold on; don’t rush ahead with your thoughts; abide in Christ; remain in Him; wait; stay.”

Maybe you are storm-tossed today just as John’s people were. The Church were being attacked from within by deceptive teachers and from outside by the ongoing persecution. John continues his call to remain in Christ:

“See what great love the Father has lavished on us, that we should be called children of God! And that is what we are! The reason the world does not know us is that it did not know him. Dear friends, now we are children of God, and what we will be has not yet been made known. But we know that when Christ appears, we shall be like him, for we shall see him as he is. All who have this hope in him purify themselves, just as he is pure.” (1 John 3: 1-3)

This morning, whatever the circumstance, remain in Christ and that is to:

1. To know/experience the Father’s extravagant love. It outweighs everything we could ever experience. See what great love the Father has lavished on us.
2. To be secured in my identity of what the Father calls me … His child. He calls me this. He gives this title to me. that we should be called children of God! And that is what we are!
3. To willingly pay the cost that the world I am in will be out of sync with me. They will not understand me or know me because they do not know who I know. The reason the world does not know us is that it did not know him. 
4. To not give up. We are a work in progress. It is not over. we shall be like him, for we shall see him as he is
5. To get ready for the coming of Jesus by doing what we can to be like Him today. purify themselves, just as he is pure.

“Abide with me, fast falls the eventide; the darkness deepens Lord, with me abide …”

Henry Francis Lyte (1793-1847) was a church minister who dearly loved his congregation but because of what seemed a lifetime of illness he was persuaded to leave those he loved in Devon for the South of France because of a better climate. After he took his last service and said goodbye to his people broken-hearted he went home and wrote the five verses of this now famous hymn. The next day he handed it to his daughter and set sail.

It is a hymn which pleads for the abiding presence of Christ. We need those prayers.

The Apostle John is also pleading but for his congregation to abide in Christ, to remain, to continue, to stay and to wait. Ten times John speaks of this in this one letter.

“And now, dear children, continue in him, so that when he appears we may be confident and unashamed before him at his coming. If you know that he is righteous, you know that everyone who does what is right has been born of him.” (1 John 2 v 28-29)

So what does it mean to remain in Christ?

(Just a note to show what is in John’s mind. Later he will write these words, “This is how we know who the children of God are and who the children of the devil are: Anyone who does not do what is right is not God’s child, nor is anyone who does not love their brother and sister.” 1 John 3:10. This is important as we look at what it means to continue in Christ)

1. It means to keep to the truth of the orthodox view of Jesus and what he teaches.
2. It means to have confidence, our sins are forgiven and we are walking out his commands and so there is nothing to hide.
3. It means it is a sign, it points to something. It is for a time, ‘so that when …’ is that of the second coming of Christ.
4. It means to know Him who is righteous. John is clear about the sin he is referring to in his letter. The sin of not loving others. Righteousness is the opposite of sin and so for John knowing He who is righteous is to know He is love and He loves.
5. It means to imitate. We look like Jesus. Imitation is to love others in the same way we are loved.

John is not against us learning from preaching and teaching (thankfully!) but warning us against those who are leading people astray through spiritual experiences that at the same time dethrone Jesus Christ. Now he affirms our position and has confidence that we will not be deceived.

“As for you, the anointing you received from him remains in you, and you do not need anyone to teach you. But as his anointing teaches you about all things and as that anointing is real, not counterfeit—just as it has taught you, remain in him.” (1 John 2 v 27)

As for you. Are you in the Church?

The anointing. What has been your experience of the Holy Spirit so far in your life?

Remains in you. Is your Holy Spirit experience fresh, known daily and alive today?

You do not need. Are there areas in your life that chase after quick solutions because they are not submitted to what you have known from the beginning?

Teach you. Can you recognise the personalities who deceive?

Teaches you. How is the Holy Spirit continuing to teach you today?

Taught you. How do you know what is real and what is not?

Remain in him. How is the Holy Spirit helping you remain in Jesus today?

John is not against us learning from preaching and teaching (thankfully!) but warning us against those who are leading people astray through spiritual experiences that at the same time dethrone Jesus Christ. Now he affirms our position and has confidence that we will not be deceived.

“As for you, the anointing you received from him remains in you, and you do not need anyone to teach you. But as his anointing teaches you about all things and as that anointing is real, not counterfeit—just as it has taught you, remain in him.” (1 John 2 v 27)

As for you. Pause. How is it with you and the Holy Spirit? A questions that takes time to answer.

 ^“I am writing these things to you about those who are trying to lead you astray.” (1 John 2 v 26)

Charismatic figures through their false teaching were leading John’s people astray from the truth. John exposes them. This is the reason for his writing.

