1 00:00:02,680 --> 00:00:09,460 Speaker 1: Life Audio. The Bible Study Podcast, Episode 997. Today, the 2 00:00:09,500 --> 00:00:12,950 Speaker 1: Bible Study Podcast continues the study of the book of 3 00:00:12,950 --> 00:00:25,669 Speaker 1: 1 John with Chapter 2. Welcome to the Bible Study Podcast. 4 00:00:25,829 --> 00:00:29,380 Speaker 1: I'm your host, Chris Christensen. We continue on with chapter 5 00:00:29,380 --> 00:00:32,339 Speaker 1: 2 of 1 John. This is a short book, so 6 00:00:32,360 --> 00:00:37,059 Speaker 1: we're halfway through. But first, a word from this sponsor. 7 00:00:37,060 --> 00:00:41,110 Speaker 1: 1 John chapter 2. My dear children, I write this 8 00:00:41,170 --> 00:00:43,690 Speaker 1: to you so that you will not sin. But if 9 00:00:43,790 --> 00:00:47,210 Speaker 1: anybody does sin, we have an advocate with the Father, 10 00:00:47,290 --> 00:00:50,930 Speaker 1: Jesus Christ, the righteous one. He is the atoning sacrifice 11 00:00:50,990 --> 00:00:54,050 Speaker 1: for our sins, and not only for ours, but also 12 00:00:54,150 --> 00:00:57,250 Speaker 1: for the sins of the whole world. That sort of 13 00:00:57,370 --> 00:01:00,610 Speaker 1: finishes up the thoughts there about if we say we 14 00:01:00,650 --> 00:01:03,470 Speaker 1: have no sin, we deceive ourselves and the truth is 15 00:01:03,550 --> 00:01:06,070 Speaker 1: not in us from the first chapter. But if we 16 00:01:06,110 --> 00:01:09,170 Speaker 1: confess our sins, that God will forgive us. So we're 17 00:01:09,190 --> 00:01:12,470 Speaker 1: kind of finishing that thought here. We go on. Love 18 00:01:12,530 --> 00:01:16,350 Speaker 1: and hatred for fellow believers. We know that we have 19 00:01:16,410 --> 00:01:20,030 Speaker 1: come to know him if we keep his commands. Whoever says, 20 00:01:20,170 --> 00:01:22,310 Speaker 1: I know him, but does not keep his commands is 21 00:01:22,370 --> 00:01:24,970 Speaker 1: a liar. And the truth is not in that person. 22 00:01:25,490 --> 00:01:27,929 Speaker 1: But if anyone obeys his word, love for God is 23 00:01:27,990 --> 00:01:31,250 Speaker 1: truly made complete in them. This is how we know 24 00:01:31,310 --> 00:01:33,830 Speaker 1: that we are in him. Whoever claims to live in 25 00:01:33,890 --> 00:01:37,419 Speaker 1: him must live as Jesus did. Dear friends, I'm not 26 00:01:37,459 --> 00:01:40,020 Speaker 1: writing a new command, but an old one, which you 27 00:01:40,080 --> 00:01:42,760 Speaker 1: have had since the beginning. The old command is the 28 00:01:42,800 --> 00:01:45,420 Speaker 1: message you have heard. Yet I am writing you a 29 00:01:45,480 --> 00:01:48,890 Speaker 1: new command. Its truth is seen in him and in 30 00:01:48,950 --> 00:01:52,490 Speaker 1: you because the darkness is passing and the true light 31 00:01:52,670 --> 00:01:55,370 Speaker 1: is already shining. There is a story of John, John 32 00:01:55,390 --> 00:01:56,960 Speaker 1: the Apostle, here that when he was an old man, 33 00:02:23,100 --> 00:02:27,120 Speaker 1: he was known for saying, little children love one another, 34 00:02:27,480 --> 00:02:31,760 Speaker 1: that that was the gist of his message. And they said, John, 35 00:02:32,930 --> 00:02:35,870 Speaker 1: you're an old man. You're going to die soon. Do 36 00:02:35,910 --> 00:02:39,510 Speaker 1: you have anything else that we should remember besides this? 37 00:02:39,710 --> 00:02:45,290 Speaker 1: And he said, little children love one another. When Jesus 38 00:02:45,330 --> 00:02:49,330 Speaker 1: was asked the crux of the gospel, when he was asked, 