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1 John Chapter Two

 
Fellowship With Jesus (2:3-6)
 
INTRODUCTION
 
1. A concern of John's first epistle is that we have fellowship with
 the Father and the Son:
 
 "that which we have seen and heard we declare to you, that you
 also may have fellowship with us; and truly our fellowship is
 with the Father and with His Son Jesus Christ." (1:3)
 
2. He began by stressing the basis upon which we may fellowship with
 the FATHER - 1 Jn 1:5-2:22
 a. Walk in the light as He is in the light
 b. Confess our sins, don't deny that we have sin
 c. Make use of our "advocate" and "propitiation", Jesus Christ the 
 Righteous
 
3. But what about fellowship with the SON? In our text (1 Jn 2:3-6),
 John now describes how we can "know" that we have fellowship with 
 Jesus Christ
 
[A key phrase in this passage is "by this we know...", found twice 
(2:3,5). In other words, "here is how we can be sure".
 
And John's first point is...]
 
I. BY THIS WE KNOW THAT WE "KNOW" HIM (3-5a)
 
 A. HERE IS HOW WE CAN BE SURE WE HAVE FELLOWSHIP WITH JESUS...
 1. Identifying the "Him" of this passage
 a. Is it God or Jesus? The Father or the Son?
 b. In light of the context, it is Jesus the Son of God - cf. 
 1 Jn 2:1-2,6
 c. This fits in well with John's aim in this epistle - cf. 
 1 Jn 1:3
 1) He has described the basis for fellowship with the 
 Father
 2) Now he discusses the basis for fellowship with the Son
 2. What it means to "know" Jesus
 a. As frequently used by John, the word "know" {ginosko}
 denotes a knowledge that comes by experience, by sharing 
 experiences in life together
 b. In this sense, it implies that "fellowship" (sharing, 
 communion) has taken place
 
 B. WE CAN BE SURE, "IF WE KEEP HIS COMMANDMENTS"
 1. Fellowship with Jesus is dependent upon keeping His teachings 
 - Jn 14:21-23; 15:10
 2. The person who claims to "know" (have fellowship) with Jesus, 
 and does not keep His commandments...
 a. Is a liar, and the truth is not in him! - 1 Jn 2:4b
  b. Is just like the one who claims to have fellowship with the
 Father while walking in darkness! - cf. 1 Jn 1:6
 3. But the person who keeps the words of Jesus, the "love of God"
 is perfected in him!
 a. This "love of God"...
 1) Is it God's kind of love? - cf. 1 Jn 3:16-17
 2) Is it God's love for us? - cf. 1 Jn 4:9
 3) Is it our love for God? - cf. 1 Jn 5:2-3
 -- I suspect John is referring to our love for God, for the
  context concerns keeping the commandments of Jesus
 b. Such love for God is "perfected" (made whole, complete) 
 only when we keep the commandments of His Son! - cf. Jn
 14:15,21,23
 
[So we can be sure that we "know" Jesus, that we are in fellowship with
Him, and that we have perfected our love for God, ONLY if we are 
keeping the commandments of Jesus!
 
To stress the point even further, John continues by point out...]
 
II. BY THIS WE KNOW THAT WE ARE "IN" HIM (5b-6)
 
 A. HERE IS HOW WE CAN BE SURE WE ARE ABIDING IN JESUS
 1. The word "in" (5b) is parallel to the expression "abides in"
 (6a)
 2. "Abiding in Jesus" is described by Jesus Himself as similar to
 a branch abiding in the vine - cf. Jn 15:4-5
 a. There is a union, or attachment, between the branch and 
 vine
 b. From this union comes a communion, or sharing
 3. So again, we are discussing the idea of having fellowship with
 Jesus
 
 B. WE CAN BE SURE, IF WE "WALK JUST AS HE WALKED"
 1. The person claiming to "abide in Jesus" (or to have fellowship
 with Him) should "walk" (live) just as Jesus did!
 a. For only those who follow His words are truly His disciples
 - cf. Jn 8:31
 b. And those who are His disciples will become like their 
 Teacher - cf. Lk 6:40
 c. Such is the goal of discipleship, and of God's scheme of 
 redemption itself! - Ro 8:29
 2. Understanding and applying this truth should have powerful 
 ramifications in how we live (as illustrated in the novel "In 
 His Steps", by Charles Sheldon)
 
