1. Truth or Consequences I John 2:18-29

2. Sincerity –A person who is real builds his life on truth, not supposition or lies Warning about the conflicts –Light & darkness (1:1-3:6) –Love & hatred (2;7-17) –Truth & error (2:18-29) “The last times” & “antichrist” –Christians are living in an hour of crisis –New age has dawned on the world Preparation for the end when Jesus will come & establish His kingdom

3. God works in human time, but he is above time (II Peter 3:8) Ungodly false teachers have increased in number & influence Kind of time; not a duration of time I Timothy 4 Important that we know what we believe and why we believe –Antichrist A spirit in the world that opposes or denies Christ False teachers who embody this spirit A person who will head up the final rebellion against Christ

4. The spirit of antichrist since Gen 3 where Satan declared war on God Dual meaning –In Greek against –In Greek instead of Antichrist (capital A) – man of sin (or lawlessness) (II Thess 2:1-12) –Two forces Truth through the church by the Holy Spirit Evil working by the energy of Satan Marks of the false teachers controlled by the spirit of antichrist –He departs from the fellowship (18-19)

5. “They went out from us, but they were not really of us; for they had been of us, they would have remained with us.” (2:19, NASB) Us: fellowship of the believers; church Church: one worldwide family (universal) –Body (I Cor 12) & building (Eph 1:19-22) –Local units or assemblies of believers Evidence of true Christian –Desire to be with the people of God »“We know that we passed from death unto life, because we love the brethren.” (3:14) »Counterfeit Christian »Parable of sower (Matt 13:1-9, 18-23) –Have things in common regardless of affiliations »Basic doctrines

6. Cults –With us, but not of us –Dangerous to leave the fellowship »II Peter 2; II Tim 3-4 –He Denies the Faith (2:20-25; 4:1-6) Key question: who is Jesus? –False Christian »Unction & knowledge Difference: Jesus Christ is God come in the flesh (4:2) –Christians under the direction of the Spirit of the truth –False Christians under the influence of the spirit of error –spirit of the antichrist True confession: Jesus is God come in flesh –Personal faith & witness from heart

7. False teachers will believe God, but denies Jesus –Deny Jesus, deny the Father »“Father and I are one” John 10:30 »That all men should honor, even as they honor the Father. He that honoreth not the Son honoreth not the Father which sent him.” (John 5:23) –Try the spirits, whether they are of God (I John 4: 1) »“Let the word of God abide in you (2:24) and abide in Christ (2:28) –He Tries to Deceive the Faithful (2:26-29)

8. False teachers focus on converting professing Christians & church members more than the lost sinners Seduce: being led astray –“Now the Spirit speaketh extremely, that in the latter times some shall depart from faith, giving heed to seducing spirits and doctrines of devils (I Tim 4:1) –Careful to distinguish the Scriptures »False teachers pick out of context Warning in II John about the false teachers –No Godspeed to them –Consequences »Seeds of false teaching in your mind

9. »Satan can water the seeds to bitter fruit »If given entrance, the deceiver will say to the neighbor who refuses entrance that the recent neighbor allow them –Bridge from fellowship to sonship (2:28-29) Abide –Believing the truth, obeying the truth, and loving the other Christians (brethren) –Out of fellowship: reasons »Disobeyed His Word »Lacked love for a brother »Believe a lie »Solution: confession (I John 1:9)

10. Appear (I John 2:28-3:3; 4:17) –Be judged for their faithfulness in serving Jesus (I Cor 3:10-12) »Rewards (4:5) –The judgment seat of Christ (Rom 14:10, II Cor 5:10) –Incentive to live in fellowship with Him and be obedient (3:2-3) Ashamed –“Ashamed before him at his coming” (2:28) –All believers are accepted, but not all are acceptable –Directions to obey God »Looking back he sees Calvary »Looking within he sees the Holy Spirit who lives within and teaches

11. »Looking around he sees Christian brothers and lost world needing his godly witness »Looking ahead he sees the return of Christ A person who professes to be a Christian who does not live in obedience, love, and truth is either deceived or deceiver –“As obedient children, not fashioning yourselves according to the former lusts in your ignorance: but as he which hath called you is holy, so be ye holy.” (I Peter 1:14-15) –“Therefore be imitators of God as beloved children (Ephesians 5:1 NASB) Does your life bear the marks of obedience, love, and truth?