Date: 23 February 2025, 9.30 am
Speaker: Ps Daniel Tan Sermon Text: 1 John 2:18 – 3:18
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TRANSCRIPT
Introduction
Blessed Sunday to everyone both in the hall as well as those online.
Last Sunday, Ps Luwin reminded us that we should not live as orphans. In Christ, we are now children of our Heavenly Father.
As we pondered about this truth this past week, it may have raised some further questions.
For example, am I really a child of God? How can I be certain that I’m a child of God. What might be the visible checklist for being a child of God.
I submit that today’s passage, will offer insights as to help us authenticate our Christian faith. It is to help reassure us that we are legit.
And why was this important for the audience at the time of John’s letters? It was because there was likely a church split.
There was a segment of the congregation that had left. Maybe some of them were prominent members, some might even be good friends, but they have left the fellowship due to theological reasons.
And so John was writing to those who had remained, assuring them that they were on the right track.
Who is right and who is not, which is the truth and which is not. John’s original audience were grappling with these challenges.
And our world continues to struggle with this. Today, things might even be more complicated.
In Nov 2024, it was reported that at least 1,013 people lost about $17.6 million after falling prey to job scams in which they were given commission for completing simple surveys before being offered fake jobs by scammers.
The advice from the police is install security on your mobile phones and do not accept dubious job offers that offer lucrative returns for minimal effort.
Singaporeans we are thankful only get scam of our money.
But this can become physically dangerous for others as another Straits Times article reports.
This 2nd article highlights the plight of those who have been tricked into working in scamming companies in Laos and Myanmar.
How they were beaten and electrocuted when they did not perform up to expectation or tried to escape.
It’s terrible isn’t it, this stark difference between real and scam jobs.
Real and genuine jobs give us financial stability, but fake ones can ruin us financially and physically.
What do you think was at stake for John’s original audience as he instructs them of who are authentic Christians?
It was more than financial stability, it was more than even physical safety.
I submit from 2:25 and 3:15 that what is at stake for them is eternal life.
1 Jn 2:25 And this is the promise that he made to us — eternal life ….
1 Jn 3:15 Everyone who hates his brother is a murderer, and you know that no murderer has eternal life abiding in him.
It is eternity spent either with God or eternity spent being punished in hell.
Knowing such high stakes, may the Lord through today’s passage, grant us discernment from His word and faithfulness to abide in them.
I would like to submit for our consideration that today’s passage informs us that authentic Christians, are those that are united in the truth of Jesus, are united in practicing righteousness and are united in deeds of love.
And I’m sure we are realizing that for John, there is no grey area. It is either light or darkness. You are either a child of God or a child of the devil.
United in the truth of Jesus Christ (2:18-27)
At the beginning of the letter, John took pains to establishes his authority and his credibility. He met, touched and learned from Jesus the Word of Life.
And so John and his fellow apostles have been teaching them the genuine truths that will establish them in fellowship with God and His son Jesus Christ.
Through today’s passage, we now realize why he needs to establish his authority and credibility. It is because there were false teachers in the midst of the congregation.
Since the Old Testament, the Jews have been waiting for God’s Messiah. And since Christ is the Greek translation of Messiah, then those who do not accept God’s Messiah would be the antichrist.
1 Jn 2:18 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. 19 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. 20 But you have been anointed by the Holy One, and you all have knowledge. 21 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. 22 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. 23 No one who denies the Son has the Father. Whoever confesses the Son has the Father also. 24 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. 25 And this is the promise that he made to us—eternal life. 26 I write these things to you about those who are trying to deceive you. 27 But the anointing that you received 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.
So what is John saying about Jesus Christ that we should be united about?
Firstly, as we have seen in the earlier chapter 1, we must be united that Jesus is the Messiah (v22). The anointed one who has been promised since the Old Testament. Jesus is both God and Man.
Secondly, v23 says, if you do not accept Jesus for who He is, you will also not have a relationship with God the Father. It is not possible to know God unless you know His Son.
No one comes to the Father except through Jesus Christ.
Thirdly, v24 when you abide in the truth of Jesus Christ, you will be abiding in both the Son and the Father. And that abiding, gives you the gift of eternal life.
And so, those who have left the congregation are those who do not accept that Jesus is the Messiah and in these terms as John has listed out.
What John is teaching is that anyone who professes to be a follower of Christ but teaches a Christology not in keeping with the apostolic tradition is indeed an antichrist.
This person does not walk in the light for he opposes the truth of God in Christ.
John is giving assurance to those who have stayed in the fellowship, that it is those who have left who were never true believers in the first place.
This is because they did not embrace the true teaching of who Jesus Christ is.
Many think that the antichrist will only appear immediately before the 2nd coming of Christ. John says, the antichrists are already here.
