Lesson 4
Prayer:
Heavenly Father, we come before You again to study Your word. We pray that You will speak to us through the pages of scripture. We pray for illumination and enlightenment by the Holy Spirit. We pray for eyes to see and ears to hear, in Jesus’ name, Amen.
1 John 2: 12-29, do not love the world
VV 12-14, 12 I write to you, little children, Because your sins are forgiven you for His name’s sake. 13 I write to you, fathers, Because you have known Him who is from the beginning. I write to you, young men, Because you have overcome the wicked one. I write to you, little children, Because you have known the Father. 14 I have written to you, fathers, Because you have known Him who is from the beginning. I have written to you, young men, Because you are strong, and the word of God abides in you, And you have overcome the wicked one.
John wrote to three categories of people, little children in the faith, new believers, fathers in the faith, mature believers, and young men in the faith, those in between the two extremes. He commended them because their sins were forgiven, they knew Christ, they had overcome satan, they were strong in the faith, and they knew the word of God.
VV 15-17, 15 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. 16 For all that is in the world, the lust of the flesh, the lust of the eyes, and the pride of life, is not of the Father but is of the world. 17 And the world is passing away, and the lust of it; but he who does the will of God abides forever.
Greek for love in all of 1 John is “agape”, which means the divine love of God for people. Greek for world is “kosmos”, which means the earth. We do not love or be too attached to the things of the world. Our real citizenship is heaven although we are living on earth. Greek for passing away is “parago”, which means disappear. This world will disappear soon as Jesus’ second coming is imminent. The lust of the flesh speaks of the desires of the flesh. The lust of the eyes speaks of covetousness. The pride of life speaks of arrogance. Satan tempted Jesus on these on the Mount of temptation but Jesus overcame them by the word of God. Satan tempted Jesus to satisfy his hunger by changing stones to bread, (the lust of the flesh), showed Him the Kingdom of the world and bow down to him, (lust of the eyes), and defy God by jumping off the pinnacle of the temple (pride of life).
V 18, 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.
John warned his audience and us about the imminent second coming of Christ and the coming of the Antichrist onto the world scene. The Antichrist is a ruthless dictator who will rule the earth during the last seven years of world history called the tribulation. He is also called the beast, the man of lawlessness, and the man of perdition.
VV 19-23, 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. 20 But you have an anointing from the Holy One, and you know all things. 21 I have not written to you because you do not know the truth, but because you know it, and that no lie is of the truth. 22 Who is a liar but he who denies that Jesus is the Christ? He is an antichrist who denies the Father and the Son. 23 Whoever denies the Son does not have the Father either; he who acknowledges the Son has the Father also.
They who “went out from us, but we’re not of us”, speaks of the false heretic gnostic teachers. The anointing of the Holy Spirit should enable Christians to discern truth from lies. Anyone who denies Jesus as the Christ, and the Father as God is an antichrist. Whoever denies Christ, denies the Father. Whoever acknowledged Christ, acknowledged the Father.
V 24, Therefore let that abide in you which you heard from the beginning. If what you heard from the beginning abides in you, you also will abide in the Son and in the Father.
John encouraged his disciples and us to abide in Christ and in the Father.
VV 25-27, 25 And this is the promise that He has promised us, eternal life. 26 These things I have written to you concerning those who try to deceive you. 27 But the anointing which you have received from Him abides in you, and you do not need that anyone teaches you; but as the same anointing teaches you concerning all things, and is true, and is not a lie, and just as it has taught you, you will abide in Him.
We have the promise of eternal life from Christ. John warned his audience and us not to be deceived by the false teachings of the heretic gnostic teachers. If we abide in Christ His anointing on us reveals and teaches us all things.
VV 28-29, 28 And now, little children, abide in Him, that when He appears, we may have confidence and not be ashamed before Him at His coming. 29 If you know that He is righteous, you know that everyone who practices righteousness is born of Him.
John encouraged his audience and us to abide in Christ and to have confidence in His second coming because. Christ is righteous and those who practice righteousness are His children.
Application:
We are not to hold too tightly to the things of the world because we do not belong to the world. We are not immortal and the world will not last forever. Our real citizenship is heaven. One day, we will be with Christ in heaven until eternity. Our years of earthly existence are insignificant compared to eternity. We are to invest in the things of the kingdom that will last into eternity.
Prayer:
Heavenly Father, we confessed that we are sinners. We pray for forgiveness of sins and obedience to Your calling. Help us not to cling on tightly to the things of the world but cling to the things of the kingdom. We pray for kingdom perspective, in Jesus’ name, Amen.