CONCLUSION
 
1. We learn from John, then, that the key to knowing that we have 
 fellowship with Jesus is understanding the difference between 
 "talking" and "walking"
 a. Anyone can say that they know Jesus, that they abide in Him
 b. But those that really know are those who...
 1) KEEP His commandments
 2) WALK just as He walked
 
2. Do you really know Jesus? Are you in fellowship with Him, wherein
 is eternal life and fullness of joy?
 a. Have you kept the commands of Jesus?
 b. How about His commands concerning faith, repentance and baptism?
 - cf. Mt 28:18-19; Mk 16:15-16; Ac 2:38; 22:16
 c. How about His commands to observe ALL that He commanded,
 including those revealed through His apostles? - cf. Mt 28:20;
 Ac 2:42; 1 Co 14:37
 
How you answer reveals the truth regarding your relationship with God,
and your hope for eternal life!

An "Old, Yet New" Commandment (2:7-11)
 
INTRODUCTION
 
1. In our study of 1st John, we have seen thus far...
 a. That John's aim is that we may have fellowship with the Father 
 and the Son, so our joy may be full - 1 Jn 1:1-4
  b. That fellowship with the Father is contingent upon:
 1) Walking in the light - 1 Jn 1:5-7
 2) Confessing our sins - 1 Jn 1:8-10
 3) Making use of our "advocate" and "propitiation", Jesus Christ 
 the Righteous - 1 Jn 2:1-2
 c. And that fellowship with the Son (Jesus) depends upon our:
 1) Keeping His commandments - 1 Jn 2:3-5a
 2) Walking as He walked - 1 Jn 2:5b-6
 -- Otherwise, it is not true that we "abide in Him", nor truly 
 "know Him"
 
2. Having stressed the importance of keeping the commandments of Jesus 
 if we are to have fellowship with Him and the Father...
 a. John proceeds to discuss one commandment in particular - 1 Jn 2:
 7-11
 b. He discusses what can be called "An Old, Yet New Commandment"
 
[Let's consider first...]
 
I. THE COMMANDMENT ITSELF
 
 A. IT IS AN "OLD" COMMANDMENT (8)
 1. He does not write about something totally new to them
 2. But something they had heard "from the beginning" (i.e., from 
 the beginning of the gospel)
 
 B. IT IS A "NEW" COMMANDMENT (9)
 1. That is, it is ever fresh; though old in time, it is never 
 stale
 2. It is a commandment that is ever true in Jesus, and it is true
 in His disciples
 3. It is both true and new because...
 a. "the darkness is passing away, and the true light is 
 already shining"
 b. With the coming of the Messiah (Jesus), light has begun to 
 penetrate the darkness - cf. Isa 9:2; Mt 4:13-17; Jn 1:4-9;
 8:12
 
 C. IT IS THE COMMAND TO "LOVE ONE ANOTHER"
 1. How do we know this?
 a. It is implied by verses 9-11
 b. It is stated clearly in 1 Jn 3:11; 4:21
 c. This command was "from the beginning" (of the gospel) - cf.
 Jn 13:34-34; 15:12,17
 2. What does it mean to "love one another"?
 a. It may be helpful to first review the different Greek words
 for "love"
 1) "storge" - describes love of family
 2) "eros" - carnal, sexual love
 3) "phileo" - love for dear friends
 4) "agape" - active goodwill toward others
 b. It is "agape" love that we are commanded to have in this 
 text
 1) It is also the same kind of love commanded in Jn 13:
 34-35
 2) It is that concern to meet the needs of others that is 
 best exemplified in the life and death of Jesus - cf. 
 1 Jn 3:16-17
 c. Therefore, to "love one another" is to consider the needs 
 of one another, and to actively work toward meeting those 
 needs (i.e., follow Jesus' example!)
 
