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Might be helpful to just quickly outline this section that we've read.
Verse 12 he writes to the children. I think Bill pointed out to us the other day that the word little shouldn't shouldn't be there. It's the whole family of God. And again in verse 28, it should be just children. In those two verses 12 and 28, it embraces the three classes that are mentioned in verse 13, which are the.
Fathers, the young men and the little children.
And then again in verse 14 he writes to the fathers and in the middle of the verse.
To the young man, and in verse 18 to the little children.
So you have.
The same thing said to the fathers both times. And then there's an expansion of what is said to the young men and much more of an expansion to the little children at the end of the chapter. And then he goes back in verse 28 to the whole family of God under the term children.
That's helpful to see that he starts out with what is characteristically true of all the family of God that your sins are forgiven you for his name safe verse 12. That's a common portion for all of us and.
Then going and then in verse 28 And now children abide in Him, and when He shall appear, we may have confidence and not be ashamed before Him. It is coming if you know that He is righteous.
You know that everyone that doeth righteousness is born of him. So righteousness is one of those characteristic features of the family of God.
Fathers, I write unto you, Fathers, in the 13th verse because you have known Him, that is from the beginning, and then in the 14th verse I have written unto you, Fathers, because he have known him, that he's from the beginning. I believe that's a little warning that we should remain in the simplicity of the truth. All feared for those that.
Torrent that they would be fired from the simplicity that is in Christ.
Sometimes with a desire to get perhaps some kind of deeper knowledge, which has happened that some they've gone beyond revelation and started to speculate and you can't go beyond the revelation that God has given as to the person and work of the Lord Jesus. I think that's very important. There is always that danger. I think as we get older possibly that we would go beyond what God has revealed.
His Word. So the truth of God we made. And so at the day of Pentecost the Spirit of God came down. We have the truth of Christianity brought before us. There's no progress beyond that which God gave from the beginning. That is, the Canon of Sister was complete. And let us beware of speculation. The silence of Scripture is often just as important as what the Scripture has said.
No progress, John, but I can't go any higher than him. That was from the beginning. Fathers would take in all who would speak of the sisters as well as the brothers who are in this position, in their state of soul, who have grown to the point that Christ is everything to them. I believe we have the sense of it in the Song of Songs, where she has been brought along after.
Some experience.
And in the 4th chapter, the bridegroom says to her in verse 8, come with me. And the thought is look from the top of a mana. Well, there's three things there. But the man is what I have in mind and it means constantly she has her eyes fixed upon him now and the experience did it. I believe this speaks with Speaking of fathers, those who are full grown in.
Things with the Lord perfect, as it's mentioned sometimes in the epistle. I think Timothy speaks of that. It just means that you've taken hold that Christ is the theme and Christ is the subject, and he's all. And that's a lovely thought because all can attain for that, all could reach it. It's a lovely thing when Christ becomes everything.
I think often the worst errors that have come into the Church of God.
Has been come to those who have known the truth for some time perhaps, but wanted to bring out something new, perhaps something somewhat spectacular and they go beyond that which is written perhaps over applying some type or something that simplicity as to the truth of God and never going beyond what God has revealed.
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Because the Lord Jesus is always the same. The truth is the same.
When they asked the Lord about marriage, he goes right back to what God established at the beginning and God thoughts of sin as to the person of Christ as to the work of Christ is the very same as what God revealed when the truth of Christianity was brought out. It was to the apostles and prophets of the New Testament. Interesting that.
Verse 13 What characterizes the Father's knowledge of him? That is from the beginning. That's Christ as He was down here.
As a man, what characterizes the young men is that they've overcome the wicked one. That's the enemy. And what characterizes the little children or the babes in the family is that they've known the father. They can cry, have a father. That's the first cry of a little child, isn't it? Have a father. And so there's the knowledge of the father with the with the children. I think it's very instructive if you get to the end of the chapter.
And how so much that is addressed to the to the little children?
Those who are the youngest in the family, and yet they are responsible to maintain the truth as to the person of Christ and to recognize the Antichrist and the false prophets. There are particular dangers, I suppose, at certain stages of life. And so in writing to the young man, he says particularly in the 14th verse, I have written unto you young men, because you are strong and the word of God.
Abideth in you, and ye have overcome the wicked ones. Love not the world, neither the things that are in the world. Any man love the world. The love of the Father is not in him. And how often they have been of those who have started out very well, very diligent and earnest, and then some sneer and pitfall in regard to the world and what the world has to offer has come in.