And because the antichrists are already here, it means we are all in the last hour.
Thus, it is urgent and imperative that we be vigilant. We need to be discerning about false teachers and what they teach.
Since we are in the last hour – the period between Jesus’ first coming and his second, and since the stacks are so high, John assures believers, God has ensured you stay united in the truth of Jesus Christ through the anointing of the Holy Sprit.
Their anointing of the Holy Spirit is their internal defence (v20 & 27).
Upon salvation, every believer has the Holy Spirit.
And what does the Holy Spirit in us do?
Jn 14:26 But the Helper, the Holy Spirit, whom the Father will send in my name, he will teach you all things and bring to your remembrance all that I have said to you.
The Holy Spirit does not give any new revelation, no, the Holy Spirit will bring to mind Jesus’ words and grant us understand and insights as to what Jesus is saying.
Today, we have the complete Word of God in our hands. The 66 books of the bible.
2 Tim 3:16 All Scripture is breathed out by God and profitable for teaching, for reproof, for correction, and for training in righteousness, 17 that the man of God may be complete, equipped for every good work.
Today, in the bible, we recognize the anointing of the Holy Spirit through the inspiration of the bible – all scripture is breathed out by God.
Today, in the bible, we recognize the anointing of the Holy Spirit through the sufficiency of the bible – all scripture is sufficient for the man of God to be complete and equipped for every good work.
Today, the Holy Spirit who has inspired the writing of Scripture, is also the one who guides and illuminates our hearts and minds to understand the bible.
And to bring to effect his transformative work in our lives.
Church, by the Holy Spirit, authentic Christians stay united to the apostolic truth of Jesus Christ.
With eternal life at stack, let us affirm what we believe by confessing a portion of the Apostles’ Creed.
Many have died for this confession. We call them martyrs. Today, many continue to be persecuted for this confession as well, some in the regions around us.
For the yet-believer in our midst, I pray that one day you too will be able to affirm this confession.
Fellow believers, what do we confess about Jesus? Together -
I believe in Jesus Christ, his only Son, our Lord, who was conceived by the Holy Spirit and born of the virgin Mary.
He suffered under Pontius Pilate,
was crucified, died, and was buried;
he descended to hell.
The third day he rose again from the dead.
He ascended to heaven
and is seated at the right hand of God the Father almighty.
From there he will come to judge the living and the dead.
United in practicing righteousness (2:28-3:10)
We have just confessed that Jesus will come again and that He will come as judge.
1 Jn 2:28 asks us to consider, how will we feel when we stand before Jesus at his second coming?
1 Jn 2:28 And now, little children, abide in him, so that when he appears we may have confidence and not shrink from him in shame at his coming. 29 If you know that he is righteous, you may be sure that everyone who practices righteousness has been born of him. 3:1 See what kind of love the Father has given to us, that we should be called children of God; and so we are. The reason why the world does not know us is that it did not know him. 2 Beloved, we are God’s children now, and what we will be has not yet appeared; but we know that when he appears we shall be like him, because we shall see him as he is. 3 And everyone who thus hopes in him purifies himself as he is pure.
Will we stand with confidence, or will we shrink from him in shame?
We should stand with confidence shouldn’t we, since we are no longer orphans. We have been adopted into the family of God by the blood of Jesus.
And we see the implication of our adoption through Paul’s words to the Roman believers:
Rom 8:15 For you did not receive the spirit of slavery to fall back into fear, but you have received the Spirit of adoption as sons, by whom we cry, “Abba! Father!”
Our confidence - not only are we His children, we are living as His children too! And so naturally we are expecting a glorious reunion when we meet Jesus face to face.
Church, I pray that we are all eagerly anticipating to greet Him!
Recently CNA published an article about 3 young Singaporeans who have transited over time from being foster children to forever home children.
Through the article, I got the sense of the security, assurance, love and encouragement these 3 young Singaporeans have experienced.
They all attributed who they are today to their foster family’s loving embrace.
I’m sure they would want to live up to the standards of their forever home families.
So, for us as believers, John reminds us, we have received the gracious love of God the Father. While we were yet sinners, God sent His son Jesus to die for our sin.
So how can we display that we are indeed God’s children? What are the outward signs of the spiritual regeneration that has happen in us?
Authentic Christians are united in practicing righteousness.
And why do we practice as such?
We all know the phase – like father like son. It is generally expected that a son's character or behaviour can be anticipated to resemble that of his father.
John says, God is righteous, God is pure.
So, Scripture says, when we have been adopted, it means we have been born again, we have become a new creation.
Thus, what we are to reflect, should resemble that of our Heavenly Father.
And we reflect our Heavenly Father when we practice righteousness.