[Having identified what commandment is being discussed, consider what 
John says about...]
 
II. THE EFFECT OF NOT KEEPING THIS COMMANDMENT
 
 A. ONE "IS IN DARKNESS" (9)
 1. When a person claims to walk in the light, but hates his 
 brother, he is still in darkness!
 2. Indeed, he has always been in darkness!
 a. Cf. "is in darkness until now"
 b. Despite what they may claim, they have not yet passed from 
 darkness to light!
 c. Or as expressed later, they have not yet passed from death 
 to life! - 1 Jn 3:14
 
 B. ONE "DOES NOT KNOW WHERE HE IS GOING" (11)
 1. He may "think" he has fellowship with God, that he is saved, 
 but he is blind!
 2. He fails to realize the absurdity of his claim to know and 
 love God - cf. 1 Jn 4:20
 3. Blinded by darkness (hate), he cannot see that he is on the 
 road to hell!
 
[Does this not illustrate the importance of keeping this "old, yet new"
commandment? Its importance is further illustrated as we consider...]
 
III. THE EFFECT OF KEEPING THIS COMMANDMENT
 
 A. ONE "ABIDES IN THE LIGHT" (10a)
 1. Meaning that they are in full fellowship with the Father! - 
 cf. 1 Jn 1:7a
 2. And they enjoy the cleansing power of the blood of Jesus! - 
 cf. 1 Jn 1:7b
 -- So unless we love one another, fellowship and forgiveness is 
 not possible!
 
 B. "THERE IS NO CAUSE FOR STUMBLING" (10b)
 1. Abiding in the light, he can see clearly as he walks
 2. Fellowship with God makes it possible to "know where he is 
 going" (unlike the one who hates his brother and is in 
 darkness)
 3. This does not imply sinlessness
 a. Remember 1 Jn 1:8,10
 b. But as one walks in the light (in fellowship with God), he 
 knows what to do when he sins, and in what direction he 
 should be headed - cf. 1 Jn 1:9
 
CONCLUSION
 
1. This "old, yet new" commandment is very important:
 a. If we are not keeping it, we are still in darkness!
 b. If we are in darkness...
 1) We are not walking in the light!
 2) We are not having fellowship with God, and the blood of Jesus 
 does not cleanse us from our sins!
 3) We cannot have that "fullness of joy" of which John wrote in 
 1 Jn 1:4
 
2. It is only appropriate, then, to close this lesson with the 
 admonition of John found later in his epistle...
 
 "Beloved, let us love one another, for love is of God; and 
 everyone who loves is born of God and knows God. He who does 
 not love does not know God, for God is love." - 1 Jn 4:7-8
 
3. For those not yet Christians, I encourage you to seriously consider 
 the next two verses:
 
 "In this the love of God was manifested toward us, that God 
 has sent His only begotten Son into the world, that we might 
 live through Him. In this is love, not that we loved God, 
 but that He loved us and sent His Son to be the propitiation
 for our sins." - 1 Jn 4:9-10
 
Jesus is not only the "propitiation" for our sins, but is available 
for the whole world (1 Jn 2:2). Have you appropriated this wonderful
offer from God?

Three Stages In The Christian Life (2:12-14)
 
INTRODUCTION
 
1. Having charged his readers to observe an "old, yet new" commandment
 to love one another (1 Jn 2:7-11), John takes a moment to
 specifically address various members of his reading audience - 1 Jn
 2:12-14
 
2. This section is rhythmical, almost lyrical, and raises a number of
 questions, such as these listed by Guy N. Woods in his commentary on
 1st John:
 a. Why did John use the present tense, "I write" {grapho}, in the 
 first three clauses, and "I have written" {egrapsa}, epistolary 
 aorist, in the second three?
 b. To what writing does he refer in the first instance? In the 
 second?
 c. What is the meaning of the word "children" in the first clause of
 each of the divisions?
 d. Why did he use the word "teknion" in the first reference to 
 children, and "paidion" in the second?
 e. In what sense is the reference to "fathers, children, young men" 
 to be taken, literal or figurative?
 
