Please turn in your Bibles to 1 John chapter 2. 1 John chapter 2. In the Pew Bible, it's on page 1302. 1 John chapter 2 will be reading verses 18 through 27. 1 John chapter 2, starting at verse 18. Children, it is the last hour. And as you have 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 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. I write these things to you about those who are trying to deceive you. For the anointing that you receive from him abides in you, and you have no need that anyone should teach you. But as his anointing teaches you about everything, and is true and is no lie, just as it has taught you, Abide in Him. Let's pray. Oh Lord, we thank You for Your Word. We thank You for Your servant, the Apostle John. We ask now that You would help us illuminate our minds and hearts by Your Spirit that we might understand Your Word. Please encourage us from it. And may Christ be glorified in all things. In His name we pray. Amen. Well, think back with me, if you will, to the year 1861 in the state of Virginia, a state on the verge of seceding from the United States into the Confederate States. A group of delegates opposed to seceding met to discuss the idea of forming a new state. So it was in this context that a man by the name of Waitman Willey gave what's come to be known as the triple treason speech. See, he argued that if they formed a new state without following due process, that they would be committing treason against the state of Virginia, first of all, against the United States, and against the Confederate states. Triple treason. Well, as the story goes, his speech turned the tide of the convention and they took no rash action. Well, in the context of the letter of 1 John, John writes to a church or churches from which a group of people have left. And in so doing, they've committed a triple treason. Not only have they left the church, that's the first treason, but in so doing, they demonstrate a rejection of the apostolic gospel that forms the church, the second treason. And in so doing that, they reject Jesus Christ himself, triple treason, the church, the gospel, and Christ himself. When we survey the whole letter of 1 John and try to understand why is it that he was compelled to sit down and write this letter, What is happening in the lives of these people? What's the occasion? Virtually any commentator will jump not to chapter 1, verse 1. They'll go to chapter 2, verse 19, where we've read. And it says this, They went out from us. People have left. This is so important for understanding the whole context of John's letter. Some have left. but see John didn't write to the people that left he wrote to those remaining in the church he describes those who left in verse 26 as trying to deceive those who remained and you can imagine how they felt you can imagine some have left, there's false teaching going on different ideas should I stay or should I go Are they right? Have I been believing a lie? I don't know. Have you felt this way before? There are always controversies in the church. Never quite sure what to think. Well, John wrote this letter to assure Christians, to reassure them that they have believed the truth. And just as John wanted to reassure those early Christians, so God wants to reassure you. But John does give a command. It's a simple command, really. Abide. You've got a good thing going and just stick with it. Abide. Abide in assurance. As we work through this text, I've organized it under three headings. First, Antichrists. anointing an afterlife. The point throughout being to abide in assurance. And we'll see that that's John's point. He's giving Christians assurance not to be shaken in your faith, but to know that because you belong to him, the Lord is keeping you. So first, Antichrist. It's a jarring word, really, isn't it? It's such a buzzword. Antichrist. Well, we need to diffuse that a little bit. we see here that John in verse 18 he does seem to affirm that there is one ultimate antichrist you've heard antichrist is coming but immediately he wants to move on from that don't be so caught up in wondering who that is that you miss the fact there are many antichrists already but his point in saying that is not to further unsettle you that might sound worse there's more antichrists than one But see, he's saying it's been like this all along. So it shouldn't be surprising. Jesus said this would happen. He's not surprised by it. So don't let that shake you in your faith. Well, we need to look at the word antichrist. What does that even mean? Antichrist. It means someone who sets himself in opposition to Christ. But he's sneaky about it. Sneaky about it. An Antichrist pretends to be in the place of Christ, what is actually opposed to him. Wants to draw followers after himself. Makes disciples of himself instead of disciples of Christ. And John says there in verse 22, you see that he says this is the Antichrist. He gives a description. He who denies the Father and the Son. And he connects