Safe Until He Comes #1

Welcome to the Truth Pulpit with Don Green, Founding Pastor of Truth Community Church in Cincinnati, Ohio.

Hello, I'm Bill Wright. Thanks for joining us as we continue teaching God's people God's Word. Don begins a new message today, so without further delay, let's join him right now in the Truth Pulpit. Last time we looked at an extended passage, verses 12 through 23 of 1 John chapter 2, and we saw that there was a word of encouragement in that text in verses 12 to 14. John writing to believers and encouraging them with his inspired testimony that he knew that they were in the faith. And we see that the nature of true salvation and the nature and the intention of God for us is that we would know that we are truly saved. Chapter 5 verse 13, I've written these things so that you would know that you have eternal life. Now there are many voices in the broadly called Christian church that would deny the reality of the assurance of salvation. Those that say you can't know until you die whether you're going to heaven or not. Others saying you may be saved now, but you could sin in such a way that you would lose your salvation and God would take it away from you. And those frightening thoughts, those very unsettling thoughts can do nothing but take away confidence in a soul and replace it with fear and uncertainty about where do I really stand with God.

And those voices that you know are prominent elsewhere and again in the church very broadly speaking, leave people in a condition where they don't really know if they're saved or not. What we want to see here from 1 John is that God wants you to know, he intends for you to know, and it's part of the blessing of salvation that you would know that you have eternal life and therefore your heart can be at a settled peace and that there can be a serenity that fills your life and guides the way that you respond to all of life. And you know when you and I eventually approach death, whether it comes suddenly or over a long period of time, we can approach those final moments of life with an utter sense of confidence that the Lord who saved us in the past is going to complete what he began in us and usher us safely into heaven. Paul said for me to be absent from the flesh is to be at home in the Lord. And all of those things are grounded in the fact that we can know that we have salvation and that salvation is permanent, it's eternal life, and it is life once given that God does not take back.

The gifts and the calling of God are irrevocable, the Bible says. And so when he gives us salvation, he's given it to us forever, and he wants us to know that. And so there's this great word of encouragement in verses 12 to 14. And knowing from that is a commitment to holiness that God works in the hearts of the truly redeemed and that we are to act upon. John says, do not love the world nor the things in the world.

These things are passing, these things are from the devil. And so we need to resist and to overcome the remaining sin in our lives so that we would seek after holiness that is fitting in response to this great gift that God has given us. So he gives us salvation, he wants us to know what it is like, and we are then to work out our salvation with fear and trembling in the words of Philippians chapter 2. We know that we're saved, we're saved forever, and as a result of that we apply ourselves to grow in the grace and knowledge of the Lord Jesus Christ who saved us in the first place. So we confess sin, we repent of sin, we seek to grow in the knowledge of his word, to grow in personal holiness, all the while understanding that it's the Spirit of God who's working these things in us and through us and accomplishing this great work of perfecting our salvation.

Then we saw in the last section there, verses 18 through 23, it was a word of examination, a word that giving us discernment on how to tell true teachers from false teachers. And central in that is the nature of our confession of Jesus Christ, that Jesus Christ is God in human flesh, that he is fully equal with the Father, sharing the same essence that the Father does, and yet he came to earth, took on our humanity in order to give his life as a sacrifice for our sins. And raised from the dead, exalted on high, he's now Lord over all, and the gospel is proclaimed to sinners just like you and me that we are to repent and believe in the Lord Jesus Christ to find eternal life and to find the forgiveness of our sins. People, teachers, who deny the deity of Christ or teach other manner of false doctrine about him, they destroy the entire possibility of salvation because they're not holding out the true Savior to those who hear. And so it's important for us to have discernment and to examine what it is that we confess and what it is that we believe about the Lord Jesus Christ. I had someone tell me many years ago who does not see the things of Christ in the same way that we do here at Truth Community Church, and this person told me, said, I can't imagine that God would send me to hell because I have a wrong opinion about Jesus.

Well, I had the opportunity to say, well, that's exactly what God's going to do. You don't get to make up your own Jesus. You have to believe in the true Jesus to have a true salvation, otherwise you are still in your sins. A false Christ does not truly deliver you from your sins and the guilt and judgment that is upon you. And so, yes, what we believe about Christ is the most important aspect of who we are because it is the true Christ alone that saves us. There is no other name given under heaven by which we must be saved, and that name of Jesus is an expression of everything that he is, fully God, fully man in one person. And so, yes, we need to believe in the true Christ, and without that we are still in our sins.

With that little bit of review, we can move into tonight's text. John is writing because these false teachers were trying to draw the believers away. We saw that last time, and even in the text that we see here this evening, that right at the core of what John says is this concern for the effect of false teachers upon the true flock of God.

