1 John │ Msg 24/28 Aren't children unassuming and disarming little creatures? At times, I think it's a shame we have to grow ((music playing)) up and get sophisticated. As a matter of fact, most adults I meet seem so guarded that all of us don't like to remember the first time we attempted something as adults. Remember the first time you tried to ski? Aren't you glad there wasn't a tape recorder and a film maker there that was putting that into a new movie that was going to make it known to the world? I remember the first time I tried skiing. I was coming down on one leg, leaning very dangerously to the right about 40 miles an hour. And I came by a class of little skiers and I remember hearing as I whizzed by the teacher saying, "That is not what I want you children to do." Remember that? Or how about if you're a musician, remember the first solo you sang? Maybe you don't want to remember the first solo or the first instrumental piece you played. Aren't you glad that hasn't been preserved on record for others to listen to today? There is another first time that most every preacher you meet will agree. He will be so glad that the first time he preached was not known by anyone that he now is acquainted with. I have a friend who for the first time stood up to preach and just as he opened his Bible to preach in this little country church, an entire herd of goats came in the back door. An entire herd [laughter] jumping up and down over the pew and he said he literally separated the sheep from the goats in that very first message. Another friend of mine stood to preach, or at least he stood up from the bench and on his way over to the pulpit, he dropped every note out of his Bible and he had to go back and piece them together. How embarrassing. I have a friend who listened to a country preacher as he was preaching from the old King James Bible that had the psalms in Roman numerals. He said he heard the man preaching on the pislam civ, which is Psalm 104. And all the way through he referred to the pislam sie. I heard a man give his testimony for the very first time and he said that his life was a lot like Job as he referred to the man in the in the Old Testament. First time you just don't know those things. It's just brand new information. Well, I want to tell one on myself that the very first time I, as an adult, had the chance to teach an adult Sunday school class, I chose First John. You're not laughing because you haven't done that in your lifetime. And I want you to know that was not a good decision. The reason I did it was in ignorance. It looked so sweet and so neat tucked away over here in the New Testament, sandwiched between Second Peter and Second John, it seemed so simple. And as I began to wade through First John, by the time I got to the third chapter, I realized what a bad mistake I had made. If I were able to gather together those four people that wound up in the class by the time I had finished, I would like to say three words to them. I am sorry. I mean, this baby may have the appearance of a primmer, but it is anything but bedside reading. In case you missed my point, I strongly suggest that unless you are fairly well-versed in New Testament truth and along with that Old Testament truth, do not attempt First John. Those of you who have been around know that I haven't yet attempted to teach First John in a series, and I'm still a few years removed from it. I don't mean to leave the wrong impression. It is certainly inspired of God. It is certainly a grand letter to learn. It simply has problems in it that I have yet to un unravel and perhaps maybe never will grasp it completely. Now, let me say some things about the overall writings of John, especially the three letters, and then I'll come back to some of the problems in case you aren't aware of them. I need to alert you to that fact. First, some things worth remembering. John actually wrote five New Testament documents. His most popular is the Gospel that all of us love and appreciate. And his next most famous work is the revelation, the last book uh in the New Testament. And sandwiched between these two very popular works are the three letters that are retained in the testament that of course have his name as their heading. the um [clears throat] the writings of John were all done toward the end of the first century. And by that time, a number of things had begun to get old and wear thin. You see, these three letters of John, and I'd like us to think specifically about them for a few moments. These three letters were written during a storm of heresy. By now, Antonyomianism, a word meaning without law, we would call it today license. Mysticism andnosticism and intellectual heresy had begun to invade and rape the early church. John wrote in that stormy setting. Furthermore, the newness was now worn off and there were second and in some cases thirdg generation Christians on the scene and that also made God's truth tough to handle. If you're dealing with brand new Christians, you've really got a wonderful experience in teaching the scriptures. If you're dealing with second and third generation Christians where complacency has taken the place of enthusiasm, you got your work cut out for you. One man writes, "In the very first days of Christianity, there was a glory and a splendor, a magnificence and a radiance in life. But now Christianity had become a thing of habit. It had become traditional, half-hearted, nominal. Men had grown used to it, and something of the