And maybe afterwards, as our brother was saying, they might be restored, but there could be a lot of lost time.
And so there's nothing so important as youth and as youth and when we make those really important decisions that often affect the whole of the rest of our lives and the world makes a great attraction. I believe our brother Erisman said that.
In the different lusts that are mentioned here, we're always within the world. The lust of the flesh and the lust of the eyes and the pride of life made this comment that I thought it was very practical.
That in use the particular danger was the lust of the flesh. In middle life the particular danger, the lust of the eyes, and in old age the particular danger, the pride of life. So that I think we all perhaps experience this in some way, that there is a great snare and youth of the lust of the flesh even must those of us who are older can look back. But then in middle life perhaps there's a feeling that we.
Somewhere we're settled in a nice job, we have a nice home, we're sort of feeling out security, and it's the last of the eyes. We looked out on a certain position that we may have gained a nice home, a nice job, and so on. And that becomes a danger that it occupies us in those very important years when we might be so helpful to God's people. We become occupied with those things that are really the lust of the eyes.
Then perhaps he he get older.
There's a feeling, well, I've come somewhere and there's a danger of pride in those things we shared as we grow older, be more humble because we've had more experiences that ought to have taught us that the flash prophet is nothing. So what ought to characterize us as we get older is humility. And so I believe that what he said was very helpful, and I think it's in line with the expectations that are given here for those different stages.
Of life. But all that's all that's in the 15th, 16th and 17th verses are in that section addressed to the young men. They have overcome the world because they are strong. The word of God abideth in them. We don't have the word of God abiding in us if we're not in the scriptures.
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We're not going to have the strength that it alone can impart to the soul, and we will be overcome by these things that are in the world. The lust of the flesh, the lust of the eyes, the pride of life.
The only safeguard is the strength that comes to the soul through feeding on Christ and the precious Word of God. They they have the Word of God and they are in the Word of God. It abides in them. It's not enough to just read a chapter or two and then go away and forget what we've read. It has to abide in us. We have to take it in. We heard that yesterday.
You have to take it in and it has to become a very part of us, and if it's not abiding in US, we don't have that strength. That is mentioned in verse 14.
There is a warfare and we do have the strength. That's the thought of the he speaks to the young men. But I believe it's all of us that's been there is the the Trinity of evil. There's a flesh in the world and the devil and it works against us all the time. And it's publicist us that brings it in the Lutz, which is publicist us and it's spoken especially here the second time.
He speaks to the young man, He adds that one thought. You are strong, Word of God abides in you, You know, overcome and so with this warfare.
They have what they need. It's what the Lord used and all the temptations against him in Luke four was the word of God, and that's what we need. We can resist all things with this crisis words. And I was thinking as it's described in Timothy, I think it's first Timothy.
6th chapter. It brings this in. First of all, in verse eight, it gives us something we need to take hold of. Having food and raiment. Let us be there with contempt. That's just the opposite.
Lust and covetousness, but they that will be rich fall into temptation.
And the snare, and in the many foolish and skirtful love which drown men in destruction and position. For the love of money is the root of all evil. It's coveted nuts, which while some coveted, after they have heard from the faith, and pierced themselves through with many sorrows, the Thou, O man of God, flee these things.
And follow after righteousness, godliness, faith, love, patience, meekness. Fight the good fight of faith.
Lay hold on eternal life, whereunto thou art also fall, etc. Well, the thought of it is we have that faith, we have the Word of God and we have the enemy and the warfare. But young men, you've overcome because the Word abides in you the correctest truth and we all need it. We all have this temptation coming to us. Often we not say the whole world system operates.
These things now that's what came in the IT says the three was pleasant to the eyes. A tree desired to make one wise good for food. So we have the three lusts there and when they're presented to Adam, the natural man, why he falls in every one of them. He wants that. He wanted it because of those three fans.
The enemy comes with those three things to our blessed Savior. He presents to Him.
Turn stones into bread, the lust of the flesh tells them all the kingdoms of the world and the glory of them at the lust of the eyes and them wants him to jump down from the pinnacle of the temple. That's the pride of life, showing that you can accomplish some great feast. And so the Lord Jesus answered everyone, as you said, by the word of God. And that's the only way that we can meet these temptations and the world still.
Some of those 3 principles, Every advertisement appeals to one or more of those lusts and we do have to watch against them constantly. But there is a path for us.
It has been said that the Lord Jesus walked in that path. There's a path through this world where Satan can't touch us, and that path was the path in which the Lord Jesus walked. By the word of thy lips have I kept me from the path of the destroyer.