this to the liar who says, Jesus isn't the Christ. So there's a couple of key words here as we think about this idea of Antichrist. The first one is liar. The other is Christ. So we'll look at that word liar. What does that draw your mind to? As you think of Scripture, a liar. How about Genesis 3? There we find the serpent setting himself in opposition to the Lord, seeking to draw followers after himself, but he's sneaky about it. Well, that's the first Antichrist, really. But then we see it following this thread running all the way through Scripture. It's the seed of the woman, the people of faith, against the seed of the serpent. Antichrists have been there all along. But what do we also know about that story? It's a story of redemption. God is sovereign over the entire thing. He is orchestrating the events to save his people. So you see, in John's point in saying there are many Antichrists, he's saying, don't let it unsettle you. It's always been this way, and God has always been sovereign. And he's sovereign over it now. and he will keep you. You are his people, and he is your God, just as it's always been. Well, the primary stage of this battle, this cosmic battle that's been waging throughout the ages, is not so much in the public square. It is everywhere, but it's not so much there as it is in the church. The church is ground zero. And I say this because of verse 19. It shows us this is where the division begins. It's in the church. But there's a precious logic to verse 19. It's an important text for what we believe about the perseverance of the saints. See, it says those who left were never really part of us to begin with. If they had been, they would have abided in our fellowship. So you see what it's saying, that those who are a part of the church will abide. And who does this? It's God who keeps us in his church. It's God who began a good work in you and will be faithful to complete it. So yes, now this is the last hour and there are many Antichrists, but it's been the last hour ever since John wrote that and God has been keeping his church all through time. I mentioned the other key word here in verse 22 is Christ. There's Christ and there's Antichrist. It seems like there could be a wordplay here. So what does the word Christ mean? Our Heidelberg question answer 31 helps us. It says, why is he called Christ, meaning anointed? Because he has been ordained by God the Father and has been anointed with the Holy Spirit to be our prophet, priest, and king. So the word Christ means anointed one. anointed with the Holy Spirit, empowered to fulfill his task. So all the stuff about Jesus being the Christ and there's Antichrist, it seems in the whole thing, the idea of anointing is in play. The idea of anointing, and that's our second heading. So the false teaching that these Antichrists are peddling seems to be saying they've got new revelation. they've got the second blessing. They've got the anointing. That Apostle John guy, he is so last year. But we have the anointing. You can hear it, can't you? What's John's response to this? How's he going to reassure these Christians? You have an anointing. Did you know that? Maybe it wasn't that miraculous when it happened to you. So you didn't know. But you have it. You have an anointing. You see it there in verse 20. You have been anointed by the Holy One and you all have knowledge. Now this anointing is the giving of the Holy Spirit to give you a new heart that you might have faith to be joined to Christ. Even the faith of a mustard seed. But you see here that the work of the Holy Spirit within you always goes together with the hearing of the Gospel from outside of you. He joins together the anointing and knowledge. And you see it there again if you look down at verse 27. The anointing goes together with knowledge. It says His anointing teaches you about everything. So this combination of teaching and anointing is what we usually call the Word and Spirit. The Word and Spirit. They aren't the same, but they always go together. So what does it mean that you have an anointing? It means you have the indwelling Holy Spirit. He opened your eyes to see and believe. And He will continue to guide you in the truth through the external Word of the Scriptures. So what is the teaching in particular John tells us to abide in. He says, let the teaching which you heard from the beginning abide in you. What you heard from the beginning. That's a very interesting phrase that John has such rich language. It's pointing to the Gospel, the message of Jesus Christ, who He is and what He's done. What you heard from the beginning. If you look at the beginning of John's letter, he refers to that which was from the beginning and it's the account of Jesus' life and what he's done. You might also think of John 1.1, the beginning of his Gospel. In the beginning was the Word. In the beginning. All along it points to Christ. And we have that apostolic witness to Christ in the New Testament. And that's not to exclude