Paul Washer | 1 John 2:18-24 | University Lectures transcript

we're going to continue our our study of first John let me remind you that the basic context of first John why was John teaching and that's in first John chapter five verse 13 he says these things I have written to you who believe in the name of the Son of God so that you may know that you have eternal life so there are a series of tests throughout first John through which you might compare your life but sometimes people will teach this in a way like almost as though John is writing this in order to expose all the false believers in the church but that's not true that will happen here I mean if you read this some people will read this and realize while I'm not a Christian but that wasn't John's purpose John purpose was to affirm the faith of the people in that church to let them know that they really were Christian to give them assurance to strengthen their assurance it's not that they didn't have it and why did he have to do that well because of things were going to talk about tonight and that is when you read the whole book of first John it appears that there were these false teachers who had come in false teachers false prophets and they seemed as though they were a kind of at least the beginning roots of what's called Gnosticism it was it's a thing that of course Gnosticism comes from gnosis or knowledge it was all about knowledge and basically for them it was kind of a esoteric which means dark or hidden knowledge so so imagine there's a group of believers and they're sincere believers and and they're they're believing they have eternal life and they're reconciled with God through faith in Jesus Christ and his work on Calvary and his resurrection as someone told me at the Radford campus or mentioned to someone at the Redford campus after I preached the gospel there they said can it really be that simple consolidation really be that simple not simplistic but simple and the answer is yes faith exclusively in what Jesus Christ has done for us or what God has done for us through His Son Jesus Christ so let's imagine you have a group of believers they're learning to love one another there they're learning to walk in obedience John rightfully can call them children and they have not a simplistic but a very simple faith you know kind like Jesus loves me this I know because the Bible tells me so I'm saved because Christ died for me and then imagine this group of people come in maybe not many maybe a few teachers maybe a group and they they're acting all mystical and super spiritual and they've got all kinds of rules maybe they've combined some some Greek religion with Judaism maybe they just got a hodgepodge of all these seemingly spiritual rules and rituals and ideas and then they kind of have this thing where some of them possess this esoteric or hidden knowledge and if you don't have it you're not in the club you see what's going on and what is it doing same thing as in Colossians the Devils coming in and seeking to move people away from that simple faith in the promises of God to some complex esoteric mysterious nonsense so that they stop putting the emphasis on the person of Christ and start putting it on on rules and ideas and certain you know dark and hidden mysteries and here's what you need to see Satan when he when he wants to attack here's what I've noticed not only in the church but in society he corrupts he distorts he perverts for example our country is experiencing a tremendous upheaval and in just moral corruption of sexual perversion and what he can't pervert you know what he does he kills I mean I remember when when I was a little boy that the argument was children would be aborted only in the most extreme cases and only in the first few weeks and people were no no this is wrong No now what are we arguing we can abandon them after they've come out of the womb and let them die so you see man has inside of him or all men have something of the ìmake O'Dea them at the image of God and what Satan can't twist and corrupt he'll kill now in the church it's the same way he comes in and what he can't twist and corrupt that's usually his first go to corrupt the church corrupt the doctrine with complex and and mysterious doctrines and rules and everything to keep people away from just a simple faith in Christ and walking in love to something else other than Christ and if he can't do that what will he do to the church come in and kill it persecute it you see well what we're seeing here is John's not only talking to believers about look you need to make sure you're saved you need to really see fruit in your life but he's also dealing with the fact that there are these false teachers that come in and said you guys really aren't the real deal you really aren't you know followers of Christ maybe are you really aren't in that upper echelon of spirituality and you need what we have the problem is what they have is something other than Christ and that's why John is going to begin to talk about Antichrist okay so he's already talked about one enemy hasn't he in verses 15 and through 17 in chapter 2 and what is that enemy the world it's an enemy okay and here's the way Paul deals with that enemy the world has been crucified to me and what else I to the world alright so it's one thing to say the world stinks to me okay but what if you don't stink to the world so you say the world stinks to you but you don't necessarily stink to the world and so the world's always inviting you in but if the world thinks to you and you stink to the world it's gonna cause a big separation isn't it it's going