wonder had gone, lost. The first thrill was gone. The flame of devotion had died to a flicker. And in a situation like that, heresy has all the fertilizer it needs to grow. wild. All a cult needs is an indifferent church to feed on and it will get numerous disciples to follow it. Complacency and indifference are enemies of authentic Christianity. Now, why was it written? I find in the letter of first John uh four stated reasons why he wrote it. Now you'll find them all in the text. The first is in chapter 1 and verse 4. These things we write that our joy may be made complete. So the first reason the letter was written was to bring back the joy that was apparently by now missing in the church that our joy might increase. Second chapter 2 verse 1. My little children, I'm writing these things to you that you may not sin. So the second reason the letter was written was to help them live victorious lives rather than defeated lives. The third reason is given in chapter 26. You notice it states, "These things I have written concerning those who are trying to deceive you." So the third reason was to help them become informed of the deceivers as well as the truth that they were to embrace. So the third reason is clear. It was to counteract the deception of heresy. And fourth is over in chapter 5 verse 13. He states yet another reason. These things I have written to you who believe in the name of the son of God in order that see he states his reason you may know that you have eternal life. So it was to give them assurance of their salvation. It was to bring back their joy. It was to cause them to walk in victory and not defeat. It was to alert them to the deceivers and equip them to handle handle the deception. and forth. It was to increase their assurance of salvation. When was it written? Toward the end of the century. By now, dullness and deadness had begun to set in. Heresy was on the move. Now, to whom did it go? Um, and by the word, the question where I have in mind, where did it land? We don't know for sure. There is no word here in this letter uh stating the uh the address the recipient. It's impossible therefore to determine who got it. Campbell Morgan is correct in my opinion. He says probably this is the last apostolic message to the whole church. There's something significant about final words and this last message to the whole church. uh therefore remains very very important. Perhaps it was complicated because the heresy that was rampant had within it certain tentacles that we today cannot unravel and John was in in his answers implying the question without stating them. I don't know. Now the emphasis of first John is a practical application and moral implications of the gospel. John is an applier of the truth. He applies the truth and he implies a morality in this gospel in this letter that is for all generations. He writes to tell the people in the gospel how to have eternal life. and he writes in the first letter what that life includes. So it's sort of a display of the life of God. The gospel of John will help a person come into the family of God. The letter of John will help that same person understand what the life of God includes. And that's the reason for the two of them. Fellowship with God includes joy, uh, purity, discernment, and confidence. And all four are directly addressed in the letter. Let me show you some of the tough problems. I I think it's helpful to see that and to be properly alerted. Verses 5 through 10 of chapter 1 address the issue of personal sin. Notice the conditions. If verse five, if I'm sorry, verse six, if we say, verse seven, if we walk, verse eight, if we say, verse 9, if we confess, verse 10, if we say, you work your way through that, we'll come back to it in a moment. You will discover that there are some questions that are hard to answer. If you go to one extreme, you will become mechanical in your fellowship with God. And if you go to the other extreme, you will become mystical. And you have to battle the extremes in coming to terms with what these five conditions are all about. Uh this there's a second problem. It's what I call the problem of commandments. Chapter 2:3. We know this uh by this we know that we have come to know him if we keep his commandments. And yet the great message of the New Testament is that we are freed from the commandments. But this letter says not only here but elsewhere a lot of things about keeping commandments. For example, chapter 3 verse 22 down through verse 24. 3:22. Whatever we ask, we receive from him because we commit we keep his commandments and we do the things that are pleasing in his sight. This is his commandment that we believe in the name of his son Jesus Christ and love one another just as he commanded us and he and the one who keeps his commandments abides in him and he in him. If the commandments have reference to those two believing in the son of God and loving one another, then what about the times when I don't love my brother? Am I still in the family of God? Of course, we believe we are. But there's a battle there in coming to terms with what the text is teaching. Chapter 2 verse 18 is yet a third problem. Is there one antichrist or or there many? Verse 18. Children, it's the last hour. Just as you heard that antichrist singular is coming. Even now many antichrists have arisen. From this we know that it is the last hour. Not only is there the question of the antichrist, plural or singular, but he wrote that at the end of the