October 2, 2018
1 John 2:18-25 New Living Translation (NLT)
Believing in the work of Christ is essential for genuine fellowship and life with God. We cannot know Father God without knowing his Son, Jesus Christ the Anointed One. God is three persons in One: Creator Father, Savior Son, and Holy Spirit. Because Christ is the only way to know the Father and the Spirit, Satan uses deceiving spirits (the spirit of antichrist) to influence people in order to minimize the essential need for Christ, his work of salvation, the need to connect to him for forgiveness, and the impartation of the Spirit of truth and righteousness. In other words, Satan knows if we connect to Christ we will have the privilege of standing in his authority, appropriating the resources of heaven, and using the power of his name with the purpose of bringing people to our life-changing God. Satan is afraid of genuine believers; we know the value of allowing God to transform our thinking, bring us wisdom, so we can overcome evil with good. Any religious group who denies Jesus is the Christ is going no further spiritually than religious expression; which is zero threat to the work of evil.
The Apostle John teaches us this morning about a separation in the early church that happened due to the spirit of antichrist. Satan’s goal is to deprive the Church of power. As well, John reminds us that one day the Antichrist—the embodiment of evil and opposition to the triune God—will try to come to deceive the very elect—community of faith. We need to guard our hearts—the temple of God—and stay fixed on God’s living Word—Jesus Christ.
1 John 2:18-25 Warning about Antichrists
18 Dear children, the last hour is here. You have heard that the Antichrist is coming, and already many such antichrists have appeared. From this we know that the last hour has come. 19 These people left our churches, but they never really belonged with us; otherwise they would have stayed with us. When they left, it proved that they did not belong with us.
20 But you are not like that, for the Holy One has given you his Spirit, and all of you know the truth. 21 So I am writing to you not because you don’t know the truth but because you know the difference between truth and lies. 22 And who is a liar? Anyone who says that Jesus is not the Christ. Anyone who denies the Father and the Son is an antichrist. 23 Anyone who denies the Son doesn’t have the Father, either. But anyone who acknowledges the Son has the Father also.
24 So you must remain faithful to what you have been taught from the beginning. If you do, you will remain in fellowship with the Son and with the Father. 25 And in this fellowship we enjoy the eternal life he promised us.
Prayer: Lord, thank you for imparting the Spirit of truth and the wisdom to discern the lies of Satan. I stand faithful to what I have been taught from your Word. In Jesus’ name. Amen.