3. Many and various answers have been given to these questions; without
 going into detail, I believe the following answers to the above 
 questions have merit...
 a. We have here a simple form of Hebrew parallelism, where the same 
 thing is being said for the sake of emphasis
 b. In both instances, the writing to which John refers is this very 
 epistle
 c. Unlike 1 Jn 2:1,18,28; 3:7,18; 4:4; 5:21 where "children" appears
 to be a term of endearment for all believers, in 2:12,13 
 "children" seems to refer to a specific class of Christians
 d. Any distinction between "teknion" and "paidion" is likely not 
 significant, since John uses both as terms of endearment in this 
 epistle when speaking of all believers - cf. 1 Jn 2:18 (paidion)
 with 1 Jn 2:28 (teknion)
 e. Taken literally, the terms "fathers, children, young men" would 
 leave out many Christians (old men, old and younger women); 
 therefore, I take the terms to be figurative
 
4. With this understanding, I believe we find John addressing three 
 basic groups of Christians, who are at different stages in their 
 Christian life
 
[What we can glean from this section, then, is that there are "Three 
Stages Of The Christian Life", beginning with...]
 
I. THE STAGE OF INFANCY
 
 A. IN WHICH CHRISTIANS ARE "LITTLE CHILDREN"
 1. Both terms used by John normally refer to small infants
 a. teknion {tek-nee'-on} - diminutive of tekna; an infant
  b. paidion {pahee-dee'-on} - neut. diminutive of pais; a
 childling (of either sex), i.e. (prop.) an infant, or (by 
 extens.) a half-grown boy or girl (cf. Mk 5:39-42)
 2. Those who are new Christians, or immature Christians, are thus
 spoken of as "babes in Christ" - cf. 1 Co 3:1; Ga 4:19; He 5:
 12-13
 3. This can be a difficult time, in which a Christian...
 a. Is still more carnal than spiritual - 1 Co 3:1
 b. Can be a source of anxiety for those trying to lead them 
 along - Ga 4:19
 c. Needs to focus on the "milk" of the Word - He 5:12-13
 
 B. NEW CHRISTIANS CAN TAKE ENCOURAGEMENT FROM JOHN...
 1. Because their sins have been forgiven in Christ! - 1 Jn 2:12
  a. Forgiveness is not based upon maturity or perfection
 b. But upon the blood of Jesus, and upon our willingness as 
 Christians to confess our sins - 1 Jn 1:9
 2. Because they have "known the Father" - 1 Jn 2:13
 a. I.e., they have fellowship with the Father, which is John's
 definition of "eternal life" - Jn 17:2-3
 b. They may be "babes", but they have "eternal life" in 
 Christ! - cf. 1 Jn 5:11-12
 c. And John wants them to continue to believe! - 1 Jn 5:13
 
[When a "babe in Christ" feeds upon the milk of the Word, making good 
use of the cleansing power of the blood of Christ, remaining in 
fellowship with the Father and sharing in "eternal life", it will not 
be long before they enter...]
 
II. THE STAGE OF YOUTH
 
 A. IN WHICH CHRISTIANS ARE "YOUNG MEN"
 1. As explained previously, I take the expression "young men" 
 figuratively
 2. It refers to all, male or female, young or old 
 chronologically, who are "strong in the Lord"
 3. I.e., all "who have overcome the wicked one" - 1 Jn 2:13,14
 a. Not that they are perfect, or without sin - cf. 1 Jn 1:8
 b. But that their faith has had time to be tested, and they 
 have demonstrated that they are truly "born of God" - cf. 
 1 Jn 4:4; 5:4-5
 
 B. THE SOURCE OF THEIR STRENGTH IS THE WORD OF GOD...
 1. Only as the Word of God "abides" (remains) in them are they 
 strong - 1 Jn 2:14
 2. Even as David saw the value of letting the Word of God abide 
 in his heart - Ps 119:11
 3. For this reason, then, we need to heed the admonition of Peter
 - cf. 1 Pe 2:2
 
[As one demonstrates time and again that they are strong in the Lord, 
they progress to the final stage of the Christian life...]
 
