The Church and the World

Have your Bibles tonight. Please turn with me if you would first John chapter 5, with one verse tonight. Verse 19 we know that we are from God in the whole world lies in the power of the evil one spray hello father, we thank you for the opportunity to study your word tonight. We pray heavenly father as we dig into first John that he would give us insight and direction that our assurance Lord might be solid and helpless heavenly father as we go through this passage that we might just come to know Jesus better that Lord our love for Christ would just increase helpless Lord, that we might take seriously the distinguishing marks of the believer and an Lord if there are those in our congregation who have doubts about their salvation that may be during the study would clear those doubts up and in bringing such conviction that there is repentance with their needs to be repentance there is challenge with her needs to be challenge got us and direct us through this passage tonight as we are just looking at some introductory things that you would post Lord, that we might build a strong foundation that this great book call first John Mike, the become very very special to us. We love you tonight. Jesus, thank you for loving us. Thank you for dying for some across and pray heavenly father that our study tonight would be a study that would bring glory and honor your precious name is in Jesus name we pray. Amen. You may be seated. I am gonna start a study on first John tonight and first thing were going to do is win a look at the next to the next last verse in first John before we do this because it is eight to me a very very great summary verse of what I first John is all about wanted to share some in some introductory comments. First is your study in first John one of the things it just, pops out at you. To begin with is the fact that there's something missing here something as you study other us letters in the in the New Testament that you that you see.

But you don't see it here. What is it it's the identification of the author you go to Paul's letters and you say I Paul or I Peter or James or JR, Jude, and you see those is very very evident and second John and third John even says the elder inherent in first John, like the book of Hebrews I first John, there is no identification. So how do we know who wrote it.

How can we be sure it's the apostle John. Well I think one of the. The evidence is that we have as you can study that the Greek language and as you do.

As you study first John, second, third John in the Gospel of John. You will see that the the way he writes. It is very very similar so that that's some evidence but is not real, concrete evidence.

We also have evidence from some of the early church fathers, others violent felony Polycarp, who was personally discipled by the apostle John. He was the Bishop of Smyrna. The pastor at the suffering church in Smyrna and when he was 80 years old. The Roman authorities took him they brought them out to the center of the Roman Coliseum was filled with people they tolling that he could either denounce Christ or that he was can be burned at the stake. So we stood there and everything got so quiet you could hear a pin drop. And all of a sudden he shouted out and allowed a very loud voice. How can I deny the Lord Jesus Christ has loved me and gave himself for me. I cannot deny him the Roman authorities were absolutely infuriating. They took him and tied into the. The Poston in the leg burned him at the stake. When he didn't die quite fast enough. They took a spear and they drove it through his body.

That one particular incident, did more for the cause of Christ in the second century than any other particular incident, but Polycarp had been personally discipled by John and then Polycarp took another guy that is one of the early church fathers, a fellow named Irenaeus and he personally discipled him. Irenaeus wrote a commentary on first John and Irenaeus tells us in no uncertain terms that it was it was the apostle John who wrote the, the letter of first John we also have evidence from claimant and pay theists who were other early church fathers, and they had tell Toles the very same thing that it was indeed the apostle John who wrote it. I love this book call first. John is feel with theological precision.

It is also filled with some great pastoral stuff.

John wrote this letter, about 85 A.D. by that time he was about 80 years old. About 55 to 60 years had passed away. Since John had walked with Jesus here on this earth. John had been with Jesus when he was on the cross and Jesus look down from the cross and and and looked at John and said to to that and commission John to take care of his mother. I can imagine Jesus nodding that John same behold your mother and nodding at Marion's and behold your son he was. They are the cross when Jesus cried out to tell you stock it is finished, and then father into the hand I commit my spirit.

He watched Jesus breathe his last breath and die. Three days later he was the first one of the apostles who was to appear into the the empty tomb and see that Jesus body was not there. He fellowship with the resurrected Christ.

He ate fish with the men and and it got instructed by him and on the day of Pentecost.

He was one of the men who stood out on Jerusalem squared and preached and preached and they saw thousands of people come to Christ. He preached the word of God. He he cast out demons. He he healed the sick, he preach the word of God to the people of God. He did some amazing things it in ministry. He was also a man who suffered greatly for his faith.

His brother was that James was the first disciple to be martyred for his faith.

