Antichrist Is Coming (Part B)

That none of them were of us it was their choice. The concept of love comes free will and with free will, comes choice and with choice comes responsibility. Simple equation.

See what I'm afraid of my choices because of my urges and desires. That's with the grace of God comes in who would need the grace of God except sinners, we needed we have it. This is taught in Scripture from Eden to new Jerusalem. This is cross reference right with our pastor and teacher Rick Gaston. Ricky is the pastor of Calvary Chapel Mechanicsville Costa Rica is currently teaching through the book of first John, please stay with us after today's message to hear more information about cross reference specifically how you can get a free copy of this teaching today.

Pastor Rick will be continuing his study called antichrist is coming in first John chapter 2 continues the oasis by which we know that it is the last hour being goes the bell. John says we were living in the last time we know it. And again, where in the last minutes of human history, long minutes, I have come to crave as a Christian converts more than the rapture as early Christian heard about the rapture of course you get outta here.

Go to heaven let's go specially get into you know you you you later 30s and 40s, and you begin to realize life about his compound out of I don't want to be here.

You come out of that cloud, you say okay I am here we go do it this is I said I like I want to win souls.

I want to gain souls to Christ.

I don't want to walk around is today is rapid today and I'm not going to object to it. I'm not going to say I'll stay behind know him outta here, but until that happens, I know what my assignment is pulled into and is a beautiful section in first Corinthians 9 verses 19 to 22 not I was reading it out loud to myself and I said I don't know if it makes good reading to make my points should aborted up electronically like I still can't because I am cool and I know it and as part of being cool. You know it and you know other people know it right. I've had my past commercial y'all do it this way electronics I have highlighted the pulses for though I am free from all men. I have made myself a servant to all that I might win the more it's up to the Jews. I became a Jew that I might win Jews to those who are under the law is under the law, that I might win those who are under the law to those who are without law is without law not being without law toward God, but under law toward Christ that I may win those who are without law continues to the week. I became as weak that I might win the week I have become all things to all men pause there when he says I become all things to all many does not mean I become a sinner to all men because they are sinners. I doing with them saying I allow myself to to identify with them on a human level common humanity.

He does not have in common with unbelievers, Christ listeners, we are to have that in common with each other. That's going near having all things in common, stands out in the book of acts will Paul continues when he writes to the Corinthians is laying down for them without even trying.

How he conducts business that they would catch this vision but is not trying to get them to catch the vision building will sharing how he ministers and lives his life. He says again back to the week, repeating it, that I might win the week I have become all things to all men, that I might by all means save some of this I do for the gospel sake, that I may be partaker of it with you so you see the craving for the Christian I think is better serve or in interest of the king not craving to get rapture out of here, but to get others into the kingdom to be used as part of the solution against what is happened to humankind through sin in the Lord in several of his kingdom. Parables, he cautioned against too optimistic hope of view of his swift return when the apostles wrote they expected Christ to come back in their lifetime.

Barring Peter. Peter knew that he was going to die a violent death for Christ, not just a violent death. You get hit by a truck.

But he knew he would die for Christ and that he did but the others felt Christ would come back they woke up with that expectancy and Christ wants a little bit of that in us.

He wants us to have this eager expectation of his return but it has to be balanced with the mission at hand. And so they were looking for Christ to come back. They had no idea it would take so long not is not revealed every single thing to the apostles or anyone. Acts chapter 1 verse seven Jesus speaking he said to them well. Luke thing Jesus is speaking here comes the words of Christ is not for you to know times or seasons which the father has put in his own authority. Okay, we except that prerogative of God but the Lord imply that he would be gone for a considerable amount of time just in this parable. For example, Mark chapter 13 verse 32 Jesus speaking of the end times, he says, but of that day and hour no one knows, not even the angels in heaven, nor the son, but only the father pause there at during his humanity.

Jesus had failed his deity, and in many ways and was out of touch with that by choice.

He he came back into that at the resurrection. But that's why he says even in my humanity that is not for me.

Andy Greer's mission was elsewhere, so this don't think that that was that meant for a moment that he was.