to be a lot easier to keep the two apart and that's what Paul's saying Paul looks at the world and he says it stinks to me it's a rotten cesspool of sin now he talks about the world he's not talking about trees flowers or baby penguins okay he's talking about the these rotten godless ideologies moral corruption he says it stinks to me but guess what Paul stump to the world and how did he stink to the world by being obnoxious no every time you talk to Paul it was about Jesus Christ and him crucified and that's the world hated it every time he talked to the world he talked about talk to the world it he talked to them about spiritual realities now I'm not talking about going home and being obnoxious to your family in 24 hours a day rebuking them but I'm talking about not only did he look at the world and see that it he didn't want it he walks so close to Christ that the world didn't really want him either you see if this really good-looking guy says that he's really not interested in any of the girls it's still a problem if he's a really good-looking guy but if he's not interested in the girls and he's pretty ugly there's not going to be much of a problem is there girls aren't be chasing him around well that's kind of the point not that you should be obnoxious to the world in the sense of a bad attitude or a legalist are always nagging at people but you should be so close to Christ that well some people are disgusted don't come around anymore I got so not depressed but well maybe a little my second year after I became a Christian in college because I realized something no one wanted me around unless they wanted Jesus I guess maybe that's a good thing but I realized people who did not want to talk about Jesus did not want to talk to me they didn't know long they no longer wanted to be my friend and they'd be my acquaintances but I was no longer in the club you see now so the world is one big enemy isn't it but now he's going to talk it's going to use terminology of Antichrist okay and that I know that sounds kind of spooky and something otherworldly and something out there in the eschaton what we say in the final days you know but there are there are different ways in which the idea of Antichrist is used I believe I firmly believe that one day the Antichrist is going to appear I do believe that I believe in a literal physical Antichrist a man who will rise up and you see the world Antichrist that are the word Antichrist the word ante there doesn't just mean against okay it means in the place of someone who pretends to be the Christ puts himself in the position of God and that occurs today I'll never forget I lived for many years in Peru and usually if you go into a corner store everything's a corner little market you know they'll have religious signs you know catholic signs to be a picture of jesus with a flaming heart or a picture of Mary or something and I remember walking into a a little grocery like that saw a big poster and had a picture of the Pope on it and this is what it said nice little part that I probably Celestia our Heavenly Father now what's going on they're putting someone in the place of God that's wrong you don't use that kind of language even jesus said don't call anyone father and he wasn't talking about don't call your dad father he was talking about don't so put someone with that kind of terminology in the place of God you see and there are many many Antichrist today those who would put themselves against the teaching of Christ in the person of Christ are those who would try to put themselves in place of Christ and make themselves the important thing in your salvation you see for example I really admire thee I really admire that what the Bible teaches about about Mary the mother of our Lord but I make her Antichrist when I put her in the place of Christ if I put her in that place of Christ which I'm not going to do if I make her an intercessor between me and Jesus and God then I've taken something very very beautiful and I've twisted it into something dark or I love the Apostle Paul I mean greatest missionary theologian in the history of the church but if you make the Apostle Paul a mediator between you and Christ and you've done something wrong very wrong he hasn't Mary hasn't but you have you put nothing in the place of Christ and although we can learn from each other and although there are older maybe elders and preachers and and we ought to if they deserve respect show them respect according to what the Bible says but there's no one that stands in the place of Christ there's no infallible religious figure you see that's very very important even the Apostle Paul admired the Bereans because when he taught them they searched the Scriptures to see if this was so I mean they're checking out the Apostle Paul so if you ever in a church and and you start asking the preacher questions and he says to you you have no right to be questioning me get out of that church really really quick do you see because there's only one inerrant inspired source of biblical knowledge and it's the Bible okay now let's let's look at the text now in verses 15 through 17 he's talking about the dangers of the world now in verse 18 children now look he starts off with children again that doesn't mean he's just talking to the kids remember what I told you before there is a sense in which were always all children I was writing a thing on discipleship today and I was explaining the difference between Christian discipleship and all other kinds of discipleship you know in in in discipleship that you may see in the Orient or you know that type of thing it's like