first century and yet 20 centuries have passed and we wonder what he meant by that time as being the last hour. There were centuries yet to come. A real tough one is chapter 3 6. When I get through with this, you're going to wonder, why in the world did I even worry about understanding First John? It's not my purpose. I just wish somebody had done this with me before I decided to teach First John. Look at chapter 3 verse 6. No one who abides in him sins. Uhoh. Got a little problem with that. No one who sins has seen him or knows him. Verse seven, little children, let no one deceive you. The one who practices righteousness is righteous just as he is righteous. The one who practices sin is of the devil, for the devil is sin from the beginning. Look at chapter 5 verse 18. We know that no one who is born of God sins. Now go back to chapter 3 verse 14. Okay? I would call that problem of the problem of continued sin. Now here's a problem of relationships. Look at 3:14. We know that we have passed out of death into life because we believe in Jesus. No, because we love the brethren. He who does not love abides in death. Everyone who hates his brother is a murderer. And you know that no murderer has eternal life abiding in him. And then the classic of classics is chapter 5 verse 16. If anyone sees his brother committing a sin not leading to death, he shall ask and God will for him give life to those who commit sin not leading to death. There is a sin leading to death. I do not say that he should make request for this. One writer whom I deeply respect, Kenneth Wuest says this in his book in these last days. The present writer confesses his utter inability to understand this verse. Now, is that honest? I mean, do you admire a writer that does that? I do. I appreciate one that says, "I've met my match." Now, he adds, "His utter inability to understand this verse except that the sin unto death is the denial of the incarnation and that it is committed by an unsaved person who professes to be a Christian." The rest of the verse is an enigma to him, meaning the writer, and he will not attempt to offer even a suggestion as to its possible interpretation. Period. End of quotation. Page 182, marked in the margin of my book. You are an honest man. Now, like I say, it's a tough letter. It isn't nice and neat and sweet and simple because it has five chapters and is tucked away between second Peter and second John. But I will say with equal vigor, don't stay away from it because it's rough. I challenge you, many of you, to make a serious investigation of these chapters. These problems are in no way casting doubt about the letter only our lack of information ability to put it all together. We who like simple and uh superficial kind of things will not like first John because it is neither. There isn't a a chapter in it that comes anywhere near superficiality. It is a profound book about the fellowship between God's people and the father. And there's a lot of things in that series of words that most of us will just not be able to plum the depths of. Now that's why I'm suggesting we get an overview of the letter. That's an easy way out. Okay? means I will not answer any of the problems that I've raised only help you see them and as time passes maybe when I'm 70 or I have the feeling that when I'm 70 or over I'll have this enormous amount of insight that will come to my window and Chuck open the window and I open the window all this stuff is going to come in I'll have answers now I do not have a lot of those answers Let's look at the overview. Okay, look at the chart. This simple superficial chart that I've given you tonight that outlines the book of First John in four parts. I'm suggesting that it talks about the things that fellowship with God produces. Okay, I'm suggesting that there are four. The first I gather from the reason he wrote it. The first reason and that is as we read in verse four of chapter 1. There is a rather tedious beginning to the letter. He says, "What was from the beginning, what we have heard, what we have seen with our eyes, what we beheld and our hands handled concerning the word of life. And the life was manifested. and we have seen and bear witness and proclaimed to you the eternal life which was with the father and was manifested to us. I would write over both of those verses the Lord Jesus Christ. It seems as though in those words John is referring to the savior. Our hands handled him. He was the word of life. He was with the father and was on display before us. Jesus himself. What we have seen and what we have heard, those works and those words that Jesus taught us, those of us who were with him, we proclaim to you. Why? That we might have fellowship. Indeed, our fellowship is with the father and with his son Jesus Christ. So he sets us up in the beginning with fellowship. So a major term in the letter is fellowship. It means oneness, identity, joint partnership, a shared life and close companionship. All of that is in fellowship. I don't like it that we toss words around lightly or we use them so much they lose their punch. One of them is fellowship. I I was I I was out of fellowship with God or I'm in fellowship with God. That's a that's a very very heavy word and those are significant terms being used all too lightly. Oneness, identity, close companionship with a shared life. Those are important things. Those are the evidences of God's life at [snorts] work in me and in you. Now, when I have this kind of shared life