Not every bit of God could be adjusted up bad when is it any wonder said it's Thursday something like that so understand the spirit of his speech of Christ goes on. He says, take heed, watch and pray for you do not know when the time is it is like a man going on going to a far country, who left his house and gave authority to his servants, and to each his work, and commanded the doorkeeper to watch. She's gone when you hang out. How long are you going to be gone well on going 10,000 miles okay what are you going to be going while so I won't stay up waiting and that's what the. The Scriptures have to say to the church is that Christ will come and you should be excited about that thought is something we should preach what we have other things to do also. In the meantime, and they are not to be neglected and of all we did was hope for him to return.

We would not have anything left to win the week when the religious to win those who are lost.

Now we look at verse 19 they went out from us, but they were not of us. For if they had been of us, they would have continued with us but they went out, that they might be made manifest that none of them were of us some and I Christ emerge from the Christian community.

Judas Iscariot, for example, he became an antichrist and he came out of the apostles group man that was blessed in extraordinary ways. Think. And when John says if I could write all the miracles that I saw Christ to hide Philip all the books when Judas saw them do it was like John had a vehement Judas had five he was there he cast out demons, he healed people he preach the gospel, then he chose to go against Christ and Satan filled his heart.

The Bible tells us forfeiting authentic faith. So this is not surprising that they were in the church, but they were made manifest. They were revealed they were outed at some point, they abandon the faith and they embraced those teachings of ancient Greece. They were thrilled with knowledge. Well, we should want knowledge know no honor being a dumb to self-inflicted dumb dumb is not what we're shooting for. I encourage the youth if you going to go to university get the best scores you can get be as good as you can get for the king. We don't need trainers.

We need people who get an education and stand up in those circles for Christ because there are people out there that better in all vocations that need to hear it from count workers will if you look at the word coworkers you could pronounce a count workers to just or alternate pronunciation in its original well anyway, somehow we've had a low here so they were here. John says in the left because their views were irreconcilable. He is not giving an inch here lipolysis.

We do not heal for one hour, which means a second, but on the Wi-Fi he uses and I will use those phrases and the sun did rise a son doesn't rise stays where it states all the time. It's always there. It doesn't level we know what we mean by that same when Paul says we didn't healed in our humans. We didn't we meet we didn't but I drove John the same same thing on a given these guys anything they left this in our way there rotten in their doctrine and serve any of them turn back into John. I've been us of sin. What must I do John would've been there for that guy. But until that time, they were not treated as allies of the faith.

As I mentioned at the beginning so often in the circles of academia. They feel this obligation to be broad and the next thing you know, that sucks you wonder if they've exposed you to some virus thought jute door legal you believe was killed at the time you thought you were being broad-minded as though that is something good.

It will be broad-minded, be do that with you know culinary tools. You know I like a serrated knife and one is not serrated I'm broad-minded but you're not when you're cutting certain meats right or certain vegetables. You need a particular kind and I've serrated knife doesn't do good on carrots, but it does nicely tomatoes. Let's talk food and get everybody riled up because we running out of here will fund the church by putting a little food market outside the door.

Anyway, but they were not of us. Not here in the Greek does not mean never. Incidentally, I'm looking to stay on that I'm not can it take time to deal with the Calvinistic teachings that I disagree with them that that's that's what my old left messages on these things.

I if you must go listen to them I wouldn't anyway.

Don't laugh at that one. That is not a joke. Okay, we got a problem.

The congregation that can't just get back to this play makes it clear that what they believed was not what Christians believe that's what he saying it because they they were thereof close and Jonathan I know you know these people don't think again because they were nice people that this somehow our brothers and sisters in the faith that is a morsel here there to get from them, and many, many churches do that they look to the world of psychology to try to figure out how to talk to Christians what is this for is to teach us how to talk to Christians than anybody else concerning all human behavior and that there is nothing else that matches this Adam Clark St. from long ago says about this verse while therefore, we acknowledge that they once belong to us. We assert that they are not of us. They were once here there gone with what they have in their heads. We have no portion with it, there's no connection there were never right it would never from God in these doctrines that they hold and I love that about John. He is making sure that his listeners don't try to go to the trash heap and pluck out some little button that is going to be useful to them.