Look at verse 26 with me where he says, these things I have written to you concerning those who are trying to deceive you. There was this repeated effort that they were making to draw believers out of the church. The false teachers, from verse 19 we saw, they had left.

They had gone out on their own. They had abandoned the fellowship with true believers, thereby showing that they were never saved to begin with. And now, as it were, they were looking back into the true church and doing a dog whistle, trying to whistle people to follow them out of the church themselves. And so John's writing to protect the readers of his letter from that kind of dangerous, satanic, anti-Christ influence being expressed through human teachers. And so, in the midst of this battle, the question then becomes, well, how is it that ordinary believers like you and I, how are we going to thrive in such a hostile spiritual environment when discernment is so difficult and tricky at times, for lack of a better word?

Discernment is difficult. These false teachers are subtle. It says in 2 Corinthians chapter 11 that Satan can disguise himself as an angel of light for all the world. It looks like it's the true thing when actually it's just a satanic counterfeit. Jesus spoke about wolves who come to you in sheep's clothing and thereby look to destroy and devour the flock.

Do you see, my friends, how very important this is? It is so very critical for us to know what the truth is, to be able to recognize false teachers and to turn away from them so that we would be safe at the coming of Christ. And, you know, one of the marks Jesus said, if you abide in my word, you are truly disciples of mine. John chapter 8, verses 31 and 32, well, it's continuing in the truth of Christ that is a mark of a true Christian. And the one who leaves and abandons that shows that they were never saved in the first place. And scripture is filled with warnings about people who are terrors among the wheat, people who believe for a time and then fall away and thereby show that they were never saved. You know, all of this that I've said for these opening few minutes is enough to recognize that the stakes are very, very high here. It's very easy to go astray, and it leaves us wondering, it leaves us asking the question, well, how then do I, how do I pursue my perseverance in a way that would promote my spiritual safety?

What do I do? Well, in these five verses that I've read earlier, we're going to see three principles that you can, that you can look to and find where spiritual security is available for you. The wonderful thing about this is that I'm not, for those of you that have followed our teaching for any period of time at all, I'm not going to tell you anything new.

There's not anything secret here. These are the things that are open and available to every, every true Christian. You know, one thing that I'll say just as a very, very brief tangent. My friends, the letter of Jude says that the true faith has been handed once for all to the saints. And we are preaching, we are endeavoring to preach the same truth that has been preached for the last 500 years since the time of the Reformation, which was a recovery of the true gospel that, as it was first given to, given to the apostles. And so, so what, one of the things that you want to be careful about is, is to beware of someone who comes to you proclaiming that they have some kind of new teaching. After 2,000 years, they alone have the, have found and discovered the truth about justification and, or the church has gotten it all wrong, and Joseph Smith and the Mormons, you know, after 1,800 years saying God came to him in order to, to recover the truth once for all, and to give him new revelation to correct everything that had gone wrong.

Oh, my friends, that's, that's not the way to go. When you start to hear somebody saying, I've got it for the, I found something that everybody has missed, that's a sure indication that you should turn and walk away and not let that person have any influence on you. And so, all of that simply to say, that little tangent to say this, that what we are about to, to see from this text is familiar, and the very familiarity of it gives us a, a sense of confidence that this is the, the true path that God has given us to, to walk on.

So, let's look at this first thing. How are we going to, how are we going to know, how are we going to avoid the work of deceivers that are so constantly at work under their demonically inspired actions? How are we going to discern the truth so that we can walk in it and enjoy the, the joy, the holiness and assurance that God has for us? Well, point number one, you turn to Scripture. You turn to Scripture.

You see, faithfulness to Scripture is a hallmark of the true Christian. Look at verse 24 with me. John says, as for you, and, and he's drawing a contrast with those who deny Christ in verse 23.

Look at it there so you can pick up the contrast. Whoever denies the Son does not have the Father. The one who confesses the Son has the Father also. So he's, he's addressed false teachers, and now he says, as for you, here's what you need to do. He's talking, remember, he's talking to true Christians here, to the little children, to the fathers, to the young men who he knows have eternal life. He says, here's what you are to do as a true Christian.

Look at it there with me in verse 24. Let that abide in you which you heard from the beginning. The teaching which they heard from the beginning, the true gospel, that is what they are to cling to. That apostolic message that they had heard from the apostle John, that was what they were to cling to, not follow after other teachers who were introducing new things and contradicting what John had told them all along. And so John, as a representative of the apostolic circle, says, I came to you with apostolic teaching. You heard that from the very beginning of my ministry in your midst. This is what you've heard from the true apostles of Jesus Christ. He says, what you are to do then, as little children who are truly in Christ, you are to continue in that teaching which you heard from the beginning. So, yes, there are antichrists out there, there are false teachers, there are false prophets, but you who have been delivered into the truth by the saving work of Jesus Christ, applied to your heart by the Holy Spirit through the preaching of the true gospel, you stay with what you have known. Don't be itching after new things.