with my father through faith in his son, then there is true joy. Verse four, these things we write that our joy may be made complete. Uh this is a a a rather complicated construction in the original text being literally translated I would say or or paraphrased I would say that our joy now get this having been filled completely full in the past may persist in that state of fullness through the present. Okay. John sayaith back when we were with him and we knew him and we handled him and our words lit our our ears literally heard his words and we watched his works. Oh the shared life that we had it was it was a eyeball to eyeball connection that we had with him. Now my hope in writing this is that the joy we had then related to the direct contact might have the same fullness that it had back then. Got the picture? In other words, his his feeling is not that we look in the mirror and say, "Oh, what a what a great time that was." And sort of do a reflection on today and and long for that. But he says that the same reality of that relationship might come to pass today. And that's joy. It isn't giddy laughter. It isn't silly smiling. It is deep and abiding joy that may come out in smiles and laughter and may at times uh come out in a straight face. But there is a there is a solidarity in that joy. There isn't a ficklessness. It isn't moody. It is complete and full and and it's the thing that makes the person on the street wonder about the Christian when he sees it because a person on the street doesn't have that. It includes peace with God. It includes understanding God's general direction and working. And it's knowing that I'm connected with him by faith. And if I die today, I'm in heaven. That's assurance. It's all of that. And it gives me pleasure, gives me joy. Now, these things I'm writing that our joy may be made complete. Now, what attacks that? Sin does. My old nature that drags me back to the old life and my um my habit of operating on the basis of sin rather than joy and righteousness. And so naturally when he gets to verse 5, he he talks about God as light and in him no darkness. There's no sin there, but there's sin here. So we have to come to terms with the sin question in my in daily life as it relates to God who has nothing to do with sin. He's in constant light and he goes through all the things we say. If we have fellowship with him, if we say we have fellowship, a meaningful, a fulfilling, satisfying relationship, and yet we walk in darkness, it's we're it's a lie. We're not practicing the truth. But if we walk in light as he himself is there, we have oneness and identity and a shared relationship. It isn't spooky. It isn't mysterious. It isn't even mystical. You can walk in that kind of light that they knew back when they were with him and saw him and handled him and heard him. We can have that kind of thing, but we have to reckon with sin. We have to keep short accounts. We have to be sure it doesn't block out the light. Now, with that in mind, he's he gives another reason that he that that he writes down in chapter two. He says, "I'm little children. I'm writing these things to you that you may not live your life in the practice of sin. Now, I love his realism. I I think it's it's wonderful that he's able to to bring a balance between uh theory and reality. says, "I'm I'm writing in hopes that you will live above the drag of the old nature, but you're going to sin. And if anyone sins, you're not cast out in the cold and left to pine away. We have an advocate with the father, Jesus. Christ is his name and he is the righteous one. See the word advocate. It's a great word. It's from two original terms meaning to call alongside para alongside kaleo. To call paracleas pariclete. We get the word from that. We have a paracleas. We have one called alongside who is righteous. And when we sin, the righteous one is our defense before the the one who dwells in the light, God the father. So between God the father and the child of the father is the savior of the child, Jesus Christ, the righteous one, the paracleas. Uh I found this from uh the writings of Molton and Milligan. In the days of the of the first century, extra biblical literature used the word paracleas to describe a friend of an accused person called to speak to his character or otherwise enlist the sympathy of the judge. Isn't that good? Well, I think it's good. You got it or not. I think that's great. Now here is a guy who is who is deserving of judgment and he has he he needs someone who will stand in his defense and here is a paracleas and he speaks to that person's character and he sets him right. He gives at least sympathy in the eyes of the judge for this person who has done wrong. He stands in his defense. We call it defense attorney today. He represents us in that intimidating place of the court. and he speaks and we remain silent and we let him do our work for us and praise God spiritually speaking. It is a perfect work. Uh I I love the the second verse though it was years before I understood it. He himself is still referring to Jesus Christ. He himself and this is the word that threw me is the propitiation. Just use the word satisfaction and you've got it wired. Jesus Christ is able to be our advocate because between us and the father he stands as satisfaction. He is satisfaction to the father for our sins and not for ours only but for those of the whole world. When the father looks in my direction and sees me in sin if it were not for the advocate