39 00:02:49,889 --> 00:02:53,150 Speaker 1: he defined it and said, It's two things. Love the 40 00:02:53,190 --> 00:02:55,530 Speaker 1: Lord your God with your whole heart, your mind, your soul, 41 00:02:55,550 --> 00:02:59,630 Speaker 1: your strength, and love your neighbor as yourself. This is 42 00:02:59,730 --> 00:03:04,750 Speaker 1: the crux of the gospel. And John says, if we 43 00:03:05,990 --> 00:03:10,790 Speaker 1: are walking around with hate, then we haven't gotten it yet. 44 00:03:11,310 --> 00:03:13,769 Speaker 1: And we're walking in the darkness. We're walking as if 45 00:03:14,190 --> 00:03:17,169 Speaker 1: we were stumbling around in the darkness, not knowing where 46 00:03:17,250 --> 00:03:21,960 Speaker 1: to go. But John also says that we show we 47 00:03:22,060 --> 00:03:27,139 Speaker 1: love him by keeping his commands. Now, John is not 48 00:03:27,280 --> 00:03:30,560 Speaker 1: all about earning your way to heaven or things like that. 49 00:03:30,660 --> 00:03:33,620 Speaker 1: He's just saying that if you think about this as 50 00:03:33,660 --> 00:03:38,610 Speaker 1: a relationship, let's say I love my wife of almost 51 00:03:38,610 --> 00:03:42,430 Speaker 1: 45 years, which I do. How do I show that? 52 00:03:42,610 --> 00:03:46,650 Speaker 1: I do the things that make her happy. I think 53 00:03:46,710 --> 00:03:50,830 Speaker 1: about what she wants and and I behave in that fashion. 54 00:03:52,310 --> 00:03:54,690 Speaker 1: It's the same with our relationship with God. If we 55 00:03:54,790 --> 00:03:59,050 Speaker 1: love God, we want to please God. We want God 56 00:03:59,110 --> 00:04:04,880 Speaker 1: to be happy with us. It's not complicated. It's not 57 00:04:04,910 --> 00:04:09,100 Speaker 1: a list of rules. He's talking about a relationship, and 58 00:04:09,140 --> 00:04:13,620 Speaker 1: that the relationship is defined by love, sacrificial love, love 59 00:04:13,640 --> 00:04:18,210 Speaker 1: that says, I put what you want first. before what 60 00:04:18,370 --> 00:04:25,140 Speaker 1: I want, because anything else is not really love. Reasons 61 00:04:25,200 --> 00:04:27,460 Speaker 1: for writing. I told you we would eventually get to that. 62 00:04:29,020 --> 00:04:31,120 Speaker 1: I am writing to you, dear children, because your sins 63 00:04:31,160 --> 00:04:34,000 Speaker 1: have been forgiven on account of his name. I am 64 00:04:34,080 --> 00:04:37,110 Speaker 1: writing to you, fathers, because you know him who is 65 00:04:37,170 --> 00:04:39,770 Speaker 1: from the beginning. I am writing to you, young men, 66 00:04:39,870 --> 00:04:43,350 Speaker 1: because you have overcome the evil one. I write to you, 67 00:04:43,390 --> 00:04:46,270 Speaker 1: dear children, because you know the father who I write 68 00:04:46,290 --> 00:04:49,290 Speaker 1: to you fathers because you know him who is from 69 00:04:49,350 --> 00:04:52,010 Speaker 1: the beginning. I write to you young men because you 70 00:04:52,070 --> 00:04:54,650 Speaker 1: are strong and the word of God lives in you 71 00:04:55,150 --> 00:04:58,820 Speaker 1: and you have overcome the evil one. This is a 72 00:04:58,839 --> 00:05:02,560 Speaker 1: very encouraging section here. It's unlike some of Paul's letters, 73 00:05:02,900 --> 00:05:05,880 Speaker 1: for instance, where he's writing back to the Galatians and 74 00:05:06,020 --> 00:05:11,279 Speaker 1: he is writing to correct some particular egregious problem that 75 00:05:11,320 --> 00:05:16,100 Speaker 1: they're having. And so, This is, I'm writing to you 76 00:05:16,200 --> 