As we think about righteousness and purity, may we accept that the yardstick is not determined by us but by God.
We practice the righteousness and purity that is according to God definition. That’s the hard part isn’t it.
Because our hearts are deceitful above all things (Jeremiah 17:9)
Jer 17:9 The heart is deceitful above all things, and desperately sick; who can understand it? 10 “I the Lord search the heart and test the mind, to give every man according to his ways, according to the fruit of his deeds.”
And the deceitfulness of our hearts will be shown in our deeds. Thus, the Lord reviews our hearts and minds and looks at our actions to authenticate us.
John goes on to explain what practicing righteousness is like.
1 Jn 3:4 Everyone who makes a practice of sinning also practices lawlessness; sin is lawlessness. 5 You know that he appeared in order to take away sins, and in him there is no sin. 6 No one who abides in him keeps on sinning; no one who keeps on sinning has either seen him or known him. 7 Little children, let no one deceive you. Whoever practices righteousness is righteous, as he is righteous. 8 Whoever makes a practice of sinning is of the devil, for the devil has been sinning from the beginning. The reason the Son of God appeared was to destroy the works of the devil. 9 No one born of God makes a practice of sinning, for God’s seed abides in him; and he cannot keep on sinning, because he has been born of God. 10 By this it is evident who are the children of God, and who are the children of the devil: whoever does not practice righteousness is not of God, nor is the one who does not love his brother.
In John’s world, its either light or darkness. So, we are either practicing righteousness or we are practicing sinning.
1 Jn 3:4 then explains that practicing sinning is lawlessness.
May I quote a good explanation of what lawlessness is “Lawlessness does not mean simply breaking the law, it means to disdain the very idea of a law to which one must submit. Many atheists have this root problem of rejecting the idea of the existence of God because their hearts are lawless and they reject the thought of a Being to whom they must submit. Lawlessness is the rejection of God’s authority and the exaltation of the autonomy of the self.”
And Jesus warns us in Matthew about lawlessness -
Mt 7:21 “Not everyone who says to me, ‘Lord, Lord,’ will enter the kingdom of heaven, but the one who does the will of my Father who is in heaven. 22 On that day many will say to me, ‘Lord, Lord, did we not prophesy in your name, and cast out demons in your name, and do many mighty works in your name?’ 23 And then will I declare to them, ‘I never knew you; depart from me, you workers of lawlessness.’
Church, the warning to heed is that we cannot profess to be a Christian and yet justify that we can continue to live in ways that God has defined in His word that it is sin.
To live as such would be to be lawless and it means a rejection of God’s authority.
John has already said that on this side of eternity, believers will sin, so he makes the distinction that true believers will not practice sinning.
Meaning authentic believers will not keep on sinning.
By the Holy Spirit’s prompting, they will recognize that what they are doing is sin and they will confess it.
In the first part, we saw that those who do not embrace orthodox Christology will leave the fellowship.
Here, we are warned that there will be false believers who by their lifestyle will show they have a false profession of faith. They will justify that what God sees as sin is not sin.
Today, I submit that as Christians, we too struggle with false understandings.
We are prone to twist and turn what Jesus stands for.
Is the Gospel of Jesus, the prosperity gospel? It’s not, but we so, so do desire that with salvation comes physical health and material wealth.
Such teaching is very attractive to our itching ears.
Who wants to hear that Christians continue to sin and feel the effects of sin like disasters, disease and death.
Erroneous teachings also expound that since our sins are forgiven past, present and future, we can live as we want now.
Why, because the spiritual insurance premium has been paid, and we will just have to cash out on heaven’s entry fees when we cross death’s door.
They say, God’s grace has given us the freedom from any consciousness of sin.
We also want a Christianity that fit our culture, to be socially relevant with regards to marriage and sexuality.
Thus, we justify that marriage need not be life-long and it does not have to be between one man and one women.
We seek a Christianity that is more woke.
Today, John instructs that practicing righteousness means not to practice lawlessness. It is to submit ourselves to the authority of Scripture and not bend or distort it.
Church it is not for us to pick and choose our own brand of Christianity.
Instead, authentic Christians are united in practicing righteousness according to God’s Word.
United in deeds of love (3:11-18)
Finally, John says, you show yourselves to be children of God and not of the devil when you are united in deeds of love.
In the first sermon on 1 John, I mentioned that there are 2 key segments. The first is God is Light and the second is God is Love. And we see them being demarcated by the phase ‘For this is the message that you have heard …’.
So with 1 Jn 3:11, we enter into the second major segment that God is Love and so His children should love one another.
