At
the church where I serve we are in the middle of a sermon series entitled
Connect. During this series, we are looking at a letter that is recorded for us
in the New Testament of the Bible, called the book of 1 John. During this
series, we are going to discover the components that make for true connection
and community. During this series, we are going to discover the landmines and
roadblocks that keep us from true connection and community. And as we go
through this series, our hope and our prayer is that God would move by the
power of the Holy Spirit in our heads, hearts, and hands, in a way that moves
us to the place where we can experience the connection and community with God
and one another that we were created and designed to experience.
This
week I would like for us
to spend our time together picking up where we left off two weeks ago. And as
we jump into the next section of this letter that has been preserved and
recorded for us in the New Testament of the Bible, called the book of John, we
will see John reveal for us another timeless truth when it comes to how we can experience the connection and community
with God and one another that we were created and designed to experience. So
let’s jump into the next section of this letter together, beginning in 1 John
2:18-19:
Children, it is the last hour; and just as you heard that antichrist
is coming, even now many antichrists have appeared; from this we know that it
is the last hour. 19 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 all are not
of us.
Now to fully understand what John is communicating for
us in these verses, we first need to ask and answer a few questions. The first
question that we need to ask and answer is “What does John mean when he states
that it is the last hour?” In the letters that make up the Bible, the phrase
“last hour” or “last days” refer to the final chapters of God’s story here on earth,
which began with Jesus entry into humanity and will conclude with Jesus return
to earth. So, with this phrase, John is reminding the members of the church at
Ephesus, who were very near and dear to his heart, that they were part of the
final and climactic chapters of God’s story on earth.
Now that leads us to the second question that we need
to ask and answer, which is “who is John referring to when he states, “you
heard that antichrist is coming, even now many antichrists have appeared?” When
John refers to the antichrist, he is reminding the members of the church at
Ephesus, and followers of Jesus throughout history, that at the very end of
God’s story here on earth, a great world leader will appear who will place
himself in opposition to God and the kingdom of God and will demand to be
worshipped as God. In another letter that John wrote that is recorded for us in
the New Testament of the Bible, called the book of Revelation, we see John go
into great detail regarding what will happen in the final chapter of God’s
story here on earth, when the antichrist will appear and lead rebellious
humanity in opposition to God.
However, John explains that while the antichrist, the
last great world leader who will place himself in opposition to God and His
kingdom mission that we read about in the Book of Revelation, has not yet
appeared, there are already present those who possess the same spirit as the
spirit of the antichrist and are adversaries to God and His kingdom mission.
And these antichrists will be present until Jesus returns to earth.
And as we get closer to the end of God’s story on
earth, the adversaries of Jesus Christ will continue to become more and more
hostile to God and the kingdom of God. And because of that reality, John
explained that is how we can be sure that we are living in the final chapters
of God’s story here on earth.
Now that leads us to the next question that we need to
ask and answer, which is “What is john talking about in verse 19? 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?” As we discovered earlier in this series,
there were some people who had left the church at Ephesus and were trying to
influence others to leave the church at Ephesus.
There were some people who had attended the church at
one time, but had left the church who were claiming that you could have close
connection with God while living their day to day lives in a way that is marked
by moral and spiritual darkness as a result of selfishness and rebellion
against God. There were some people who had attended the church at one time,
but had left the church, who were proclaiming that they were not guilty of
selfishly rebelling against God and others.
There were some people who had attended the church at one time, but had
left the church, who were proclaiming that one could have close connection with
God while living a life that was in disobedience to the commands and demands of
Jesus. There were some people who had attended the church at one time, but had
left the church, who were proclaiming that one could have close connection with
God while finding their identity in what the world offered instead of what
Jesus offered.
With this phrase, John is revealing the reality that some
people who possess this same spirit of rebellion and opposition to God and His
kingdom mission will come from within the community of the church. But how
could that be? The phrase they went out literally means to discontinue an
association, in this case to leave the church community. When John states that
they were not of us, he is stating that while they were part of the visible
church, which is who we see in church on Sundays, they were not a part of what is
referred to as the invisible church, which are those who have a genuine and
authentic relationship and connection with Jesus.
John’s point is that these antichrists had at one time
made a profession of faith in Jesus, but had abandoned that profession and were
campaigning against Jesus and His kingdom. And this morning, the reality is
that there will be those who profess to have a relationship and connection with
Jesus and appear as part of the visible church, but in reality, do not have a
genuine and authentic relationship and connection with Jesus. And because of
that reality, these antichrists who had left the church at Ephesus and were
trying to influence others to leave the church, had revealed the reality of
their true spiritual condition by leaving and forsaking community and
connection with the church. John’s point is that true followers of Jesus would
have remained and continued in connection and community in His church.
Now a natural question that arises here is “Well Dave,
if that John is saying is true, then how can we know who is a part of the
visible church and who is part of the invisible church? How can we know who is
really in possession of a genuine and authentic relationship with Jesus and who
is simply professing that they have a relationship with Jesus? How can we know
who has true connection with God and who is actually opposed to God?
If that question is running through your mind, I want
to let you know that you are asking a great question. And fortunately for us,
we see John provide the answer to that question is what he says next.
Tomorrow we will look at what John says next…
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