III. THE STAGE OF MATURITY
 
 A. IN WHICH CHRISTIANS ARE "FATHERS"
 1. Again, I take the term "fathers" figuratively
 2. It likely refers in this passage to Christians, male and 
 female, who have reached the highest stage of the Christian 
 life
 3. The term "fathers" suggests...
 a. They have had experience, having progressed through earlier
 stages of the Christian life (infancy, strength)
 b. They have even produced spiritual offspring, by leading 
 others to Christ - cf. 1 Co 4:14-15
 
 B. THEY "HAVE KNOWN HIM WHO IS FROM THE BEGINNING"
 1. The reference is likely to Jesus, who "was from the beginning"
 - 1 Jn 1:1; Jn 1:1-2
 2. Is there a distinction being made by John?
 a. "Little children" have known "the Father" - 1 Jn 2:13
 b. "Fathers" have known "the Son" (who was from the beginning)
 - 1 Jn 2:13,14
 3. If so, perhaps it is this:
 a. As babes in Christ, it can be said that even in our infancy
 we can "know" the Father, that is have an intimate 
 relationship with Him and experience the eternal life which
 He gives
 b. But only with time, and with opportunity to "walk just as 
 He walked" (1 Jn 2:6), can it be said that one has truly 
 come to "know" Jesus
 1) Therefore the admonition of Peter to "grow in the...
 knowledge of our Lord and Savior Jesus Christ" - 2 Pe 3:
 18
 2) Which knowledge comes only as we develop the Christ-like
 graces found in 2 Pe 1:5-8
 
CONCLUSION
 
1. The Christian life has much in harmony with physical life...
 a. There are definite stages in life
 b. Only through "growth" does one pass from one stage to the other
 c. But when growth does not occur, that is a sign of a serious 
 malady!
 
2. There is a major difference, however...
 a. Physical growth usually occurs without much effort on our part
 b. Such is not the case with spiritual growth!
 
3. These verses that have served as the basis of our text, while they 
 are difficult in many respects, they ought to clearly impress upon 
 our minds several truths:
 a. There are different stages in the Christian life
 b. In each stage there are blessings to be enjoyed
 c. But little children need to become young men, and young men need
 to become fathers
 
May God grant us the grace needed to grow as we should, and enjoy the
full blessings in each stage of the Christian life!

Love Not The World! (2:15-17)
 
INTRODUCTION
 
1. We have seen that fellowship with God requires that there is no room
 for hatred in our heart toward our brother:
 
 "He who says he is in the light, and hates his brother, is in
 darkness until now." (1 Jn 2:9)
 
2. But there is one sense in which we are not to have love at all!
 
 "Do not love the world or the things in the world. If anyone loves
 the world, the love of the Father is not in him." (1 Jn 2:15)
 
3. A very simple imperative is therefore given to us: "Love not the 
 world..."
 a. But do we understand the meaning of this command?
 b. Do we appreciate the importance of this command?
 
4. In this study, I hope to...
 a. Shed some LIGHT on what John is saying
 b. Provide some MOTIVATION to seriously heed what he commands in 
 this passage
 
[Let's begin by answering the question "Why should Christians not love 
the world?"]
 
I. BECAUSE OF WHAT THE WORLD IS (15a,16)
 
 A. THE "WORLD" IN THIS PASSAGE...
 1. It is NOT the "physical world"
 a. I.e., God's creation - Gen 1:1
 b. For it is "very good" - Gen 1:31
 2. It is NOT the "human world"
 a. I.e., mankind
 b. Indeed, God Himself loves the world of men - Jn 3:16
 3. RATHER, it is the world of "sin", the world of "evil"!
 a. I.e., the "sphere" in which sin, evil, and Satan dominates
 b. Just as the phrase "the world of sports" describes the 
  domain in which sports dominates, so this "world" is one in
 which sin dominates
 