00:05:18,860 Speaker 1: because I want to encourage you, basically. I'm writing to 77 00:05:18,900 --> 00:05:22,060 Speaker 1: you because you've already got it. I'm writing to you 78 00:05:22,110 --> 00:05:27,650 Speaker 1: because you're already forgiven. You already have overcome the evil one. 79 00:05:28,210 --> 00:05:32,410 Speaker 1: You're already behaving in a fashion that pleases God. I'm 80 00:05:32,450 --> 00:05:37,480 Speaker 1: writing to you because you love God. On not loving 81 00:05:37,540 --> 00:05:41,000 Speaker 1: the world. Do not love the world or anything in 82 00:05:41,020 --> 00:05:43,320 Speaker 1: the world. If anyone loves the world, love for the 83 00:05:43,380 --> 00:05:45,990 Speaker 1: Father is not in them. For everything in the world, 84 00:05:46,050 --> 00:05:48,330 Speaker 1: the lust of the flesh, the lust of the eyes, 85 00:05:48,410 --> 00:05:51,310 Speaker 1: and the pride of life, come not from the Father 86 00:05:51,390 --> 00:05:55,010 Speaker 1: but from the world. The world and its desires pass away, 87 00:05:55,710 --> 00:06:00,690 Speaker 1: but whoever does the will of God lives forever. This 88 00:06:00,770 --> 00:06:02,620 Speaker 1: is a theme that will come up here in the 89 00:06:02,650 --> 00:06:06,580 Speaker 1: books of the letters of John. I would refer you 90 00:06:06,779 --> 00:06:10,039 Speaker 1: to one of the books that I've most enjoyed in 91 00:06:10,160 --> 00:06:13,890 Speaker 1: Christian writing, discipleship writing, and that's a book by the 92 00:06:13,930 --> 00:06:19,010 Speaker 1: Christian Chinese missionary Watchman Nee, who wrote a book called 93 00:06:19,089 --> 00:06:22,650 Speaker 1: Love Not the World. And it's based on this book 94 00:06:22,740 --> 00:06:27,760 Speaker 1: here of 1 John, and it's talking about these verses here. 95 00:06:28,660 --> 00:06:30,980 Speaker 1: And one of the things that I remember from that 96 00:06:31,279 --> 00:06:39,580 Speaker 1: is that Nee sort of had his what Christians believe 97 00:06:39,720 --> 00:06:42,100 Speaker 1: and then what the opposite is, what the devil wants. 98 00:06:42,520 --> 00:06:46,880 Speaker 1: And so the opposite, God's creation is the world. That's 99 00:06:46,920 --> 00:06:50,700 Speaker 1: how John is using it here. The creation is as 100 00:06:50,800 --> 00:06:54,120 Speaker 1: God created things, the way they are laid out that 101 00:06:54,160 --> 00:06:57,839 Speaker 1: gives glory to God and the world is the system 102 00:06:57,980 --> 00:07:02,200 Speaker 1: of things as the devil wants it to run. So 103 00:07:02,240 --> 00:07:04,140 Speaker 1: when we say love not the world, that's what we're 104 00:07:04,200 --> 00:07:07,180 Speaker 1: talking about here. And we know the world wants us 105 00:07:07,240 --> 00:07:09,560 Speaker 1: to buy more stuff and it wants us to be 106 00:07:09,620 --> 00:07:14,140 Speaker 1: more important and look more important and influence people and 107 00:07:14,700 --> 00:07:17,740 Speaker 1: go after what we want, whether it's lust or desire 108 00:07:18,180 --> 00:07:23,110 Speaker 1: or pride. It's all about that stuff. And John says 109 00:07:24,110 --> 00:07:29,790 Speaker 1: that that is in opposition to God, that everything the 110 00:07:29,850 --> 00:07:35,510 Speaker 1: way the world works is in opposition to God. And 111 00:07:35,550 --> 00:07:39,230 Speaker 1: the world and its desires pass away, that they are 112 00:07:39,770 --> 00:07:44,810 Speaker 1: temporary things, not the thing you should put your investment in. 113 00:07:45,850 --> 00:07:49,230 Speaker 1: If I wanted to make an argument for you about 114 00:07:49,450 --> 00:07:52,190 Speaker 1: you should put your money in crypto or you should 115 00:07:52,230 --> 00:07:57,930 Speaker 1: put your money in something that is stable and growing 116 00:07:58,210 --> 00:08:03,180 Speaker 1: and will be around a thousand years from now, The 117 00:08:03,580 --> 00:08:07,020 Speaker 1: argument is that one is a safer investment than the other. 