But what about us?

Would we be led astray by such personalities? There is a fine line sometimes between respect and honour and a culture where the charisma outweighs character.

Confidence, passion, optimism, great communication and gifting needs a culture which appraises on a regular basis whether the Christians are being drawn closer to Jesus or not. The lifestyle of those who are teaching/leading needs to be scrutinised. Can you see Jesus in their language and their attitudes? Are they loving people? Is there an atmosphere of fear circling them or one of vulnerability?

But it doesn’t stop in the pulpit. Look at the pews. Are there groups within the church trying to topple and oust their Pastor? Are they trying to lead people astray from their under-shepherd? Ask the same questions.

In our desire for a new season and new experiences let us never advance so far that we become detached from our alignment to what we had at the beginning. We must take the beginning with us, it must be in us and it must emerge through everything we do. This gospel of Jesus Christ is not something to believe but also to experience, to abide in. Jesus Christ is our beginning.

“As for you, see that what you have heard from the beginning remains in you. If it does, you also will remain in the Son and in the Father. And this is what he promised us—eternal life.” (1 John 2 v 24-25)

The benefits for not moving on from the beginning is the ongoing relationship with the Son and the Father. At the end of everything we will be asked by the Lord, “Do we know each other?” Take the beginning with you and your answer will be yes! And with this relationship we therefore have life!

John’s problem is that the Church were being fed teaching that held to a Christianity without Christ, a Christ without Jesus, the cross without Jesus paying the ransom for sin and therefore a Christianity without ‘Jesus the Christ’ transforming our lives. In 2023 there is still such a danger. What do I mean? The challenge within all our religious wars and hard-working programmes is where is the Lordship of Christ? Can we see the incarnation through our lives? What sin are we saved from? How are we being transformed by the intercessory work of the Son before the Father?

“But you have an anointing from the Holy One, and all of you know the truth. I do not write to you because you do not know the truth, but because you do know it and because no lie comes from the truth. Who is the liar? It is whoever denies that Jesus is the Christ. Such a person is the antichrist—denying the Father and the Son. No one who denies the Son has the Father; whoever acknowledges the Son has the Father also.” (1 John 2: 20-23)

BUT YOU!

A nice reminder from John to you and me.

We have an anointing (of the Holy Spirit) from the Holy One (Jesus Christ).

Whatever visions, revelations and special Spirit moments we might have in 2023 they must come from and point back to the truth rooted in history that Jesus is the Christ (meaning Lordship/obedience; incarnation; sin; transformation).

We live in a world that says, ‘what is true for you may not be true for me’, there are no right or wrong answers, it is all relative and truth is an experience.

That is John’s problem … and ours.

The anointing gives knowledge (truth). Oppose Jesus and you lose the truth. This is because truth is anchored in the history of what has happened with regards Jesus Christ. It is not an opinion, perception or an experience, it is more.

The result of the anointing:-

Is knowing the truth of what has been revealed by Jesus the Christ in the gospels.

It is to be in alignment with obedience to Jesus, the world seeing Jesus in us, the forgiveness of sin by Jesus and the change Jesus makes in our lives.

Next time you find yourself in the middle of a religious war or are planning the programme of your life or church ask yourself am I being obedient? Can people see Jesus in me? What sin is here? How will this change me/others to be like Jesus?

Of course you need to keep your eye on Jesus but you will see what I mean!

As we have seen John is so keen to uphold the person of Jesus Christ and to challenge those who are dethroning Him. It is still the greatest challenge to the church today. The question is not about the achievement of the Church but the obedience to the Lordship of Christ. Anything less is an antichrist.

For 2,000 years the church has believed in an Anti-Christ figure is to come and have pointed at many people who they think may be it. John will say many have arrived already.

 ^“Dear children, this is the last hour; and as you have heard that the antichrist is coming, even now many antichrists have come. This is how we know it is the last hour. They went out from us, but they did not really belong to us. For if they had belonged to us, they would have remained with us; but their going showed that none of them belonged to us.” (1 John 2 v 18-19)

He is living in the last hour. He believes in the soon return of Jesus Christ and for John it is very soon. How does he know?

By what is happening in the church as much as outside in the world.

Either the decline or departing from the truth is what we must keep our eye on.

Maybe there was a short term mission’s team that went out preaching and teaching in the churches across the region and they departed from the truth and that is why John is writing to combat their deception. Maybe ‘they’ were leading personalities in the church who drifted away (3 John 1:9 Diotrephes) and John is saying they weren’t part of us really.

Whatever happened John could see that what was happening to the Church indicated that the antichrist was already here and they had entered the last period of time of this world.