James was killed by the sordid. He had to endure that and just John himself was flogged and after is flogging to go out in the streets of Jerusalem, praising God and and and rejoicing that he was counted worthy to suffer for Christ's sake is later driven out of Jerusalem. And when he left Jerusalem he went to Ephesus and apostle Paul and started a church. They are planted a church in Ephesus, and John became the pastor and was the pastor they are in Ephesus for over three decades and while he was there.

It probably it was probably the time that he experienced being thrown into a vat of boiling all and live through it. It was there during this time when he was in Ephesus that he wrote first John second John and third John after this is a very old man. He was exiled to the island of Patmos. And it was in the island of Patmos that he wrote the right book of Revelation is given the nickname when he was a young man like holding bow energies and that means son of thunder, which explains his passion for truth that here was a man who could not stand it when these pseudo-intellectual theologians were were doing damage in tampering with the word of God as we look at first John you to see some of that anger come out, he is not happy with people who play footsie with the truth it in like that at all is just a good story coming back this other man in in the Ephesus, whose name was Karen theists and serenity, as was a Gnostic Gnostics. I do not believe that Jesus was fully man. They think thinking is, like a phantom or a ghost that had the appearance of a man but wasn't fully man and John got them off to the side, instructing is a no no. Jesus is fully God is fully man and you need to understand that and us rent. His last day and and said it would it would not believe it. And this just pushed them off and so John cut him off would have nothing to do with serenity is whatsoever, and in fact there was a time when John was going to a public bath and somebody tolling that's rent the us was in the public bath is a will and I'm not going in there till he gets out because I'm afraid God is in judgment, not the building down. I don't want to be in it that was is in his attitude he would not even be even tell this this serenity is this heretic Godspeed so John could be tough when toughness was call for but in the Gospel of John. He refers to himself as the disciple who Jesus loved as the beloved disciple think this is the reason that Jesus commissioned him to take care of his mom. With this comes out.

Also, as you read through the epistle of first John and just how he writes to his his people he calls them my dear children, it's like he's instructing them as a father would instruct his children. Having said all that, only deal with this one verse tonight so some reverse first John 519, we know that we are from God in the whole world lies in the power of the evil one. That's the theme of the first epistle of John the position of the Christian in this world to other key verses once it first John 513.

These things have I written unto you, believe on the name of this son of God. The treatment you know that you have eternal life.

First John 14 these things right. We unto you, that your joy might be full. So John is written this letter to give Christians assurance of salvation and to help them to learn how they are to relate to the world in which they live, how they are to deal with it, how they are to minister to it, how they are not to be overcome by it artless get that some reverse verse 19 we know that we are from God in the whole world lies in the power, the evil one. I like the new King James version translates it is is we know that we are of God in the whole world is under the sway of the wicked one. First he says we know true Christians are our people are not people who live in a state of insert uncertainty. They are people who know who they are. They know their identity. They know where they are and they know what they got there, not people. Men and women who were just stumbling around in the darkness. When I talk to people are struggling them with doubts about their salvation will often encourage them to to go back to first John and spend time reading first John four in first John, we have what JC Rao refers to as the distinguishing marks of the believer.

One of the things that John says after going all through those distinguishing marks as the us these things have I written to you who believe on the name of the son of God, that you may know that you have eternal life. He wants us to have assurance he knows how important it is for us and he's pushing it here in this book. So what we have here and in first John is a checkup from the neck up John to send us if you are a true believer, then these things all these distinguishing marks are gonna be manifesting in your life it and if they're not there. You need to be concerned about that. You need to be asking yourself the question might gingerly a Christian.

If these things are not present in my life. So what are we to know according to first John 519 first were to know about our sales.

John says that we know that we are of God. In other words, the question is what is a Christian is a person a Christian because he attends worship every Sunday.

Is he a person is a person a Christian because he gives money to the church is a person a Christian because he read the Bible and can quote some Scripture is a person a Christian because he striving to live an exemplary life is a person a Christian because he likes to hear good preaching. Now those are things that true Christians probably experience but they are not the proof they're not the evidence of genuine Christianity, a person who is not a Christian can experience all of those things if we are of God, then we know this. We have been born again we have the we have been born from above. We had to have the spirit of God indwelling us. We are are partakers of the divine nature. We are new creations in Christ.