the Old Testament either. Remember how John drew our minds to Genesis 3? Well, in the beginning, where should that draw your mind to? All the way back to Genesis 1. So even as we say from A to Z, and we're including everything in between, John's saying the whole thing's about Jesus. It's pointing to him. Let what you heard from the beginning abide in you, the gospel. So basically what he's saying, Old Testament and New Testament, he's saying you have all you need in the scriptures. He's saying scripture alone, sola scriptura. When he says you have no need for anyone to teach you, it's because you have all you need in the Scriptures. You have the Spirit within and the Scriptures from outside proclaiming the Gospel of Christ to you. And that's all that you need. You don't need these new upfangled ideas. This new second blessing anointing thing. Don't get sucked into that. You have the Scriptures. You have His anointing, the Spirit. Well, if we continue reading in our catechism, question 32 turns to you and asks, why are you called a Christian? See the relationship of those words. Christ means anointed. You're called Christian. Might that have to do with anointing as well? Why are you called Christian? Because by faith I am a member of Christ. And so I share in His anointing. You are a Christian, which means you share in His anointing. And that anointing abides in you forever. You see in verse 27, a simple statement of fact. The anointing you receive from Him abides in you. Yes, there can be ups and downs in our lives when we feel God's fatherly presence sometimes more, sometimes less, but the Holy Spirit abides in you. And it's eternal. We see this as John turns in verse 25. He says, this is the promise He made to us. Eternal life. Eternal life. The Holy Spirit has sealed you for the day of redemption. And He abides in you forever. You see assurance here. Abide in assurance. He's given you of His Spirit. He'll never take it away. which brings us to the third idea, afterlife. I called it afterlife because it begins with A. But the phrase John uses is eternal life, eternal life. Now, John calls to mind Jesus' promise of eternal life because of the effect it has on us in the present. And most of what I have to say on this point is about this life now, so let me say that again. He calls to mind the promise of eternal life because of the effect it has on us in the present. And what is that effect upon us? So give us hope in the way of the cross. Give us hope in the way of the cross, not the way of glory. You may have heard this way of speaking before. Understand that I'm using it as a metaphor, right? We expect the way of the cross, which means for those who have been united to Christ by grace alone, through faith alone, it's our joy and privilege to be identified with Christ and his suffering. So our way of the cross is our continual struggle with sin, sin in ourselves and sin in the world, the world, the flesh, and the devil. Yes, it includes persecution, We expect the way of the cross. You don't go looking for it, right? As the kids say, the struggle is real. You know the struggle is real, right? It's the way of the cross. But we have hope in the midst of it because of our eternal perspective, the promise of eternal life. And on the other hand, glory, you understand that can be a metaphor as well. Those who demand glory now are seeking all that they desire. But it's really a counterfeit glory. John calls it the lust of the flesh and the lust of the eyes and the pride of life. You can demand to have glory now in those things and you will reap suffering eternally. Or you can have it the other way, the way of the cross now, and glory eternally. And that kind of glory isn't the counterfeit kind. It is all that we desire. To be holy and happy with the Lord forever. And when we are there, we will find that we are truly satisfied in Him. So those are the two ways. Cross now or glory later. Demand glory now and find you get the cross later. And this is the way of Jesus. We see it in Philippians 2. It says he became obedient to the point of death, even death on a cross. But what comes next? Therefore God has highly exalted him. You see the pattern there. It's cross, then glory. For the joy set before him, Jesus endured the cross. He knew there was joy on the other side of it. Well, beloved, God is forming us in the same image of Christ. It's our joy and privilege, as it's said, to identify with Christ in His sufferings. And this is how Paul put it in Philippians 3. That I may know Him and the power of His resurrection and may share His sufferings, becoming like Him in His death, that by any means possible, I may attain the resurrection from the dead. So we share in Christ's sufferings, knowing that we will also share in His resurrection power. So what connection does all this have with 1 John, this cross and glory stuff? Well, it's fascinating, and I hope I do it justice for you. You see, the anti-Christian teaching that John was dealing with is