you become you seek to become equal with your master and then in some of these you know kung-fu movies the master says you to go beyond me you know that never happens in Christianity in Christianity you and I never become the master we're always disciples you see so you're first to them as children that's also letting them know look you're not beyond being deceived you're not beyond needing the exhortation and the warning that I'm about to give you children it is the last hour now what is the last hour mean have you heard someone these TV evangelists stand up and say you know we're in the last days well we've been in the last days for the last two thousand years I didn't know if you knew that or not did you know that on the day of Pentecost Peter says were in the last days and what does that mean all throughout the Bible there was this looking ahead to the last days the days of the Messiah when the Messiah would appear and do a work of salvation you see that would bring an end to the to the the Rif the turmoil between God and man God and his people that would set everything right those last days began with the coming the death the resurrection and ascension of Jesus Christ we have been in the last days for 2,000 years and for 2,000 years there have been antichrists now that doesn't eliminate the idea the truth I believe truth that there will one day come a the Antichrist but we've been in a world with Antichrist for many many many years so he says it is the last hour and just as you heard so this must have been important because he's told them this before or someone else and not pass taluk ban has told this than this before he goes children it is the last hour and just as you have heard that Antichrist is coming he is it's in the planning it's in the making we don't know when we don't know when and be very careful of interpreting your Bible through the newspaper okay because you come go back and you know when Hitler rose up what did what did a lot of people think it's the Antichrist well he was a Antichrist the Reformers what did they believe they believed that the Pope was the Antichrist well many cases he was the Antichrist because he put himself in the place of Christ okay and goes on Mussolini some thought Mussolini Saddam Hussein I remember seeing it some cheesy book that was written that Saddam Hussein was the Antichrist so let's not do that okay don't interpret the Bible through your newspaper just look at scripture now he says children it is the last hour and just as you heard that Antichrist is coming even now many Antichrist have appeared from this we know that it is the last hour remember what jesus warned his disciples about if someone says the christ is over there or the Christ is over here don't you listen to them when I come back he says it'll be like lightning going from the east to the west everyone will know it okay it won't be a hidden thing yet how many even Charles Manson you know pretending to be something in in Brazil right now there's a man who and in Latin America there's a man who calls himself you know Christ that Christ just come back you say the Jehovah Witnesses said Jesus was going to come back what was it in 1914 or something and when he didn't come back they said well he came back spiritually you see no he says when I come back there'll be no doubt he won't just appear as a man he will come from the heavens and all will see him okay there will be no doubt okay but so he's going to go from talking about this Antichrist with an hour you know definite article too many Antichrist have appeared and from this we know that it is the last hour now it goes on 19 and he's going to say something various they went out from us but they were not really of us for if they had been of us they would have remained with us but they went out so that it would be shown that they are not of us it appears that this group of people that Paul's talking about that he's labeling Antichrist I mean that John's talking about that he's labeling Antichrist were people who started out with in Orthodox Christianity okay maybe they heard the gospel maybe in this time in the church like in the case with Philip and the magician you know he saw that they saw the power they saw the life they saw what was going on maybe the miracles and everything else and they latched themselves onto Orthodox Christianity but he says but they did not stay with us they went out from us now what does this not mean okay I go to Christ Church radford okay there and there in Radford I go to church I like the church I respect the elders and if you're a member there and you decide mmm I'm gonna go to another Church another evangelical church good solid basic evangelical church you went out from our church and you went and joined that other church right that's not what he's talking about that doesn't make you an apostate that doesn't make you an antichrist because you left a good church and went to another church that's not what it's talking about as a matter of fact if you're ever in a church that tells you if you don't stay in our church you're apostate then leave okay okay now if you were in our church and you were gonna go join a cult that would be different but we're talking I mean a real cult you know we're you know we're moose horns on your head and stuff we would say yeah you've got some serious theological problems but the point that we're saying here is they went out from Orthodox Christianity they went out from historical Christianity you know you and I may have some differences in what we believe about minor details and that won't make you a heretic it won't make me