One of the primary questions it is being asked and answered in first John, is this, does it matter what you believe does it really matter. Okay, can God be known. Apart from Jesus Christ is the question. People in jobs they were saying.

It's enough just to to simply know about God and as a people were saying you we know them in our own way. So I'm going in this direction and you're going in that direction, but there are always different roads, but there leading to the same goal where all headed toward God with which is going in different directions and going different routes and John writes, first John to just cut through all that absolute nonsense and say that is not true. The folks we are living in a in a culture today that absolutely disdains doctrine and the acceptable philosophy. I think in our day and time is agnosticism. People don't like people who say they know things they like people who say they don't know things if you want a lot of friends and just tell people you don't know anything and they're good with that.

I like that.

And so if if you got this idea that your Christian and you don't want to hurt anybody's feelings about you so you know I have failed at an avenue that that's really help me out of Annie's Jesus Christ and I'm not sure that that that Avenue is the only way. But it's a good avenue for me it's really it's really help me out and I want talk to you about that. It so these people so less wonderful into a lovely things that this is kind of the Avenue the route that I'm taking an endless talk about in endless hear what Mary has to say over here at this here what Jeff has to say over here and and and will just gonna find out what everybody thinks will fund that would everybody has to thing what if you are in that same little group. We are sitting around drinking coffee and you put your coffee cup down and you say this, there is no other name under heaven given among men whereby we must be saved with the name of Jesus Christ books, they will say to you what hole did you come out of what are you thinking do you you are you telling me that a sincere Buddhist is not going to heaven that he doesn't truly know God. Are you telling me that devout Moslem is bowing down before I lock does not truly know God people we need first John because the prevailing agnostic flavor of our world has pickled our minds we can no longer afford to be ambivalent vacillating and accommodating to this world, lies. It's our responsibility to blow a trumpet with a very clear note in an America with the malaise of theological vagueness that were civilian first John helps clear up the confusion. So what are we learning in first John, what were the subjects that were learning about assurance knowledge, confidence, boldness, that's what you will reap from this book. Alastair Begg was preaching 31st John several years ago. He said that as he was working his way through it.

He talked to some pastor friends and in the community where they live, and he asked them if you preach the first John and he said several of them said well I started preaching 31st. John got about to the middle of second chapter and decided just to quit and not preaching to the first John anymore, is it wise that he said well what week we started looking at some of the things that were distinguishing marks of the believer and some of these people in our church got really upset because they realize that that that they didn't possess these things and they asked me just to quit preaching it so they quit preaching the truth because it happened to offend people who have no assurance of their salvation. John dispels that silliness and that absurdity of what we call Christianity today. What is a Christian today people believe that if you just say something nice about Jesus that makes you a Christian. James Taylor wrote a song a while back and said look down upon me.

Jesus looked down upon me, Jesus, you gotta help me make a stand and people say that great James Taylor's a Christian support what you think is a Christian. Well, he says that that look down upon me. Jesus will mean everybody wants Jesus to look down upon them and bless him and do good things for I asked James Taylor after he wrote that said about the lyrics and what did he mean what did he believe and he said all I could use Buddha or I could've used Mohammed. They are but a said Jesus to seem to fit better in the lyrics first. John destroys the false compliments of people who have a counterfeit faith. This letter will force you to answer the question, am I truly a Christian.

Second thing we know is the truth about the world.

This is the whole world lies in wickedness, or the whole world lies under the power of the wicked one all the way through the epistle of first John junk John goes out of his way to draw a distinction between Christians and the world between the Christian and the non-Christian's statement. Here is the whole world lies under the domination of Satan under the power of the evil one.

First John says the word of God's truth is absolute truth.

Truth is not relative truth is absolute and it is eternally truth is, is one of the things that bothers me about the seeker friendly churches that we see popping up everywhere today the desires to become like the world and so that everyone's comfort level will rise and so their compromises here and compromises they are, and finally so many compromises that you can't tell the difference between the world and the church in the 19th century is as the century was coming to a close. The that the church looked at the world and saw the progress it's going on and they saw progress and in so many areas in medical research and technology and manufacturing, transportation and communication, and it appeared that things were just getting better. Did it and in the light of this progress post millennialism begin to it to really flourish post millennialism teaches that the world is going to get progressively better and better and then finally when Jesus comes at that at the end time. Then the church is going to hand over to Jesus a Christian society oil 45 years after all of that was taking place, and after post millennialism was really beginning to flourish there. By that time there were two world wars, there was the beginning of godless atheistic communism and there was a Jewish Holocaust and all of a sudden post millennialism didn't seem to fit anymore. I believe with all my heart of the church and understood John's teaching hero first John 519 that lines up with the rest of the New Testament, it would not of fallen into a post-millennial trap we would've remembered Paul's warnings in second Timothy chapter 3 verse 13 evil men will wax worse and worse, deceiving and being deceived and then the Lord's word itself and in Luke chapter 17 when Jesus said, when the Son of Man returns will there be faith on the earth.