there couldn't be a relationship. But when he looks through the eyes and the heart and the and the person of the advocate, he smiles because he looks through satisfaction. Jesus Christ's death has satisfied the father's righteous demands against sin. And I now stand in that uh you and I as Christians stand in that wonderful place of acceptance in the beloved because we have the the the satisfying advocate between us and God. Is that great? Is that terrific? Do we need that? Every day we need that. I almost pointed to some of you and I was afraid to do that right then. How's got you so wired in this thing that we need an advocate and we've got an advocate. Doesn't cost you a dime. Cost him his life. And the father remains on the edge of his chair as a judge looking in our direction and hearing the words of the advocate saying, "I'm satisfied. That's sufficient. Because of Christ, we have access. I love it and I need it. When you get toward the middle of chapter 2, it gets really tough. It gets in fact strenuous. He divides us into several categories. Verse 12, I'm writing you little children. He says some things to little kiddos. That is adults with little kiddos maturity. I'm writing you fathers. Verse 13. I'm writing young men. Verse 13. And I'm writing older men. Verse 14. And he having addressed the whole group. He says, "Now there are some tough things you need to hear about this this life." And he doesn't pull any punches. He says in verse 15, "You don't just stand idly by and and get involved in enshed in the world system and expect not to be burned." He says, "I want to tell you some tough stuff. Do not do not love the world. Do not love the things in the world. If anyone loves the world, we're back again to to square one. The love of the father isn't in him. For all that's in the world, the lust of the flesh and the lust of the eyes, the boastful pride of life doesn't come from the father. It comes from the world. And the world is passing away with its lust. But the one who does the will of the father abides forever. reminded me of President Teddy Roosevelt's address in 1899, April the 10th. He spoke to the Hamilton Club and he said, "I wish to preach not the doctrine of ignoble ease, but the doctrine of the strenuous life." That's what John does. That must have made an impression on Roosevelt because the next year he published a book called The Strenuous Life. In it, he wrote, "No man is justified in doing evil on the ground of expediency. If we seek, get these words, if we seek merely swollen, slothful ease, if we shrink from the hard contests where men must win at the hazard of their lives, then bolder and stronger ones will pass us by and will win for themselves the domination of the world. Oh, for for uh presidential speeches like that again, huh? the strenuous life. John, the one who refers to abiding and remaining and enjoying the fellowship with the father, is not afraid to say, "There's a tough assignment, Christians. And when you're in the world system, behave yourself. You play with it, you're going to get burned." John says, "Don't do that. those things will all be appealing but they will not be satisfying. Now the third part is is uh beginning about verse 18 and here he starts a rather lengthy uh thesis on deception and uh false teaching. Notice he uh in verse in chapter one he talked about the joyful life and we looked in chapter 2:es 1-1 17 regarding the clean life and that's what the fellowship with God will produce. It's a clean life. You'll live higher than anyone else around who isn't in the family of God. Not because of you but because of that advocate. You'll be able to handle those battles. Now children, it's the last hour and just as you heard, Antichrist is coming. Even now many antichrists have arisen. From this we know it's the last hour. Look at 19. They went out from us, but they were not really of us. See, they were once in our group, but but they were not really of us. For if they had been of us, they would have remained with us. But they went out in order that it might be shown that they all are not of us. It's a tough thing to admit sometime that there can be deception in your midst. It goes back as far as the very earliest church, Ananas and Safara. How severely the Lord dealt with that. I'm intrigued with the word Antichrist. Aren't you? I've um done a little research on the term and I found this interesting. The derivation of the word antichrist can have two meanings. Anti is a Greek preposition which can mean either against or in place of. And when we use it in the English language, it's almost without exception against, anti- American, anti-God or anti-righteousness, meaning against. But in the Greek language, it can mean either against or in place of. Then this writer says strategos is the Greek word for commander and anti-strateos can mean either the hostile commander of enemy forces or the deputy commander who acts in the place of the commander. Got it? Antichrist therefore can mean either the opponent or adversary of Christ or the one who seeks to put himself in the place of Christ. There will come a day when there will be singular the antichrist who will set himself up as God. In the meantime, there are many little a antichrists who will have you follow them as though following Christ. Watch out for them. Be discerning as a Christian. Put on your thinking cap, which means the scriptures. In chapter 3, he gives the reassurance time and again of this business of love and