Don't be looking to have your ears tickled with every new thing that comes along. The mark of a true Christian is faithfulness to the scriptures that delivered them in the first place. And so, while the antichrists go after different things, you stick with that apostolic message. You see, my friend, the path of true Christian discipleship goes straight through the Word of God.

It does not bypass it to find other things. It does not add new revelation from all of the different cults that have come and gone and are still with us today in many cases. It's not things that are added to the scripture that open us up to a secret knowledge, a secret knowledge where the will of God is really found.

No, no, it's simple, it's straightforward, my beloved. It's right here in the 66 books of the English Bible. For those of us that speak English, it's right here in the four corners of this great book, this book above all books, this book of 66 books. It is right there that we find the revelation of God and we stay with it. 2 Timothy 3, all scripture inspired by God and profitable for teaching, for reproof, for correction, for training in righteousness so that the man of God may be adequate, equipped for every good work.

Well, don't you see that if you're equipped for every good work, you don't need anything in addition to it, anything beside it? Don't you see that scripture says in Psalm 19 the law of the Lord is perfect, restoring the soul? And so we don't need new revelation from subsequent teachers. We just need to focus on what we have received from the apostles of Jesus Christ.

And so that tells us where our foundation is. It tells us what will build us up and edify us. It's all coming from the pure milk of the word of God. And that's why the apostle Peter in 1 Peter 2 said to Christians, he said, as newborn babes long for the pure milk of the word. And so one of the ways, my friend, that you can grow in your salvation, whether you're a new young believer, you know, maybe you're a young woman just entering into your teen years and you're fresh with the knowledge that Christ has saved you, well, I want to tell you that the word of God is the means that he will use to keep you for the next 60 years of your life.

And what a blessing for you to have found this so early in your life. Maybe you're a mature seasoned saint and you've been around for a few decades and you're established and you're mature and you're not, you know, you're not tempted away by error. Well, even for you, my friend, my respected esteemed friend, even for you, even for you, the word of God is still your path forward is also what you heard in the beginning. Let that abide in you.

In other words, continue in it. Stay with the program because it is the word of God that he uses to ensure our well-being and our protection through the entirety of our Christian lives. And there are so many things that would make us esteem and revere the word of God. It is God's word after all.

It's survived for thousands of years. Men have shed their blood over it. We've received scripture, as it were, with blood-stained pages, a man like Patrick Hamilton who was the first martyr in Scotland. I hope to preach on him one day soon.

And others like him that rather than deny the word of God, rather than deny the true gospel, they chose instead to endure miserable, horrible executions because they wouldn't deny this truth. You know, that's how precious this is, and that's the heritage that we have received here in the 21st century. Well, in addition to all of those things that make the word of God wonderful, we find that it's also the word of God that sustains us and directs us and provides the guardrails, so to speak, for our spiritual lives that ensures our security all the way through until we go to heaven. Do you see how precious God's word is?

Do you see why it should be the most precious book of all to the affections of your heart? John says, in order to avoid the deceivers, as for you, let what you've heard from the beginning abide in you, the apostolic message, the truth as we've received it from the apostles of Jesus Christ. And so, for those who abide like that, there's all kinds of promises that are set forth for us here. Look at verse 24. He says, if what you heard from the beginning abides in you, you also will abide in the Son and in the Father. You will participate in the life of God himself. You will fellowship with the very life of God. This is what John said at the very opening of his book in chapter 1, verse 3.

Look at that with me. He said, what we have seen and heard, we proclaim to you also. Again, this apostolic word that was given to them, this apostolic word that he's proclaiming, and what is the outcome of it?

What is the result of it? So that you too may have fellowship with us, and indeed our fellowship is with the Father and with his Son, Jesus Christ. John says, I want you to have an experiential participation in the life of God, which God gives us of his very life when he saves us. The Holy Spirit himself comes to indwell us. What John is saying in this letter is, is that I want you to know that to the full.

I want you to live this out. It's the place of joy. It's the place of holiness.

It's the place of assurance. And as you abide in the scripture, my friend, that's what God promises to you, is that your earthly life would be marked by the supremacy of this spiritual life that is the true birthright of every true Christian. And the means by which that is sustained in us is through the very Word of God himself. You know, if I could just say a word to those of you that are maybe feeling a little spiritually dry, maybe you're struggling, you know, maybe you've just really gotten cold and indifferent. That happens sometimes. Well, it's quite possible, if not quite likely, that if you looked back at your life over the recent weeks and months, wouldn't you find, I'm sure some of you, if not most of you in that condition, you would find that you've strayed away from the Word of God.