apostate because we differ in those minor details that's not what Paul's talking about for example I have I am Baptist and I believe in believers baptism I have many dear friends who are Presbyterian you see that have another view with regard to baptism but but are within the realm of Orthodox Christianity do you see what I'm saying what Paul is talking about is when someone professes an Orthodox faith a historical faith in the gospel and then walks away from that and they can walk away from that into nothing I've seen that happen I don't believe anything anymore but for the most part what a lot of times happen is that walk from that into something that pretends to be Christian or an offshoot of Christianity are usually something higher than normal Christianity now I want to use this time to help you with regard to how do we interpret the Bible we're gonna get back to the Antichrist thing but here's what I want you to see let's say that you said to me what would be a good question how do you know that that salvation is only through Jesus and I say well bless God that's what my Bible says okay you've heard someone talk that way before well here's what you need to understand the Bible is infallible okay let me put it that it's inspired it's God breathed okay it's inerrant it has no errors and it's in fallible that means it's in capable of errors that's the Bible but here's what you need to see my interpretation of the Bible is not inspired it's not in errant I'm not without error and it's and I'm not infallible I'm not incapable of error you see so even if I'm a sincere man and I have the fruit of a Christian and I interpret try to interpret the Bible in its grammatical historical context I can still slip up do you see that so now what could I do to to help myself - sure that to make sure that I'm really still being Christian well I could talk to you say you're a Christian you love the Lord I could talk to you I could talk to even go a step further I could talk to the elders in our church that would be good all right but we're all kind of a you know we're all kind of from Virginia and we're all from the 21st century well me from the 20th century almost the 19th century but you see we're all kind of from the same place so what if someone says yeah but you're all kind of from the same place and therefore you think the same way and you interpret the Bible with the same kind of presuppositions you see what I'm saying so even though the Scriptures themselves assure us that the believer can understand the scriptures in our principles of hermeneutics that's our study of how do you study the Bible there's one principle that is not often mentioned but it's very important and that is we always study the Bible or do our theology in the context of the church what does that mean when I interpret the Bible some way as a Bible teacher okay do you know what I do I go back into history I'm even go back as far as the second century I may go to Augustine I may go to the father's I will definitely go to the Reformers I may go to the Puritans and the Earle evangelicals and here's a good principle if all of them are in agreement with regard to what a certain verse means all of them and I disagree who's probably wrong come on now he answered a question who's probably wrong no come on this is serious who's probably wrong you me right do you see that so that's one of the ways in which I want you to see is that you know that's one of the things that's one of the principles of interpretation that that we hold on - of course it Radford so that it's not like oh Christianity or wisdom was born with us and it'll die with us but it's humbly thinking this way I want to stay in the center of historic Christianity in that great line of redeemed people who believed that the Bible was the Word of God I want to stay in that group and so knowing my you know I I had a young guy just recently got really mad at me because he said I got my Bible then that's all I need because my Bible is the Word of God and I said yes your Bible is the Word of God but you are fallible so wouldn't be helpful to interpret Scripture with other believers with other people he couldn't see it man that right there's the makings of a cult leader I don't be smart aleck but there's a humility of going of saying wisdom wasn't born with me and it won't die with me and when I study the Bible I'm gonna compare what I see not to every person in the world not to certain groups or churches that you know are heretical not to people who deny the scripture or say that tradition is higher than scripture no you're not going to compare your interpretation to that but that long line of Christians who have believed the Bible was the Word of God the primary standard the Canon that's what you're going to do and so that's how we stay within historic Christianity and don't step outside of historic Christianity and become like the people that John is talking about now he says they went out from us but they were not really of us for if they had been of us they would have remained with us now now how can he say that because when someone becomes a Christian it's more than just a decision of the will the Holy Spirit changes their heart and the Holy Spirit indwells them and leads them and God's providence watches over them and keeps them going in the right direction remember were the Sheep he's the Shepherd and the Shepherd doesn't lose one of his if someone truly becomes a Christian they may stray for a little while but you can count on the fact that Shepherds coming after them and he will bring them back he will they went out so that it