I always thought it was well illustrated in the children progress.
Where Christian comes along a certain spot and the lions roar at him, and he's greatly afraid. But he consults the chart that was given to him, the weight of the Celestial City, and he finds that that was going to take place, that there was a spot where he had to go through with all these lions roaring around him. But he found that there was a path marked right through.
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And that the lions were tied and they couldn't touch him as long as he stayed on that path. And I thought that was a very nice illustration. There is a path, brethren, through this world. It's full of temptation, but there's a path. That's the path in which the Lord Jesus walked. You're in the family of God. We possess that eternal life. We have power to walk in that path. Provision is made if we fail. But there is power to walk in that path. And I think it's.
Beautifully brought out because, and I think the reason it's addressed to the young man is because it's the decisions that we make so often in those important stages of life that affect the whole of our lives and our usefulness, whether it's going to be in use or in old age or what. So often there's that formative time. Sometimes said I can quote diversity of the day. It isn't because I learned it yesterday.
It's while we're young that we can take in the precious Word of God and store our minds with it.
And they'll be a blessing to us all through life. This verse loved, not the world. What does that mean to you? What does that mean to your soul? What is the world? It's used three ways in Scripture and one way. It's the place where we live, this world we're living in the world. We're in the world. We're not of it. Well, it doesn't mean that.
It doesn't mean we're not to love this planet Earth.
It's not what's meant here. It also is used for mankind.
God so loved the world that he gave His only begotten Son. That's all mankind. God loved all men.
We loved all of his creation.
It doesn't mean that we are to love the world in the sense of reaching out to them and preventing Christ to them. But the third meaning is what it means. It's a vast system of things that man has built up.
Around himself, away from the Lord, to make himself feel comfortable.
And happy without God. That's what the world is. The world has something for every taste, for every appetite. If you like sports, the world has it. If you like education, the world has it. If you like politics, the world has it. If you like.
Social things. The world has it. The world has something for every taste, but it wants its. It wants its.
Arena of things, its assortment of things by itself, away from God. Cain went out from the presence of the Lord and builded a city, and the city is the concentration of all man's efforts and all that he can build up for himself and for his own glory.
Away from God, outside of the presence of the Lord, That's the world. That's what we're not to love.
You're not to love this vast system of things that man has built up independent of God without God. Not wanting God to intrude into his into his life and to join hands with the ungodly to promote that system of things is wicked. For the Christian love, not the world.
It's put in contrast with the Father. We have three enemies.
Right, Satan. And the opponent, of course, is Christ.
We have the flesh, and the opponent is the Spirit, and we have the world, and the opponent is the Father.
We belong to the Father's world. We belong to another scene where Christ is entered.
And he says in John 15, If the world hates you, you know that it hated me before it hated you.
If you were of the world, the world would love his own, but because you are not of the world, but I have chosen you out of the world.
Therefore the world hated you, and now they both seen and hated both me and my Father. So the world hates Christ, the world hates the Father, the world hates us. Strange that we should love it then, isn't it? Strange that we should love that which has turned Him out and rejected Him, He who is everything to us? And that, I believe, is why it says in the 5th chapter this epistle. This is the victory that overcometh the world, our faith.
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Who is he that overcometh the world, but he that believeth that Jesus is the Son of God?
Well, there He's the one they won't have. The world won't have the Son of God, and yet our faith is in Him.
That overcomes the world nation chapter one and verse four. In fact, verse three at the end of it, our Lord Jesus Christ who gave Himself for our sins, that He might deliver us from the present evil world according to the will of God our Father.
Whom be glory forever and ever. Amen. He is speaking there of this evil world.
Satan's domain under his power right now in his rule. But you notice in our verse 15.
Love not the world.
And you know, if you have any of the world as your goal and your heart, it'll take you away from Christ. It'll take you away what from what's precious?
Paul said demons have forsaken me, having loved the present world, not the evil world. You know, some say, well, I don't want that wicked nut and that sinful nut that's running rampant now, but they want the world and it'll take you and take your heart.
Because you're right there where Satan's power can exert itself against the flesh, and the flesh is so easily drawn in. Demas means popular. I believe that's the danger.
You're popular with those of this world, you're in danger because they hate your Savior, they hate Christ, they hate your Lord. And I believe it's just the thought of the world and the things that are in it, not so much the evil and the wickedness. The children of God don't always just go after that. If you go after things down here, that takes your heart away.