a love relationship on a horizontal plane between us and other believers. And he uses that as a checkpoint along the way. We dealt with that earlier. And uh there's no reason to go further into that. When you get to chapter 4, there's a warning. Still on the subject of false teachers, would to God that all of us before we were tempted to follow a cult would just abide in verses 1-6. Beloved, do not believe every spirit, but test the spirits to see whether they are from God, because many false prophets have gone out into the world. By this, you know the spirit of God. Every spirit that confesses that Jesus Christ has come in the flesh is from God. Here's the ultimate test. It also refers to the ultimate heresy. Every spirit that confesses that Jesus Christ has come in the flesh is from God. And every spirit that does not confess Jesus is not from God. And this is the spirit of the antichrist of which you have heard that it is coming and now it is already in the world. You are from God little children and have overcome them. Look at the confidence he gives. Greater is the one in you than he who is in the world. Verse six, we are from God. He who knows God listens to us. He who is not from God does not listen to us. By this we know the spirit of truth and the spirit of error. Now with that word of confidence he moves into the last section of his letter which has to do with the confident Christian and or the confident life. And I I've circled a couple of places where even the word is used. Chapter 4:1 17 that we may have confidence. Chapter 2 28. We may have confidence. Says it twice in the letter. But look at verse 7. Beloved, let us love one another for love is from God. Everyone who loves is born of God and knows God. The one who does not love does not know God for God is love. Has in mind present tense all the way through there. The practicing of that by this the love of God was manifested in us. And I love this. That God has sent his only begotten son into the world so that we might live through him. That a great way to put it. not only believe in him but live through him. His life is available and we can live through that life his kind of life. Ian Thomas put it this way. The life that he lived qualified him for the death that he died and the death that he died qualifies us for the life that he lived which is a lot more difficult way of saying it than verse 9. So that we might live through him. And this is love not that we loved God but he initiated it. He loved us and sent his son. There it is again. To be the satisfaction for our sins. Not for our sins only. Says in chapter 2, but for the sins of the whole world. Beloved, if God so loved us, we ought to love one another. Let it go. Release it. Let it free. Let it run. Now, u look at the look at the power of this last section. Verse four of chapter 5. Whatever is born of God overcomes the world. We're not helpless, pitiful victims in a world. We are overcomers. We're born of God and we've overcome the world. This is the victory that has overcome the world. Our faith, our attachment with victory is connected by the strong strand of faith that is directly related to the life of Christ. And I live my life on this earth connected by faith to his life. And as long as there is that strong connection, there is that lifeline that keeps me strong in this world. And who is the one who overcomes the world? But he who believes that Jesus is the son of God. Look at verse 10. The one who believes in the son of God has the witness in himself. The one who does not believe God has made him a liar. Um the one who does not believe God has made him a liar because he has not believed in the witness that God has borne concerning his son. The witness is this. Now, this is simple. That God has given us eternal life. These are my favorite verses in witnessing. By the way, this is the witness that God has given us eternal life and the life is in his son. Well, where am I? Verse 12. He who has the son has the life. He who does not have the son of God does not have the life. Isn't that simple? I have a very good friend who lives in New England and he witnesses to numerous people who come into his gas station regularly and he has a confraternity edition of the scriptures because many of those people that live there and traffic there uh are Roman Catholics and he uses their Bible and the translation I should have brought a copy with me is quite good and he says let me show you this and and they'll look over their glasses and he'll read them this and they'll say, "What Bible is that?" And he says, "Your Bible." Really? And they look and read that again. It's a amazing exchange. And he'll read it again. And they will hear the beautiful message. He who has the son has the life. He who does not have the son of God does not have the life. Do you have him? Do you not have him? I don't have him. Do you want him? Oh, yeah. I thought I had him. Do you have the son of God? No, I can't really. I've got a church. Not the church, but do you have the son of God? And the question is how? Well, I'm glad you asked. Verse 13 is your answer. These things I have written to you who believe in the name of the son of God that you may know you have eternal life. Verse third 14. This is confidence. [snorts] There's no reason to wonder. You don't have to scratch your head. You don't have to wa walk around confused. Do I have eternal life? Do I now have eternal? Have I lost it? I had it yesterday. It was a great day