They they think, imagine that picture go down to the dump of the transfer station and pick out the trash that you you want to keep. That's what some folks do with their doctrine, and may we be sensitive to that. So I think I've pounded that well impounding it because Satan insist on exposing young minds to broad ways and young minds.

They tend to love it. They tend to think with this is nice. I never heard this before mom and dad didn't tell me this. The pastor didn't preach on this. This is nice, you know, sometimes they go off the universities, even Christian schools and they come back in and that is friendly with me. What has happened. What did I do with a been exposed sometimes to other things and they've made this come up with a conclusion of some sort that I'm not like the ones they now like I don't know that no one's ever come out and told me why few people come out and tell me why they don't like and I'm I'm happy with that.

That's humor that pastoral humor for congregations. Well anyway he has no kind remarks for these personalities. This what he is saying is not meant to be an exhaustive revelation on who goes outside the faith and who does not is talking about.

He is a certain group in mind. And that's how it reads and if you go through Christian life long enough, you begin to to identify that because you've experienced this sum attend the faith, but were never truly believers others such as Judas Iscariot.

They attend the faith known by the Lord and no longer are because of the choice they made. I don't believe a person gets a divorce and save the lost. But I do believe you better abide with Christ which John is emphasizing here in this section if you took this paragraph and you highlighted the words abide, you'd find that it's it's emphasized in this paragraph. Stick with the Lord. Don't be sucked in the undertow of the world that got nothing to offer you what pledges to your flash and when your flesh dies, so will the benefits of the flesh, but the spirit will then stand judgment and you've got to have fear of the Lord in you. I firmly believe that you are saved as a believer as long as you want to be saved, I have chosen to be saved for eternity and that choices available to every single person that gets the gospel first Peter chapter 1 verse five he makes this grand statement who are kept by the power of God through faith for salvation. Not to worry about saved walks I wanted and I'm not worried what one of the morning and I getting to spiritual paranoia, God is not given a spirit of fear but of love and of power, and of a sound mind and that something we should practice. He says, for if they had been of us, he does not say again, they were never of us, but when they got this doctrine to can't walk together list their greedy continues, they would have continued with us and acknowledgment that they once were there, but they did not continue. And I'm not going to take the time to read so many verses because I read them so often hear that. I don't know if it would be of any great benefit at the moment except take time for Libyans 16 concerning maybe there's a Christian.

Here you accept Christ as Lord, which struggle with things.

That's what the flesh does with the spirit struggles and he had doubts and if you say no I'm I'm back to pretty solid now. How old are you, how long you been in the faith is you gonna probably be hit in every area you can be hit and is good to be armed and have these sandbags in front of you to absorb shots and this is one of them and everyone reading it a few times last few sessions I've been up your Philippians chapter 1 verse six, Paul says the ghost Christians being confident of this very thing, that he was begun a good work and you will completed until the day of Jesus Christ. He saying you're internally in God is with you.

Be confident of this. What happens when you come across a Christians is not sure their salvation give a double minded person in my save them in a safe you get past that drive you stake in the grounds that his West End by the blood of Christ. He holds me up. I'm confident of this very thing. That's what he says. That's what the Holy Spirit says through Paul to you and to me. I'm confident of this. I trusted you drive over Bridger confident of that bridge staying up support. He says, but they went out, that they might be made manifest that none of them were of us it was their choice. The concept of love comes free will and with free will, comes choice and with choice comes responsibility. Simple equation. Say, but I'm afraid of my choices because of my urges and desires. That's with the grace of God comes in who would need the grace of God except sinners, we needed and we have it. This is taught in Scripture from Eden to new Jerusalem so narrow, not broad-minded.

One other thing.

This kindness to those who are heretics only goes doesn't go very far. Galatians where Paul says if anyone is caught in temptation and struggles with that, you who are spiritual restore such a one that's not to heretics until they repent, they can't be restored and so would be careful there.