a theology of glory. Remember, they wanted to deny that Jesus is the Christ. That seems kind of high-minded and doctrinal. Why would anyone say that? It's because it gets practical really quick. You see it again in verse 23 that John says they wanted to have the Father but not the Son. You see, they're constructing a theology to validate their pursuit of glory now. I want glory now. You see, if you identify the Father with glory, the Son with suffering, you can see how the thinking goes. I want the glory of the Father. Don't give me the suffering of the Son. And you can see how it connects with anointing, this idea of if they've got the second blessing, the anointing, maybe somehow they can escape this lowly humanity. But you see what destroys this theory is the person and work of Christ. He is true man and true God. And yet he suffered. if they treated our master that way, how much can we expect his servants? How much can we expect for our lives? Well, where is your life? Do you think your life is here? We heard it this morning from Colossians 3. What does it say? Set your minds on things that are above. You see it there. The promise of eternal life. Set your minds there. where Christ is. And your life is hidden there, in Him. It means it's hidden like in the bank. It's kept safe there. It's kept safe for you. But it's not yet in your possession. But when Christ, who is your life, appears, then you also will appear with Him in glory. In glory. He is your life. It's not glory now. It's not your best life now. That's the most anti-Christian teaching. But we have hope in the way of the cross. So certainly, don't hear me say that just be a doormat. Expecting the way of the cross is not turning a blind eye to oppression and injustice, whether it's done against you or your neighbor. Certainly, in your daily vocations, seek to improve the quality of life in our land. Seek to establish peace and justice and equity. But at one point or another, we'll be faced with the fact that this is a fallen world, and we're not going to fix it. And it's not Jesus' goal to fix it. It's his goal to save his people in the midst of it. And we are to be shaped into his image through our trials. And again, we know he is sovereign and caring for us and keeping us. So John's calling us to remember the promise of eternal life so that we aren't deceived in the slightest by this kind of teaching. You can sniff out a theology of glory and reject it. Remember how it's so important, I mentioned in this letter of 1 John, to remember the context that some have left the church. Throughout the letter, John does call Christians to obedience. He tells us to love each other. And it can be easy to interpret that in a way that actually takes your assurance away. Maybe you haven't obeyed enough. See, that's so contrary to John's whole purpose in his letter, to reassure you, remember that context, but some have left the church. So in contrast to that, the obedience he calls you to is simply to abide in the church. Abide in the fellowship of the church. The communion of saints. Continue to show hospitality to one another. Contribute to the ministry of the deacons. That those among us who have much don't have too much. Those who have little don't have too little. Abide in the fellowship of the church. That's what he's calling us to. You see, in the way of the cross, we're all just limping along, helping each other with the hope of glory. The hope of glory to come. So in summary, God will preserve you in this fellowship. It is his work to keep you. Don't be shaken by controversies around you. God has always been in control of these things. His anointing Holy Spirit abides in you and will be with you forever. You have the sure promise of eternal life. So, beloved, abide in assurance. Well, I want to end with question and answer 31 in its entirety. May it encourage you to think of how Jesus even prays for you. He guards you and keeps you. Why is he called Christ, meaning anointed? Because he has been ordained by God the Father and has been anointed with the Holy Spirit to be our chief prophet and teacher who fully reveals to us the secret counsel and will of God concerning our deliverance. Our only high priest who has delivered us by the one sacrifice of his body and who continually intercedes for us before the Father. And our eternal king who governs us by his word and spirit and who guards and keeps us in the deliverance he's won for us. Let's pray. Father, we thank you again for your word. We thank you that you assure us that you understand where we are. We ask that you would help us to know. Help us to know your assurance. we thank you that we might remember that you have saved us and it is your work to preserve us in the church please help us in this fellowship that we could love one another and help each other along the way fixing our eyes on the glory to come the glory of Christ when he is revealed we thank you for all these things and in Christ's name we pray Amen Thank you.