would be shown that they were not of us now you know all these groups that that call themselves Christians and and some of them some of the people in that group maybe they're just super confused and they need to be brought out but you know you'll see these TV preachers and they're saying that Gold's rain you know raining down from the sky and that millions of people are getting healed and give them money and God will bless you and in that whole thing why does God allow that well the Bible tells us that everything is under God's providence but here's something I'd like you to think about it something the Puritans used to say that people are inherently spiritual so if you get a bunch of unconverted religious people who don't really want Jesus they just want religion or whatever that religion does for them and they were brought in to the church among true believers what would they do they would just destroy everything wouldn't they and they would say that sometimes God will allow or in his providence there will be raised up this type of teacher that is not Christian is can even be vile foolish whatever but appears as something great and spiritual and the true Christians look at that and will have nothing to do with it they know this guy's a shyster he doesn't love Christ it's all about him he's in the place of Christ but all those other people who loves spirituality but not so much Jesus or love spirituality for what it can do for them or how it makes them feel that guy draws them out of the flock and it actually protects the flock I mean if you looked at you look at some of those TV preachers when you look at them doesn't it kind of make you sick then how is it that so many people think they're basically almost like gods so in the in the old days if you had infection or poison in your arm and it was swelling up they would put a thing over it a moist hot rag with some herbs and things you know what the intention was to draw out the poison in order to heal and protect the arm in the same way sometimes these false christs and these religious leaders that go out from Christianity and start their own thing and teach doctrines that are very contrary to Scripture they draw out of the true church these people who don't really want Christ they just they want money or what can God do for them or do you see and in a way it acts in times to purify the church but it can also be it can be extremely dangerous he says this now in verse 20 but you have an anointing from the Holy One and you all know in some translations you know all I don't think the translation is is is appropriate to say you know all because we don't know all the Bible never tells us we know all but he says you all know you have an anointing from the Holy One if you're a true Christian you have an anointing from the Holy One and you know okay what is he talking about the anointing from the Holy One is the indwelling of the Holy Spirit and the Holy Spirit teaches us and I believe that that John may have in mind the promise that we find in Jeremiah 31 just turn there for a moment in Jeremiah 31 Jeremiah 31 verse 31 he's talking about the New Covenant this is the Old Testament it's talking about the day when the Messiah comes dies and rises again and the benefit of that the new covenant that's established upon the blood of the Messiah okay it says in verse 31 behold days are coming declares the Lord when I will make a new covenant with the house of Israel with the house of Judah not like the Covenant which I made with their fathers and the day I took them by the hand to bring them out of the land of Egypt my covenant which they broke although I was a husband to them declares the Lord he goes in 33 but this is the covenant which I will make with the house of Israel after those days declares the Lord I will put my law within them and on their heart I will write it and I will be their God and they shall be my people now look at verse 34 and they will not teach again each man his neighbor and each man his brother saying know the Lord for they will all know me from the least of them to the greatest of them so what is he saying you know the nation of Israel had these laws external written on tablets of stone there it was but it had no transforming power he says that when when Christ comes those who believe in Christ will receive the Holy Spirit the Holy Spirit will indwell them and He will through that right his laws on their new heart and they will know the Lord they'll know him I remember a few days others a few days after I became a Christian I heard somebody preaching on campus and I mean I didn't know anything I'm talk about dumb as a stump I mean I didn't know anything when I'd go to when I would go to like the Bible studies in college and they'd say turn to the book of Philippians I just kind of put my Bible there and wouldn't look at it because I didn't even know where Philippians was and I see you got me beat and totally some of you maybe but I mean I was as dumb as a stump maybe better to say dumb as a rock and and this guy got up started preaching and then this really pretty girl came over and started talking to me about joining their group or something and I just knew I got scared it just didn't seem right there was something wrong about it it just that they didn't talk much about Christ and they talked about other things and and and it just it almost kind of scared me and I remember going back to one of the older believers on campus and and talking to him and saying you know I just came across this group man I don't know I said I don't know exactly what was wrong but I just felt like it was