118 00:08:08,060 --> 00:08:11,360 Speaker 1: And John is saying that putting your time and your 119 00:08:11,540 --> 00:08:15,370 Speaker 1: effort and your love and your attention into this worldview 120 00:08:15,670 --> 00:08:20,770 Speaker 1: of Satan that is going away is not a good investment. 121 00:08:22,590 --> 00:08:25,470 Speaker 1: Warnings against denying the Son. Dear children, this is the 122 00:08:25,530 --> 00:08:29,610 Speaker 1: last hour. And as you have heard that the Antichrist 123 00:08:29,670 --> 00:08:33,380 Speaker 1: is coming, even now many Antichrists have come This is 124 00:08:33,420 --> 00:08:35,740 Speaker 1: how we know it is the last hour. They went 125 00:08:35,860 --> 00:08:38,980 Speaker 1: out from us, but they did not really belong to us. 126 00:08:39,440 --> 00:08:41,449 Speaker 1: For if they had belonged to us, they would have 127 00:08:41,500 --> 00:08:44,689 Speaker 1: remained with us, but their going showed that none of 128 00:08:44,750 --> 00:08:47,809 Speaker 1: them belonged to us. But you have an anointing with 129 00:08:47,850 --> 00:08:50,510 Speaker 1: the Holy One, and all of you know the truth. 130 00:08:51,030 --> 00:08:52,809 Speaker 1: I do not write to you because you do not 131 00:08:52,850 --> 00:08:55,310 Speaker 1: know the truth, but because you do know it, and 132 00:08:55,330 --> 00:08:58,830 Speaker 1: because no lie comes from the truth. Who is the liar? 133 00:08:59,370 --> 00:09:02,440 Speaker 1: It is whoever denies that Jesus is the Christ, Such 134 00:09:02,480 --> 00:09:06,020 Speaker 1: a person is the Antichrist, denying the Father and the Son. 135 00:09:06,760 --> 00:09:10,060 Speaker 1: No one who denies the Son has the Father. Whoever 136 00:09:10,100 --> 00:09:13,959 Speaker 1: acknowledges the Son has the Father also. As for you, 137 00:09:14,140 --> 00:09:17,040 Speaker 1: see that what you have heard from the beginning remains 138 00:09:17,120 --> 00:09:21,199 Speaker 1: in you. If it does, you also will remain in 139 00:09:21,240 --> 00:09:24,160 Speaker 1: the Son and in the Father. And this is what 140 00:09:24,200 --> 00:09:27,840 Speaker 1: he promised, eternal life. I am writing these things to 141 00:09:27,900 --> 00:09:31,100 Speaker 1: you about those who are trying to lead you astray. 142 00:09:31,740 --> 00:09:34,820 Speaker 1: As for you, the anointing you received from him remains 143 00:09:34,900 --> 00:09:37,860 Speaker 1: in you, and you do not need anyone to teach you. 144 00:09:38,540 --> 00:09:42,860 Speaker 1: But as his anointing teaches you about all things, and 145 00:09:43,160 --> 00:09:46,719 Speaker 1: as that anointing is real, not counterfeit, just as he 146 00:09:46,780 --> 00:09:53,230 Speaker 1: has taught you, remain in him. Okay. Watchman Nee in 147 00:09:53,290 --> 00:09:56,450 Speaker 1: his book says in opposition to Christ, there is the 148 00:09:56,550 --> 00:10:01,540 Speaker 1: Antichrist or the Antichrists. There is Satan. and the one 149 00:10:01,640 --> 00:10:04,640 Speaker 1: who he is holding up. And so it says here 150 00:10:04,700 --> 00:10:08,229 Speaker 1: basically that someone who is denying the Father and the 151 00:10:08,290 --> 00:10:11,849 Speaker 1: Son is the Antichrist, is an Antichrist, and that there 152 00:10:11,890 --> 00:10:14,809 Speaker 1: are multiple ones, people who are against Christ. That's a 153 00:10:14,850 --> 00:10:18,100 Speaker 1: fairly simple thing. in John's book here, he's not talking 154 00:10:18,120 --> 00:10:23,450 Speaker 1: about one person. He's talking about really more a behavior, right? 