 B. THREE THINGS IN PARTICULAR MAKE UP THIS "WORLD"...
 1. "The lust of the flesh"
 a. This phrase refers to unbridled desires of the flesh - cf. 
 Ga 5:19-21
 b. Note that these desire can be expressed both:
 1) Sexually (fornication, adultery, licentiousness)
 2) Socially (hatred, contentions, jealousies)
 2. "The lust of the eyes"
 a. This refers to the unlawful longing for things which we can
 see
 b. It can be summed up in one word: "covetousness"
 c. A modern day expression could be "materialism"
 d. How serious is this? Consider Ep 5:5-7; Co 3:5-7
  3. "The pride of life"
 a. This would include pride based upon such things as:
 1) Age
 2) Experience
 3) Ancestry
 4) Past accomplishments
 5) Money, position, power
 b. The folly of trusting in such things is seen in 1 Co 1:
 26-31
 
 C. A FEW PASSING OBSERVATIONS...
 1. Each of these three things often strike harder at different 
 times in our life:
 a. The YOUNG are most often affected by the "lust of the 
 flesh"
 b. The MIDDLE-AGED are usually afflicted by the "lust of the 
 eyes"
 c. The AGED are likely to be plagued with the "pride of life"
 2. There seems to be a tendency to consider one more serious than
 the others
 a. We seem more concerned about sins involving the "lust of 
 the flesh" than sins in the other categories
 1) E.g., which is worse, fornication or covetousness?
 2) E.g., which do we consider more serious, adultery or 
 jealousy?
 b. If we are not careful...
 1) While fighting strong against immorality...
 2) ...materialism and pride may "sneak in" the back door!
 
[Whether it be immorality, materialism or pride, it is still part of 
the "world" we are not to love!
 
But why? We have noticed other passages which say why we shouldn't 
(cf. Ga 5:19-21), but in our text John gives another reason...]
 
II. BECAUSE OF WHAT LOVING THE "WORLD" DOES (15b)
 
  A. IT MAKES IT IMPOSSIBLE TO LOVE THE FATHER...
 1. "If anyone loves the world, the love of the Father is not in 
 him."
 a. I understand "the love of the Father" means "love for the 
 Father"
 b. Instead of "the Father's love for us", for He loves us even
 as sinners - Ro 5:8
 2. John is not the only person to say that if we love the world,
 we cannot love God:
 a. James taught that "friendship with the world is enmity with
  God" - Ja 4:4
 b. Jesus said that we cannot serve two masters - Mt 6:24
 3. Our sinful pride may rebel against this thought, but we simply
 are not able to love the world and God at the same time!
 
 B. TO SEE WHY, LET'S DEFINE "THE LOVE OF THE FATHER"...
 1. What does it really mean for me to love the Father?
 2. According to John, it means that I keep His commandments - cf.
 1 Jn 5:3
 3. To this Jesus agrees - Jn 14:15,21; 15:10
 
 C. IF WE LOVE THE WORLD, WE CAN'T KEEP GOD'S COMMANDMENTS!
 1. E.g., if you are driven by "the lust of the flesh"...
 a. To commit fornication, adultery, etc.
 b. Then you can't keep God's command not to defraud your 
 brother - cf. 1 Th 4:3-6
  2. E.g., if you are overcome by "lust of the eyes"...
 a. So that you always want more, and to hold on to what you 
 have
 b. Then you won't keep God's command to help the needy - cf. 
 1 Jn 3:16-17
 3. E.g., if you are filled with "the pride of life"...
 a. So that you consider yourself more important than others
 b. You will not be able to keep the command to imitate Christ
 - cf. Ph 2:3-5
 
[So it is impossible to faithfully serve God and Jesus, thereby showing
our love for them, if we allow ourselves to "love the world"! But John
gives us another reason why we should not "love the world"...]
 