all wrong and he goes man it is all wrong it's one of the most dangerous cults on campus you see when someone is truly converted it's not that they become this magnificent theologian in a day but they know that well Jesus is precious to them they know that their salvation is through Christ alone and they know when someone cut it starts pedaling something else that it's just not right when someone comes with the complexities in them know something's wrong I love Jesus Jesus saved me I'm saved because of Jesus because of what he did you see and and I think it's good to be in a church and to be with pastors but these guys act like they're my you know I don't know the spiritual dictators or something and if I don't join their group then I'm out and I'm telling you that when someone becomes a believer yes we can be deceived to some degree but the Holy Spirit inside of us the Providence of God what he's done in our heart it will make sure that even if we stray for a moment we'll come back he'll bring us back you see and so that's what that's what he means here when he says but you have the anointing from the Holy One and you all know and these super spiritual people they don't have that because if they if they truly knew Christ they would walk in the simplicity of Christ a faith in Jesus Christ and love towards the brothers and sisters in Christ you say and he says verse 21 I have not written to you because you do not know the truth I think this is what they were being told they were being told by these false prophets you don't know anything you're a bunch of spiritual you know novices you-you-you don't have a clue you don't have this deep knowledge that we have and John comes back this is an apostle and he says I've not written to you because you do not know the truth but because you know it you do know what and what are you going to say is leave all this silly stuff these people are talking about and stand fast in what you learned the simplicity of the gospel and these says not because you don't know the truth and then he says because no lie is of the truth now this is kind of difficult to interpret but I think that what he's getting at and and other commentators basically would affirm this is you know how you get in trouble you see this in politics you see this in everything where it's like well you know yeah it's true but but you know this isn't necessarily not true do you see what I'm saying yeah what you're saying is right and and yeah this is different but that doesn't mean this really isn't true - and it's a blurring of the lines isn't it dear dear young people listen to me men most of you if not all of you have a much higher IQ than I do you're all geeks who have calculators and stuff like that engineering students well at least some of you where's the girl that wears the watermelon on her head I need her no but no really what's-her-name Sasha but but here's here's what I want you to see I have seen this more than any other thing in my 35 years to ruin good people good churches and good movements where God seemed to really be doing something and begin to work and and it's not that something comes and says all this is wrong but it says this is wrong I mean this is right but my version is right - and then there's the thing that if you don't accept this version then your proud loveless and intolerant do you see that and I think what John's getting at here is no truth is truth and as law a lies a lie and if it contradicts the truth you know it's a lie and I want you to hold on to that I've already told you that you and I can differ in in certain things nobody has perfect theology but when it comes to the fundamentals of the faith the centrality of Christ the preeminence of Christ the gospel how is a person saved how does a grown person grow in sanctification when someone comes along and says for example yeah you're you know salvation is by faith you're right there but also I want you to look here for a moment that if also if you don't have this and this then well you know you don't have it if you don't have these works if you don't do this you don't have it where the Bible affirms if it's of grace it's not of works and if it's of works it's not of grace there are gonna be times Christian when you're gonna have to stand fast here's the problem in all the movies when someone stands fast for their convictions they're honored aren't they when you stand fast for yours you're going to be attacked you're gonna be called all kinds of names ugly names stand fast and fast and love that stand fast okay because they're a lie and the truth have nothing in common nothing in common and though although there are some areas where I can sit there and I can say you know I'm not really sure about you know exactly what this text means in the book of Revelation here but it's not absolutely essential for my conversion and I can show you no I I don't have to be adamant about this or break fellowship with people over this one concept even though I need to be humble in those types of things when it comes to the fundamentals of the faith no I draw a line in the sand and light do Luther you know so help me God here I stand and and so that that's what you have to do now then he says in 22 who is the liar but the one who denies that Jesus is the Christ again young people listen to me I have seen this so many times there's a man that is growing right now in great popularity and you know his on all the TV shows and everything as a spiritual guru and everything and man it's it's wickedly genius what he is saying because he says you know Muhammad had the truth Jesus had the