Away from what's really important. The treasures up there was right important the last part of the 15th verse in this connection.
Where it speaks about the love of the Father.
You think we need to meditate on this point rather than because it's in the major that we are in the enjoyment of the love of the Father, that the love of the world is not going to have any place. And I think that is right been brought out in what was said about Adam and Eve in the 1St place. It was a doubt that was sowed in his mind as to the goodness of the heart.
That caused her to fall for these the lust of the flesh.
The three was good to eat of, and the other temptations as well. And it was that which prevented too. We could say prevented, but it was that which characterized the Lord Jesus living ever.
The enjoyment of the love of the Father, unbroken fellowship with his Father, that unbroken stream of the enjoyment of the love of of his Father that made those temptations from the devil so useless, so totally useless. And so if we are enjoying the love of the Father, his brethren, the love of the world is not going to have.
The fashion, that's the big word, isn't it? And the retail industry.
What is fashionable that's what passing away for those in our faith and the Son of God, the world in his flopper passing away, but he that does the will of God fight it forever, the Lord Jesus Christ and answering the enemy repeatedly.
As it's going out quoted the word of God, man shall not live by bread only, but of every word that proceeds out of God's mouth. So if we have the word of fighting in US, the world that has been said has no attraction.
And it passes away, but in doing the will of God, nobody.
And do any more than the will of God the Lord Jesus Christ, when he was going up to Jerusalem, that his face is a Flint to go.
Who much so does Americans disused him so that a man who is pursuing the will of God knows that he is going to doing that with God with having to do obedience. The word of God cannot be deferred or turn aside. World passes away and.
Seek a place true in the religious world. It's very easy for the heart to do that, and the enemy can set that attraction before us. Remember when the Lord Jesus was going to go up to Jerusalem? His brethren said, If thou do these things, show thyself to the world.
But there's no man that doeth anything in secret but himself desireth to be known openly.
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There wasn't one motive that governs the heart of the natural man that governed the heart of the Lord Jesus. He did everything. He didn't even speak a word without his Father telling him what to say. The tone of his voice was always perfect. And I believe it's important because you can hardly pick up a book in the religious world about us that doesn't give some exaltation to the man who wrote it at the beginning.
How it is that the whole character of Christianity to do such a thing? If the truth of God, brethren, doesn't humble us, we haven't learned it in the right way. That's why it says the man thinketh, and he knoweth anything. He knoweth nothing yet as he ought to know it.
How could we learn the truth of God and the glorious person of Christ and what he has done for us without being humbled, but to get exalted because we can write a good book or something and we so we won a place in the religious world. If one man said I wanted to be a great man in the world before I was saved, but afterwards I wanted to be a great man in the Church of God and I had to learn that both were wrong.
And I believe it's very important for us.
Is gathered to the name of the Lord Jesus that we should walk humbly valuing the precious truth that has been committed to us, but having right principles to govern our lives. Otherwise the enemy can creep in and pride in our hearts. Knowledge or something like this of how beautiful it is here. Either do it. The will of God applied us forever. That's the only thing in your life and mine that is going to abide that.
According to the will of God, and that was in perfection in the Lord Jesus, in his pathway here, the one that Jesus thought to magnify, to glorify was the Father. Wasn't himself 118 times to get the Father mentioned in John's Gospel and he says prophetically in the 5th chapter.
I am coming my father's name, and you receive me none.
They didn't want that father's name.
Then he says prophetically, if another shall come in his own name, him ye will receive. Now that's the Antichrist we have in our chapter here, and we're getting close to that time. We're already in the last time in this chapter, in this epistle, but we're going to the last days of the last time when this great man, he might even be alive today, this Antichrist.
Will rise up, speaking great things, magnifying himself.
What's going to happen?
Nationally, but you are going to receive him.
Well, that's the character of the world.
And if you want to be great in the world, you have to say big things about yourself. But.
Jesus is the one to follow and as he.
Magnified the Father, not Himself. So we are set here, the magnifying strength and the more we magnify Christ, the more we will be subjected down here in this world. Just a thought for the young people and perhaps children or others who may get the wrong impression, our brother Hendrick said. There is that aspect of the world that God loved every Sinner in it, and there is the aspect of the world that this planet.
We look at it that way, we shouldn't be callous or indifferent to that aspect.
It's the creative wonder that we should not overlook and feel that we shouldn't enjoy.