155 00:10:23,470 --> 00:10:27,650 Speaker 1: People who are going out and they are liars. No 156 00:10:27,710 --> 00:10:32,069 Speaker 1: lie comes from the truth, and they are deniers. And 157 00:10:32,330 --> 00:10:36,130 Speaker 1: we deny with our words, but we also deny with 158 00:10:36,190 --> 00:10:39,510 Speaker 1: our actions. If the heart of the gospel, as we said, 159 00:10:39,730 --> 00:10:43,050 Speaker 1: is love, then anybody who says that the church should 160 00:10:43,130 --> 00:10:46,900 Speaker 1: not be about love is an antichrist, is against the 161 00:10:46,940 --> 00:10:53,130 Speaker 1: teachings of Christ. And an antichrist is important in the 162 00:10:53,190 --> 00:10:55,910 Speaker 1: sense of, it's important to understand that there are those 163 00:10:56,030 --> 00:11:01,070 Speaker 1: who are in opposition to the gospel, sometimes in the church. 164 00:11:02,190 --> 00:11:06,110 Speaker 1: And that is the most dangerous antichrist, if you will. 165 00:11:06,150 --> 00:11:10,330 Speaker 1: The most dangerous teacher is the false teacher, not the 166 00:11:10,370 --> 00:11:14,100 Speaker 1: teacher outside, but the teacher who is corrupting the church 167 00:11:14,140 --> 00:11:18,200 Speaker 1: of Christ. And so he is saying, I know you 168 00:11:18,240 --> 00:11:20,939 Speaker 1: know the truth. John is saying, I know you know 169 00:11:20,980 --> 00:11:24,360 Speaker 1: the truth. Stay in the truth. Remain in the truth. 170 00:11:26,059 --> 00:11:31,790 Speaker 1: Look for teachers that are real and not counterfeit, that 171 00:11:31,809 --> 00:11:35,830 Speaker 1: are truthful and not liars. God's children in sin, and now, 172 00:11:35,890 --> 00:11:38,710 Speaker 1: dear children, continue in him so that when he appears, 173 00:11:39,130 --> 00:11:42,530 Speaker 1: we may be confident and unashamed before him at his coming. 174 00:11:43,100 --> 00:11:45,690 Speaker 1: If you know that he is righteous... you know that 175 00:11:45,809 --> 00:11:49,510 Speaker 1: everyone who does what is right has been born of him. 176 00:11:49,530 --> 00:11:54,810 Speaker 1: So basically, it's keep on keeping on. Be the people 177 00:11:54,870 --> 00:11:57,530 Speaker 1: that God wants you to be. With that, we're going 178 00:11:57,550 --> 00:11:59,850 Speaker 1: to end this episode of the Bible Study Podcast. If 179 00:11:59,890 --> 00:12:04,130 Speaker 1: you have any questions, send an email to chris2x at gmail.com, 180 00:12:04,550 --> 00:12:09,410 Speaker 1: or better yet, leave a comment on this episode at thebiblestudypodcast.com. 181 00:12:09,610 --> 00:12:22,110 Speaker 1: And as always, thanks so much for listening. I want 182 00:12:22,130 --> 00:12:23,950 Speaker 1: to take just a second to thank the team at 183 00:12:24,010 --> 00:12:27,050 Speaker 1: Life Audio for their partnership with us on this podcast. 184 00:12:27,550 --> 00:12:30,910 Speaker 1: If you go to lifeaudio.com, you'll find dozens of other 185 00:12:31,090 --> 00:12:35,280 Speaker 1: faith-centered podcasts in their network. They've got shows about prayer, 186 00:12:35,820 --> 00:12:38,099 Speaker 1: Bible study, parenting, and more.