truth Muhammad you know the krishna had the truth buddha had the truth this guy had the truth and men everybody just thinks he's great because he's tolerant but then when someone says yeah but jesus said i am the way the truth and the life and no one comes to the Father except through me so how can you say that jesus has the truth and this guy has the truth and this guy has the truth when they all contradict one another and you know what he said when jesus said that it wasn't jesus saying that it was the Christ it was the Christ spirit and the Christ spirit dwelt in Jesus dwelt in Muhammad wellton Buddha dwelt in this person and so when Jesus said I'm the way the truth and the life he was speaking as the Christ and he said one comes to the Father except through the Christ but the Christ is in Jesus and Muhammad and boot you see how wicked that is very very clever very wicked you can mark my words the devil is going to attack the word and if he can't attack the word he'll twist the word and the one place where he's going to go there were there several but one of the main places is he's going to depreciate the person of Jesus that he wasn't God in the flesh that he received the Christ spirit but he wasn't the Christ you see that he was a normal man and the Spirit of Christ just came upon him a lot of people in history have said that happened during his baptism that he was a normal man up to that point you see they're always going to depreciate and destroy attack the character of Christ the attributes of Christ you are not Christian now you have the freedom to do this and you can be whatever you want but you're not Christian if you do not believe that Jesus Christ is God in the flesh you are not Christian if you do not believe Jesus is the Christ if you believe that he received some spirit of the Christ you're not a Christian do you see and that's what's that's what's going on here he says who is a liar but the one who denies that Jesus is the Christ okay this is the Antichrist the one who denies the father and the son I I would find it very frequent in my early praying when I was younger to say this father I know I have no apart from Jesus Christ I have no part with you and that's true you have no part with God apart from Jesus Christ his life and atoning work on Calvary and his resurrection Jesus the cry okay not someone who received the spirit of the Christ now there were in this time of course some Jewish of many Jewish people who believed that Jesus was not the Christ okay but this seems to be a kind of even different group than that okay and we see that thing continue on today I believe Jesus was a good man people will say but I don't believe he was the son of God I believe it was a good man but I don't believe he was God in the flesh I believe he was a good man but I don't believe he was the Messiah well here's the problem and CS Lewis called this how many of you ever heard of it's the trilemma okay in the trilemma here's the problem Jesus said he was God jesus said he was the Christ that only leaves us with the following options one he was the greatest liar who ever lived because he knew he wasn't the son of God he knew he wasn't the Christ and he told everybody that he was and he's deceived more people than anyone else that's ever lived okay or Jesus was very sincere but a lunatic I mean if you go to class tomorrow and there's a guy standing out in the middle of the quad or whatever you call it here on a park bench you know with tinfoil on his head screaming out that he's the son of God who came from the planet Uranus you're gonna think this guy's out of his cotton-pickin mind right so Jesus was either a liar or he was a lunatic because he said he was God anyone who says their God and not God and they're sincere about it they're a lunatic but does a liar die for his lies and as a lunatic leave teaching that literally transformed the world third option and the only real option is this Jesus Christ is exactly who he said he was he's the son of God God in the flesh God incarnate okay and if you ever depart from that young person you may call yourself whatever you want that you are not Christian because this whole thing of Christianity I mean think about the name it's all about him okay let's hurry on through this look at verse 23 whoever denies the son does not have the father the one who confesses the son has the father also everything the father has ever done he's done it for his son he loves his son you deny his son you don't have the father you know I've been in culture especially in Latin America and in Africa I saw this a lot Latin America because I lived there it was really neat to me because the culture was so different but I found out this that if if like I'm at language school and I meet this proving guy we hit it off we play basketball or whatever together and he says hey come to my house and eat with my family when I walked in that house it was like I was family why because I was the son's friend the father treated me honored me treated me almost like a son because I was the son's friend because I knew the son the son knew me I've seen that in cultures but in Christianity I mean that's the deal it's all about the son okay now just really quick and in 24 as for you let that abide in you which you heard from the beginning and I say the same thing to you I want you to grow in Christ but listen to my language grow in Christ never grow above Christ never grow out of Christ never think that anything even in Christianity is bigger than Christ okay not the gifts not anything nothing is bigger nothing's more important nothing is more central