Christ did it all, the Son of God created it all, and the heavens, I declare the heavens declare his glory and the permanent handiwork. And I was thinking that aspect of it we're not trying to say is not wonderful and glorious and we should always stand in awe of it. Sin and Satan has not been able to ruin it all.
And I marvel as I travel to see it. I just want to mention one little thing. It's Deuteronomy 33, the blessing to Joseph. And when he said these things, and I believe it's what we should take into account, this is not the aspect of the world in that sense we're talking about verse 14. He says the precious fruit of the sun and the precious things put forth by the moon, and the chief things of the ancient mountains.
The precious things of the lasting hills, and the precious things of the earth and the fullness thereof. And as I mentioned this, there is a wonderful testimony, as Psalm 19 brings in, of our Savior in His creative wonder. The world is not sense, brethren. Let us stand in awe of it and enjoy it. That is not the world we're Speaking of.
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We're Speaking of the world that Satan has taken over by sin.
And it's the dollar diabolical influence that pervades this whole scene. Now in a commercial sense, in the social sense and in every sense, it attracts a place what the world as Christ created is the Son of God created. It is wonderful. There's another verse that says those that use the world as not abusing it or the fashion of this world passes away.
For not possessing it as our own.
So we're very glad of this room that's so pleasant to sit in, of these lights that light the room. We use them. But if we get taken up with this, it just becomes a central thought in our lives. By then it's all spoiled. But we're very thankful that God has given to man the ability.
To use certain things that tend to use by the believers so that we can pick up the things of this world and use them for. To be careful that we don't abuse them, but abusing them. We're thankful. So if we have, as you said, the whole created scene, the intelligence God has given man, which we can use without setting our hearts upon it, but how wonderful it is that we know the one who is going to set everything right in another day.
For all the creation will be.
Properly used, think of the time when every man will sit down under his own vine and fig tree and enjoy all the provision that God has made in a way that God intended. Brother sent me yesterday.
About the three spoilers.
Of our fellowship.
Three M's. I want to pass it on to you.
Money, our mansions and our marriages. I was just commenting to him and he made this comment to me. I was commenting to him that I had the privilege of attending a Christian marriage on the way back from Canada and it really delighted my heart. It was simplicity.
No fanfare, nothing put on, just.
Two precious souls, husband and wife, uniting together.
Letting themselves to one another, pledging themselves in faithfulness to each other.
Without all the frills that so often attach to the ceremony.
Presently have gotten just like the world.
Just like the world in some of these things.
Since we sing as pilgrims will give us pilgrims ways.
May God help us to hold lightly for the things here.
Can only live.
In a room at a time.
And let's keep simple young persons just a practical word.
When you get married.
Order your life so that the husband's salary.
Will take care of the mortgage and the food and everything else, and the wife can stay home and attempt to the children where she belongs.
One of the greatest snares of the enemy is that both have to work in order to keep up the huge payments that they have committed themselves to because they have bought what they can't afford.
God give us that wisdom, that contentedness with starting out very, very small and as the Lord provides to move on, don't overload yourself. Don't try to keep up with the Joneses. Don't get into the current of the world's thoughts. Don't love it. But keep simple and you'll be happy.
Pay him into that. Another thought. Scripture says we are to be charged with the cares of this world but not overcharged. In what you're Speaking of is those that are becoming overcharged.
And the serious problem is.
In In please ask these five, he says He that loveth silver. Verse 10 is not satisfied with silver, nor he that loveth abundant with the increase. This is also vanity. When goods and creeps, they are increased that eat them, and what good is there to the owners thereof, save the beholding of them with their eyes?
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The problem is.
When they want things that are beyond their means, that take the double income, but they never go back to where they should be. In the beginning, they are increased with the increase of good. And then Solomon goes on to say riches kept for the owners. They're up to their hurt and it really does hurt the family and the couple and all. So I agree with that. It's a solemn problem.
It is a problem affecting almost all. Well, the word of God says having food and clothing. Let us be there with content.
That first time but.
Men abused what was given to them.
Of Adam and Eve in the garden.
They had everything there wasn't. Money helped the world with about what was there. All of it was given to them.
The trees belong to them.
But they made a wrong use of those trees to hide from God. And how many of us are hiding from God behind big trees of our own making?
What we have a desire for, we have a desire to get, we have. And behold, So I think that example, the first one I have in the Bible, would bear out what we're having here this afternoon. That's how often the one for different things hide from our view 1000 blessings. And that is we're always reaching out.
My brother mentioned this afternoon we're reaching out to what has been forbidden, thinking that we must have it, but unless God has given it to us.