III. BECAUSE OF WHERE THE "WORLD" IS GOING (17)
 
 A. "THE WORLD IS PASSING AWAY"
 1. This is true in regards to our individual lives - cf. 1 Pe 1:
 24; Ja 4:13-14
 2. It is also true concerning everything that we leave behind - 
 cf. 2 Pe 3:10
 
 B. IN CONTRAST, "HE WHO DOES THE WILL OF GOD ABIDES FOREVER"
 1. This is because he will be blessed to enter the heavenly 
 kingdom - Mt 7:21
 2. Even his "works" will follow with him - Re 14:13
 
CONCLUSION
 
1. Isn't this what we all want? To one day hear these wonderful 
 words...
 
 "Well done, good and faithful servant; you were faithful over 
 a few things, I will make you ruler over many things. Enter 
 into the joy of your lord." (Mt 25:21)
 
2. Even if we could gain the whole world in this lifetime...
 a. Is it worth it? - cf. Mt 16:26
 b. Yet most people are selling their soul to the devil and this 
 world for a whole lot less!
 
3. Let's give serious heed to John's admonition, and make sure that our
 affection is in the right place: loving the Father by keeping His 
 commandments!
 
Are you keeping the commandments of God? - cf. Mt 28:18-20

Beware Of Antichrists! (2:18-27)
 
INTRODUCTION
 
1. With a term of endearment ("little children") that is a favorite of
 John's, he now proceeds to warn them about a problem that was very 
 real in his day...
 
 "Little children, it is the last hour; and as you have heard that 
 the Antichrist is coming, even now many antichrists have come, by 
 which we know that it is the last hour." (1 Jn 2:18)
 
2. John is the only writer of the New Testament who uses the term 
 "antichrist", and he uses the term just five times:
 a. Twice here in 1 Jn 2:18 ("antichrist is coming...many 
 antichrists have come")
 b. Again in 1 Jn 2:22 ("He is antichrist who denies...")
 c. Also in 1 Jn 4:3 ("this is the spirit of the antichrist...")
 d. And in 2 Jn 7 ("a deceiver and an antichrist.")
 
3. The term is commonly used today by many to refer to one individual 
 ("The Antichrist"), who is supposed to appear in the "end times"...
 a. I.e., some actual person who will arise in the religio-political 
 arena and lead many people astray just before Christ comes again
 b. This view is held by pre-millenialists and many amillenialists as
 well
 c. A connection is usually made to the "man of sin" described by 
 Paul in 2 Th 2:1-11, and that John possibly has reference to 
 the same individual
 
4. Whether or not that is so, it is evident that John was more 
 concerned about "antichrists" who have already come; and so we might
 ask...
 a. Who were these "antichrists"?
 b. How were the Christians to avoid being misled by them?
 c. How can we avoid being misled by antichrists today (whether it be
 one or many)?
 
[Let's begin by...]
 
I. IDENTIFYING THE "ANTICHRISTS"
 
 A. THEY REFUSE TO FOLLOW APOSTOLIC AUTHORITY (19)
 1. In John's day...
 a. They were individuals who had associated with the apostles
 and other Christians
 b. But they had gone out on their own, and were no longer in 
 fellowship with the apostles
 c. Thus it became manifest that they were not "of us" 
 (approved by the apostles)
 d. Later, John describes the "the spirit of the antichrist" as
 that which does not hear the apostles (i.e., respect 
 apostolic authority) - cf. 1 Jn 4:3-6
 2. In our day...
 a. Many "antichrists" behave the same way
 1) They may start out acting like they respect apostolic 
 authority, and seek to be with Christians
 2) But eventually their true nature comes out and they will
 not want to be with those who respect apostolic 
 authority very long
 b. So a sign of "antichrists" is their attitude toward the 
 "apostles' doctrine" (i.e., the Scriptures)
 c. Those who reject the apostles, reject Christ himself (cf. 
 Jn 13:20), and are thus "antiChrist"!
 
 B. THEY DENY JESUS IS THE CHRIST (22-23)
 1. In John's day...
 a. They denied that Jesus is the Christ - cf. 1 Jn 2:22a
 1) Many Gnostics alleged that Jesus and Christ were two 
 different persons
 a) That Christ merely appeared to have flesh, but in