yesterday. I don't feel so good this morning. I don't have eternal life. Has nothing to do with feelings. Do you have the son of God? Well, I had him yesterday. Well, where does it say he leaves? I've got him because I believe that Jesus Christ is the son of God. I believe his death is sufficient for my sins. I take him just like I accept a gift from someone else. He paid for it and he gives it to me and I take it and I get with that the confidence of eternal life. And he tells us he writes this so we may know we have that kind of life. I'm not going to deal with the sin unto death. Okay? So don't hold your breath. Check [clears throat] with Sailhammer, Stevenson, any of those scholars. They'll just make it right. Let me say three or four things about how all of this applies. Okay? And I'll be quick because I know you're antsy to get home and watch the last part of whatever's on. I'm taping it so I don't I'm not in any hurry. [clears throat] Okay. Here's the first. Since this is a letter full of contrast, black and white, darkness and light, uh, Antichrist and Christ, God's children and children of the devil, etc., etc., there ought to be some contrast and application. Okay, here's the first one. In an angry, dark world, the joyful Christian is a bright light. You'll live a joyful life and believe me, you'll you'll capture attention like watermelon captures flies. I mean, they will just not be able to leave you alone. They want to know what's wrong with you. As a matter of fact, you're joyful. You're a bright light in an angry, dark world. Let your light shine. That's an application from chapter one. Let your light shine. And I'm writing this so that your joy may be full. Let it shine. Now, second, in a sinful, lawless society, the clean Christian is a silent rebuke. And the application there is stay clean. Deal with sin when it ar when it arises. And and uh don't play with it. I I loved something I found about Chrysum in his sermon on how to bring up children. He advises parents to give their boy some great scriptural name to teach him repeatedly the story of the original bearer of that name and thus to give him a standard to live up to and an inspiration for living when he grows to manhood. Isn't that great? You know what your name is? Child of God, work on that, child of light. In a sinful, lawless society, a clean Christian is a silent rebuke. Here's a third. In a whirlwind existence of deception and confusion, the discerning Christian is a calm refuge. In a whirlwind existence of confusion and deception, the Christian is a calm refuge. The application, think straight, be discerning. Cut through the malaise, the fog of hype, that Madison Avenue stuff that shrouds the the truth. Listen for truth, and if you don't hear it, reject it. Listen for implications. put your thinking cap on. And these Christians in the first century, just like Christians now, had to realize there's deception here. This person is coming across like Christ, but he's not Christ. He's Antichrist. Fourth, finally, in an insecure, uncertain age, the confident Christian is a stabilizing force. Stand firm. Stand firm. In an insecure, uncertain age, the confident Christian is a stabilizing force. Stand firm. I like this quote. The proof of the Holy Spirit's presence is not how high you jump, but how straight you walk when you hit the ground. Isn't that great? You've got the spirit of God in your life. Don't talk to me about jumping up and down and shouting all those things. Talk to me about how straight you walk when you hit the ground. That's his business. You are God's life on display and so am I. That's good and that's bad. Depending on what's being displayed. I love the story that comes out of World War II where this this this dear little waif was on the streets and was cold. London had been bombed and it was the wrap-up of the war and he was standing looking through the foggy glass into the into the bakery shop watching him pull out all those donuts and and uh cinnamon rolls and makes my jaws squirt when I talk about that. and he and he just he's just hungry for them and he wants one so bad but it doesn't have a dime in his little ragged pockets and soldier comes around a corner in his jeep and he stops and he sees this boy and he figures it out and he walks over the boy and he says you want one of those donuts. Yeah. Walks inside and buys a dozen hot piping donuts. Puts them in the bag, brings him out and gives him the little boy. He said, "Here." Little boy stared back at that soldier and he said, "Mr. Are you God? You display the life of God, you'll have very little difficulty talking to them about God. Very little. Father, thank you for the light. Thank you for the fact that we're able to dwell in it and live in it. Thank you for the advocate, Jesus Christ the righteous. Thank you for hope. Thank you for cleansing, for power, for victory. Thank you for the ability to count on your word when our feelings throw us a curve. Thank you for assurance. Thank you that you don't change even when we do. Thank you that your promise holds true even when we live as though it's a lie. Thank you that it will work this day and this week because you have told us in your word it will work. Believe it. We love you and we trust you in the name of Christ. Amen. >> The preceding message, First ((music playing)) John, God's Life on Display, was copyrighted in 1983, and the sound recording was copyrighted in 2012 by Charles Rwindall, Inc. All rights are reserved worldwide.