Why it's only going to be a hindrance and a snare you do read in first Timothy chapter 6 charge them that are rich in this world not to be high minded, but to be ready to distribute willing to communicate and we thank God for those whom God has saved who have had plenty and have sought to use what God gave them and precious books that we have the result of that these men had means so that they.
Have these books printed and saw that they're in our hands so we can be thankful. God does sometimes trust people with riches and He doesn't tell them necessarily to give it all away, but to use it for Him. I remember there was a young person who was saved and had a fair amount of means, and she thought she'd like to give the whole thing to the Lord. And she spoke to one of the brothers and the brothers said well.
If you give it all to the brethren, you will make them the responsible stewards for what you have. You're the responsible steward now that you're saved, and you can use what you have as his steward. And she did, and she's been a very useful person and needed what God had given to her too, in her pathway. So we need wisdom from the Lord. The important thing rather than is to be good stewards, both of the manifold grace of God.
Of the spiritual things that are given to us, and also of the material things, there have been more hindrance to the Christian testimony by an misuse of material things and perhaps any other thing. And I believe that's why it says in the 16th chapter of Luke, it says that if we're not faithful in the unrighteous mammon, who will commit to your trust the true riches and those who have?
Sought to communicate the true riches, the gospel, but in their personal lives have been unfaithful with the unrighteousness.
Have spoiled their testimony. And so I believe that there's a warning to us to be careful with what God has given to us and to use it. We don't have to give it all away, but to use it faithfully as God has given it to us. Well, I think there's a perfect balance in the word of God as to everything in our Christian life. And we're very thankful for those who perhaps have a large home and are using that large home for the Lord.
And are able to gather in the Saints and be a real encouragement, and the world passeth away, and the lust thereof. But he that doeth the will of God abideth forever. Pass on a statement. I think he was Jim Elliot that made it. He is no fool that.
Gives up what he cannot keep.
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To gain what he cannot lose. We can't keep these things.
We can't keep them.
And if we use them for ourselves?
We're misusing them.
Everything spent needlessly on myself is a waste.
They said about the Lord Jesus, Judas said, and the others joined him when.
Mary poured upon the Lord Jesus that costly ointment. For what purpose is this waste?
We never waste when we spend our time, our energies, our money.
On the Lord's things we never waste, when we spend them on ourselves, that's a waste. But the way the carnal man reasons, just the opposite, isn't it Just the opposite? So may we have him before us? It's interesting when our brother is saying tennis is all about this latter part being addressed to the babes in the family of God, and yet it says in the 20th verse, you have an unction from the Holy One and we know all things.
And then again in the 27th verse, but the anointing which he have received of him.
Abideth in you, and you need not that any man teach you, but as the same anointing teacheth you of all things, and his truth, and is no lie.
Even as it hath taught you, ye shall abide in Him. He's been talking about the spirit of the world and the spirit of Antichrist.
And I believe a simple believer will often detect what is wrong just by that. You'll see that this thing is wrong because it's used for the exaltation of man. And it sometimes made the comment that you can make a simple test of any doctrine presented. I asked him just one question. Does this line of teaching does it doesn't exist man, or does it exalt Christ?
The simple believer who sees that truth or it tells us in John 16 when the spirit of truth is come, he'll lead you into all truth.
He shall glorify me, for He shall receive of mine. There might be someone here that's confused about the truth of the security of the believer, but you don't need to know all Scripture to answer that. Because if you see that this system of teaching is really for the exaltation of man, that the work of Christ is not sufficient, but man has to do something to add to that finished work, or he couldn't be fit for heaven.
Well, there may be a simple believer and a whole lot of verses you may not be able to answer, but you say this can't be right.
Because this is giving glory to man. That's the spirit of Antichrist. The whole idea of the exaltation of man is the Antichrist. And so the simple believer who realizes that the truth of God always exalts the Lord Jesus will be set free from error. Whereas the man that has a great mind and tries to reason, they get into some problems and confusion, perhaps trying to.
Explain some obscure verse, but he could test it very simply.
Is this line of teaching exalting man or Christ even water baptism?
If water baptism is necessary for the salvation of the soul, the work of Christ is not enough, because you have to have somebody baptize you, so some man has to enter the picture to make you fit for heaven. That isn't the truth of God. So the simple believer is preserved by just knowing that if it's the spirit of Antichrist, if it's that exaltation of man.
There's something wrong. The Spirit exalts Christ. He shall glorify me.
For he shall receive of mine, and shall show it unto you.