Jesus did not come to reform the earth.

It did not come to patch it up.

It is true that we are called to be the salt of the earth and the light of the world.

It is true that God uses us to restrain evil. It is true that God uses us to kinda stop the decay and and be the salt that stops that wicked decay of the world. But our Lord's kingdom is not of this world's kingdom is in the hearts of his people and in heaven. One day it will be totally in heaven and in those believers who have gone ahead of us are raining right now with Christ in heaven and they will continue to do so, but Christ purpose on earth is not to rip is is not to reform or patch up or reeducate a lost world, the Lord's purpose is to call that a people for himself who will love him and obey him and bring him glory. One of the ways that Jesus is glorified through his church is to the comparison and distinction between the church and the world and brothers and sisters.

That's what our world needs to see the day they need to see that we are different. Exodus 11 seven. The Scripture says the Lord puts the difference between Egypt and Israel and brothers and sisters. The Lord puts a difference between the church and the world. Not only are we are to be redeemed. People were to be a separate people were to be a sanctified people sanctified me separated for the purpose of holiness.

You see, the first proof that we have a Christianity is Christ revealed in his word. The second proof that we have a Christianity is Christ revealed in his people. God is glorified when that separation is distinctive.

We all stick out like a gardenia in a garbage can, like a diamond in a coal mine.

We should talk differently. We should dress differently. What we should respond to situations differently. We should be entertained differently.

We should even laugh at different things. I have a friend of mine this an unbeliever. Send me an email while back and it was not a vulgar email but it was the email that made a joke out of speaking disrespectfully about Jesus. And next time I saw Amy, he said you get my email Sadie. I got it is that was funny.

One that has an unfunny and is it what you mean it. One funny acid. It wasn't funny face as it was terribly disrespectful to my Lord and Savior Jesus Christ. And I said I owe him respect and and I owe him my all and I said it was offensive to me and he got offended at me and he said Christians like that. AA said it was funny. He said you should adjust life. He said you guys can't laugh about anything you don't have fun. You don't know how to laugh. I sent a note that I left a lot of things I like to have fun. The Scripture says that a merry heart do have good, like medicine. I enjoy a good laugh. That said, I don't enjoy a good laugh at the expense of my Lord and Savior Jesus Christ. He deserves my respect he deserves my all end up the world all to see that in us will work differently than the world. Christian should always at work. Nonbelievers because the Scripture commands us that we are to work for our employers as if we were working for Jesus, so that means that we ought to work harder than naming anybody else that will not to goof, goof off during times that were getting paid that will work hard and that we are to work joyfully so that the the people that are working with us might see there's a difference in the people of God our calendar to be different. The first day of the week is the Lord's day wheeled a hell of that day it it it's a day that God has given us for rest at the main physical sleep, but it means stopping what you normally do during the rest of the week which is work and taking that time and use it in energy given over to the worship of the Lord. I think one of the best ways you can teach your children the difference between the world and in the church is to teach them to Halla the Lord's day verse that summarizes the book of first John is I think probably the best verse here.

First John chapter 5 verse 19 and what is it say we know that we are of God, and the whole world lies in the power of the evil spray heavenly father, we thank you for your precious word. Thank you Lord for the truth is that we are getting ready to learn. In first John we pray father that you would help us, that we might see the distinguishing marks of the believer and Lord as we finish this study are assurance might be brighter than it's ever been before.

And that it might not bring in build pride into our hearts, but it might just build deep and in sweet humility.

Heavenly father, I thank you for our congregation. Thank you Lord for these people would come out on Sunday night to to worship you and father.

They know something special that you are worth it all. Heavenly father got indirect is now in all that we do as we sing praises to your glory. Now may Jesus be uplifted made your children here beatified in city. Your precious and holy name we pray. Amen