1 Jn 3:11 For this is the message that you have heard from the beginning, that we should love one another. 12 We should not be like Cain, who was of the evil one and murdered his brother. And why did he murder him? Because his own deeds were evil and his brother’s righteous. 13 Do not be surprised, brothers, that the world hates you. 14 We know that we have passed out of death into life, because we love the brothers. Whoever does not love abides in death. 15 Everyone who hates his brother is a murderer, and you know that no murderer has eternal life abiding in him. 16 By this we know love, that he laid down his life for us, and we ought to lay down our lives for the brothers. 17 But if anyone has the world’s goods and sees his brother in need, yet closes his heart against him, how does God’s love abide in him? 18 Little children, let us not love in word or talk but in deed and in truth.
Cain was the first human who was born. Adam and Eve were formed as adults, but Cain was their first born.
This first born of the human race, became a murderer. He epitomizes all that is wrong in humanity.
So John begins his exhortation to love one another with a negative example. We are not to be like Cain.
Cain murdered Abel because his own deeds were evil and his brother’s righteousness.
Instead of confessing that his deeds were evil and asking for forgiveness, Cain instead was jealous of Abel. He was jealous because he was prideful and so rage welled up within Cain and he murdered Abel.
To love our fellow brothers and sisters in the Lord, we must guard against pride, jealously and anger.
Jesus teaches us in His sermon on the mount that murder is not just physical, it is unforgiveness and character assassination.
Mt 5:21 “You have heard that it was said to those of old, ‘You shall not murder; and whoever murders will be liable to judgment.’ 22 But I say to you that everyone who is angry with his brother will be liable to judgment; whoever insults his brother will be liable to the council; and whoever says, ‘You fool!’ will be liable to the hell of fire.
And so John echoes Jesus’ teaching in v15, everyone who hates his brother is a murderer.
Since Cain epitomizes all that is wrong in humanity, v13 says, Cain’s ways are the ways of the world.
The reality of the world is that it will hate believers because the world does not like the light of the Gospel to shine upon it.
So do not be surprised that because the righteousness of believers will highlight the sinfulness of man, they will oppose it, like what Cain did to Abel.
But church, we know what love is.
Love is Christ at Calvary. Love is Jesus laying down his life for us.
John goes on to say, we then ought to lay down our lives for the brothers.
Sacrificial denial of self and being others-centred is what it means to love.
In history, very little of us have been called to sacrifice our lives for others. I think God will not call any of us to do that here in Hermon.
And so John so wisely puts in v17 – if anyone has the world’s goods and sees his brother in need, yet closes his heart against him, how does God’s love abide in him?
We are not going to die for others, but could we die to self and be others-centred?
Can we love our siblings-in-Christ by meeting their life-sustaining needs? This we all can do right?
It means with our God-given resources, we are to meet their needs of - food, water, shelter, clothing, dignity,
So, what does it mean to love our brother – it means we must not hate him and we must help him.
Do we see that in ourselves today? It’s a scary implication, for eternity is at stake. By our actions we show we are either children of God or of the devil.
John says we are to love in deed and in truth.
Since truth in 1 John is about the truth of Jesus Christ, we are reminded, of the greatest need of humanity.
That we are sinners in need for reconciliation with God through the blood of Jesus. And with that, comes the certain hope of eternity with our Heavenly Father.
I submit, this hope will bring purpose for our very existence in the world. This hope will give us resilience as we face life’s challenges.
This hope will give us joy in our golden years, for we know we will soon see Him face to face.
I pray that we will embrace this understanding that our greatest need of salvation has real and practical implications.
And if so, may it cause us to do 2 things:
Firstly, that we love others by sacrificially meeting both their physical and spiritual needs.
Secondly, we be vigilant for our siblings against heresy. For heresy will turn them towards the false gospel and away from Jesus.
This is precisely what is happening to John’s first listeners. There were false teachers in their midst.
How are we in this test of authenticity?
May we pass this test for it is evident in Hermon that we are united in deeds of love.
Conclusion
To John, there are only 2 kinds of people in this world. You are either a child of God or a child of the devil.
To give assurance to us that we are children of God, John’s letters provide us 3 tests.
As a takeaway implication for our consideration, may I use 3 Ds.
Firstly, let’s seek godly discernment to ensure our unity in the truth of Jesus Christ. Let’s mature in our understanding of who Jesus is so that we will not be tossed about by the waves of unsound doctrine.
Secondly let us seek godly decisions to ensure our unity in practicing righteousness. We are where we are through the many minor and major decisions we make each day.
So we need wisdom to realize when we are sinfully justifying God’s standards to fit that of the world.
Finally, let us seek godly designs to guide our unity of deeds done in love.
We need to show practical acts of love that are in line with God’s design for mankind. Let’s us have God’s blueprint in mind as we do our deeds of love.
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