nothing is preeminent but Jesus Christ and he's saying remain in this simple message goodness gracious you know I've got shoes older than than you kids I've been doing this a long time and it's still the same he shed his own blood for my soul that's everything to me you take away all my take whatever knowledge I have whatever I've read in other languages whatever the patriarchs whatever I don't take it all away leave me with one thing when I woke up after my heart attack and I say you know what happened in the little neuron Just Cause you die three times you know what did I remember not much but this Jesus a friend of my was a triathlete back in seminary when triathlons were just getting started you know they still had rock wheels on the bicycles and he he was hit by a car and he had amnesia he literally lost it all of his memory he didn't know who he was or anything for like a year or so and they sent him down to Peru actually because he and I used to cycle together and they sent him down to Peru hoping he might get his memory back because I was such a good friend and I asked him I said Richard I said what uh what happened I said what did you remember when you woke up he said when I woke up he goes I was dying of a heart attack and they were trying to and I said heart attack I said dude you're like he goes no I was so scared I couldn't breathe my heart rate everything was just going crazy I was terrified I wake up I don't know who I am I don't know anything and I said then what and he goes I remembered Jesus Jesus died for me I knew who he was and I said what happened he said it is well with my soul you see that don't ever grow out of that because you've become a fool you have become a fool he says let what a let that abide in you which you which you heard from the beginning if that if what you heard from the beginning abides in you you also will abide in the Son and in the father and what is that Jesus died for my sins according to the scriptures and he was buried and he was raised on the third day according to the scriptures alright we've gone a little long I'm gonna finish with all my favorite stories try to get through it because no matter how many times I tell it it's about this you know this this painter and he paints all the time with his son famous painter then world war 1 occurs sun goes off to war he doesn't hear any news from him after the war all he knows is his son has died one day was a knock at the door and his young soldier standing there and he said yes he said I just want you to know us he said I was with your son almost the whole tour and he actually died for me he I'm so sorry he jumped in front of a bullet he died for me and he said I know he was a great artist and when we weren't fighting I always wanted to draw but I couldn't draw of it he would teach me how to draw and he said I know this is horrible you know it doesn't know but I drew a picture of your son and I just wanted to give it to you and he opened it up and it was yeah really one dimensional not that good of art but the father said thank you so much you have no idea how much it means to me so the young man left and eventually the man died he was famous artists all his paintings so everybody every different auction house in the world was there to bid after his paintings and the man who was the auctioneer he began by opening up a piece of paper and saying before you know before we start the main option there is one special drawing that is to be auctioned off and they they showed it they unveiled it and it was the young soldiers picture of the Sun and everyone just started laughing they said that's the most horrible I mean come on we didn't travel all this way for this joke get that stinking it's just horrible well the young soldier was sitting in the in the auctioneer house and he could hear the people laughing not so much about the painting but the subject of the painting it's not even a true story but the truth it and so the auctioneer goes who will give me you know one thousand people just laughed he'll give me two thousand people just lets it come on quit this soldier stands up and says I have half my month's pay it's all I have but please give me that picture because it's the picture of the son the one who died for me said sold two handed him the picture and then the auctioneer takes up the mallet slams it down on the pulpit and says the auction is over and all these people what do you mean the auctions over the auction hasn't even begun yet and he opens up an envelope he pulls out the will and it says the one who takes my son gets it all that's that's the father's word to us that's Christianity the one who takes the son gets it all and see people talk about heaven the older you get you think more about it but really don't care the Christian would rather be in Hell with Jesus than in heaven without him of course that's not happening but my whole point is that if you ever let go with that you have nothing you have nothing if you become the greatest supposed theologian in the world and Christ is not precious to you you're an idiot you're fool you've lost everything you're ugly and twisted and deformed everything is Jesus I can sound more sophisticated by saying everything is the Son of God or everything is the Christ because that name Jesus is so mocked isn't it I like to say it that way Jesus is everything everything all right let's pray father thank you so much for these young people and I pray Lord that having taken hold of Christ and been taken hold by Christ they will never want anything more but a greater and fresher revelation of him in Jesus name Amen