It's not a regular part of your life, let alone a daily part of your life. You might show up on Sunday when we were meeting. You might show up on Sundays, but, you know, your love for the Word of God, you've let it grow cold. Well, let me invite you back to the Word of God. And as a believer, you know, you don't have to stay in that stale condition. The Word of God is ever living, ever fresh, ever flowing with its clear, healthy water to refresh your soul. And, you know, over the years, you know, as I've kind of gone through my own spiritual ups and downs, you know, when I found myself in those dry places to come back to God's Word, you know what I've found every time without exception, is that God was swift to bless my soul again as I came back to God's Word and started reading it with a fresh hunger, with that fresh desire that we alluded to from Peter.

That's what's available to you in your stale condition. Just come back to the Word of God. Make it a priority.

Open it up. Tonight, before you go to bed, start with the Gospel of John, or start with a psalm, a short one like Psalm 100, and just let God minister to you through his Word. And in that way, resume your abiding in Christ by abiding in his Word. And the promise that God gives is that you'll share in that knowledge of the fellowship, the participation in his very life. John goes on and expands the promise even further when he says there in verse 25, he says, this is the promise which he himself made to us, eternal life. And it's important for us to understand what is actually promised to us in Scripture. What exactly is the promise of the Christian life?

Well, we've said these things in so many different ways so many times, but it bears repetition yet again. We need to build our hope on what God has actually said to us in his Word rather than what we wish he had said to us in our carnal preferences, the unsanctified aspects of our thinking. You know, God has not promised to us earthly prosperity. He has not promised personal fulfillment to us.

It is not the salvation of your loved ones that God has even promised to you. None of those things are guaranteed to us as individual believers. We may be fulfilled in life.

That would be wonderful. We may experience material blessings at the hand of God. We may see our loved ones come to Christ. But those are not central to the promise.

There are many Christians who go through life and those aspects of existence are rather foreign to them. I know some of you grieve over your loved ones who are not in Christ, and you're almost at the edge of despair, wondering if they ever will, after all these decades, come to Christ as you continue to pray for them. Well, let's step away from those external aspects of life and external aspects of reality and remember what it is that God has promised to us. He's promised here, it says in verse 25, what he's promised to us is eternal life. Well, your earthly desires may not come to pass, but the promise is eternal life and that's independent of those earthly desires. God promises to us spiritual blessings in Christ. To speak of eternal life is to speak of the knowledge of God, to know the living God in Jesus Christ whom he has sent, to know the forgiveness of your sins and to have the security that it will go well for you on Judgment Day.

It's the hope of future glory, the promise that one day we will see Christ face to face and we will be like him because we will see him as he is. And in the meantime, while we wait to know this one of superlative excellence as it's set forth in the book of Hebrews, he who is greater than angels, greater than Old Testament priests, who gave a sacrifice that was greater than the Old Testament sacrifices and surpassing in every possible dimension that you could ever think of, you can know this Christ and know him personally and you can know that you belong to him and you can know that he loves you. You can know that he gave himself up for you on the cross of Calvary. And as we grow in that which is known as Reformed doctrine, we understand that Christ died for us particularly. My Christian friend, he died for you by name. There's a sense in which, I can't fully explain this or understand it, but there's a sense in which as he bore our sins on the cross, somehow in the infinity of his person, he was thinking of us, he was considering us because he was dying as a direct substitute for our sins. Well, that's magnificent. That is magnificent. That is of such a high exalted noble character to know that one of such majestic worth as Jesus Christ thought of us in his darkest hour on the cross. And as he bore the wrath of God, he bore it for you, my Christian friend.

He bore it for me. Well, my friend, just before we close today's broadcast, I just wanted to give a special word of greeting and thanks to the many people that listen to our podcast internationally. It's remarkable to me. The last report that I saw listed 83 different countries that in one way or another are listening to us. And I just want to send a special word of thanks to those of you that are in lands that are distant from my own home here in the United States.

You know, we've seen people from every continent except maybe Antarctica and people from countries like Ireland and Australia and Singapore, Canada, the UK, India, I have friends in all of those countries. And whether you've met me face to face or whether you only know me as a voice through your favorite device, I just want to say God bless you. Thank you for your interest in the word of God and may the spirit of God work deeply in your heart as you continue to study God's word. Thank you for being with us. Thank you for your prayers. God bless you. My prayers and love are with you as well. And we'll see you next time on The Truth Pulpit. That's Don Green, founding pastor of Truth Community Church in Cincinnati, Ohio. Thank you so much for listening to The Truth Pulpit. Join us next time for more as we continue teaching God's people God's word.