Verse 20 but you have an anointing from the holy one, and you know all things now courses in the context of what he's talking about salvation against his Gnostic teaching because if they knew all things that he would have to write them later on his goodness.

He had no need to teach over that you be taught what he's teaching them to his things, so it's not talking about salvation and is very accurate.

You belong to Christ. You know your save that you get a latitude when someone tries to challenge that interview went to a church in a passage that you not say Google here I am what you tell me this will Paul's talk, I mean John is saying here you have an anointing from the holy one you've been touched and you know there's no touch like that anywhere else you know it matches what we're preaching. It's authentic Christianity. Again Gnostic to come along, claiming they had deeper insights. They had super teachings that were different from the apostles that were contradictory fallout and first Corinthians chapter 3 verse 16 bosses you are the temple of God and that spirit of God dwells in you. That's a Shekinah that the indwelling presence of God in the new church.

Some of them struggle with that and the apostles knew that, so they dealt with that they put it in print for us.

There are those today that are Christians and they behave as though they have superior knowledge.

That's unfortunate. Again, know it all's doesn't help at all, and humility should check that personal humility in the spirit well. Verse 21. I've not written you to you because you do not know the truth but because you know it, and that no lie is of the truth. We are to be dominated by truth as Christians in any says that you know the gospel truth and you know that there's no line is, no deception is no deceit in that they know on an Israelite indeed, the Christ of Nathaniel, in whom is no guile less actually with Isaiah said of the Christ in Isaiah 53 John's gospel chapter 17 verse 17 Jesus prayed, sanctify them by your truth. Your word is truth.

I give you can be. I don't know how you can be a Christian without the Bible. I mean there may be some exceptions by the spirit in places where there is no Bible visions and dreams heard of those from some reliable sources.

Third John his third letter he says I have no greater joy than to hear that my children walk in truth, then first Timothy 315. I'm almost done. I write so that you may know how you ought to conduct yourselves in the house of God, because there is not automatic. Some people are decent enough they know others they don't know how to behave in church and that's why they create problems and Paul said to Timothy, this is something that has to be taught how to behave in church and the assembly is is which is the church of the living God, the pillar and ground of truth number 22 who is a liar but he who denies that Jesus is Christ, he is antichrist who denies the Father and the son any teaching that makes Jesus Christ less than who he is presented as in the Gospels and then of course in the acts and the epistles in the Revelation. Any thing that diminishes his glory is the expression of antichrist and not of God, and the ultimate live denies that Jesus is the son of God, the maker of all things is the Bible teaches us so John told believers. Gnostic side with Satan, stay away from the outside with them again. They are here in the universities are here in the seminaries. They are antagonistic to truth and absolute truths of the Bible doctrine their views their behavior and the poison others with it and the only defense is to know the truth and to abide in Christ. The signature of these false prophets is that they deny Jesus being Lord of all, they does a series of things they deny, they deny the virgin birth of the challenge of living make it vague his deity. The human heart about those things back like there are other ways to heaven. Verse 23 whoever denies a son does not have the father either. He who acknowledges the son as the father. Also, you can have one without the other. You cannot divide the father from the son of the son from the father and that's why when we pray, you know, we Jesus taught us how to pray our father who is in heaven. And it's a good way to begin our prayer keeping mindful that there locked in so tight that they cannot be divided echoes with this verse. John's gospel chapter 5 verse 23 that all should honor the son just as they honor the father you does not honor the son does not honor the father said you cannot say that about any other human being. Throughout history, you can you know just fits only with the Christ, thanks for tuning in to cross reference cross reference is a ministry pastor Rick Gaston of Calvary Chapel Mechanicsville in Virginia. If you'd like to learn more about this ministry, we invite you to visit our website cross reference.com find a number of teachings from Pastor Rick available there. We also encourage you to subscribe to our podcast you subscribe will be notified of new editions of cross reference. Just search for cross reference iTunes Google play music or your favorite podcast apps. You can also follow the links@crossreference.com. We're glad we were able to spend time with you today to the next time to continue learning from the book of first John pastor here. Cross-reference