1 John 2:18-29
The Devil’s Strategic Plan
Introduction
A. I’m sure that you have heard the stories that our President heard that someone might be hijacking the plane
B. However, he hears this stuff all the time.
C. A lot of them are just roomers
D. But what if you knew for certain that is was going to come true
E. Imagine if you had the enemies plan. Imagine if during a war you knew exactly were everything was.
F. You would win
G. Guess What? We know the Devil’s Strategic Plan
H. We can defeat him because of it
I. Today I am going to give you the Devil’s strategic plan and tell you how to ruin the plan
I. Takes You From Fellowship(18-19)
A. Explanation
1. Once again Old John is at it. He begins with his famous Dear Children line – again out of love
2. When John says that this is the last hour he is not saying this is the last 50 minutes he is saying that these are the last times
a) Meaning they began after Christ’s ascension
3. Antichrist is Plural here. There will be more then one person claiming to be the savior.
4. Notice John tells us in Vs 18 were these antichrists come from
5. They come from the Church
6. However, do not go looking around for them
7. Everyone here as far as I know understand that Jesus is God
8. When John writes that they did not really belong to us, the reason is they did not have the common thread that binds us together, Jesus
9. Notice that John uses US 5 times. He is very careful in his pronoun choice. He wants to make sure there is a separation between them and us.
B. Application
1. Ok so a bunch of crazy people back 2000 years ago made John upset, so what does that mean to us
2. First of all these are the last hours,
3. You need not to get comfortable. Christ is coming back, AND SOON
4. Notice were the antichrist comes from, the Church
5. However, they never belonged, that is they may have attended but they never walked with God, or else because of God’s glory they would have never turned their backs
6. Satan does not want to take someone that knows nothing of Christianity.
7. They need to know something about what they are opposing
8. Everyone who is in business competing against someone else better know what his or her competitor is up to.
9. Satan therefore takes his hired guns from the Church
10. We need to guard ourselves.
11. No one should ever be allowed to join a church without being asked the question “Are You saved, and do you Believe that Jesus is God”
12. Once he has you out of fellowship Satan takes it to the next level
II. Makes You Deny Your Faith (20-25)
A. Explanation
1. John makes it clear that he is writing to Christians
2. This is always my one of my favorite thoughts, No lie’s ever come form the truth. Isn’t that nice?
3. Jon lays out for us that anyone who Denies Christ is a liar
4. During the time when John wrote this there were many false Christians who loved to used two special words to describe there experiences
a) Knowledge—They claimed to have knowledge beyond the Bible
b) Unction – Which means anointing, and God gave them special understand.
5. John tells us that you can not deny Jesus and still have the Father
6. However, you also can not acknowledge Jesus and deny the Father
7. John once again reminds the people he is writing to of there background, he is certain that they were taught correctly
8. John is probably thinking about a Psalm 119:11 “I have hidden you word in my heart that I might not sin against you.
a) John wants the reader to meditate on that Word and to love by it from day to day
B. Application
1. Let’s see what this means to us today
2. First of all. If we remain in the truth, lie’s are impossible
3. I always worried about what the antichrist would be
4. And how would I know how to prevent from following the antichrist
5. It is not as hard as I made it out to be
6. The antichrist is someone who does not believe in Jesus
7. If you are meditating on the Word of God you will easily be able to be notice the anti Christ
8. Satan wants you to deny your faith to give up Jesus
9. Do not give him that opportunity
C. Illustration
1. 7th Heaven. That show has been on for a while now. I used to like it however there has been some thing that has happened in the last couple of weeks that has really made me upset. The main this is that there underlining thought is that as long as you are sincere in you beliefs you will go to heaven. That is wrong. Matt is thinking about giving up Jesus and converting to Jew. That is wrong!
2. That is what Satan does after you give up your fellowship, then he has you deny your faith, then he uses you to deceive others
III. Uses You do Deceive Others (26-29)
A. Explanation
1. These things refer to what he has been talking about since vs. 19. It is all one thought and he is trying to tie them together
2. John knows who the enemy is
3. He knows who he is trying to prevent from going over to the dark side
4. Vs 27 is a little difficult to understand at first
5. You read it and you say ask yourself a question, Why am I listing to Pastor Dan then?
a) Is John saying that we do not need teaching? NO
b) John 16:13 What John is saying is that the Holy Spirit will guide you.
c) This is so that someone does not try and totally reprogram you
d) And Example would be “Someone saying it does not really mean kill when it says do not kill”
6. God’s spirit will guide you and direct you, you can always count on that, and john wants to make sure that you remember that
7. Vs 28-29. John gives us the pre-game pep talk
8. This should fire us up. This should make us ready to go.
B. Application
1. How does this fit in our live you ask?
2. There will be ones who try and lead you astray
3. There will be people that try and teach you doctrine that you know is not in the Bible but it seems to make good sense
4. You have the Holy Spirit to guide and direct you
5. Chances are if you hear someone teaching you a doctrine that does not make any sense, you better start searching the scriptures
6. Do not assume that the other person has
7. Once Satan has a hold on you there is not stopping him
C. Illustration
1. Thing about Star Wars. Young Atnokin Sywalker become darth vader. Why Because the Evil Empor spends time with him and convinces him that the dark side is not wrong just different and more glamorous and more powerful
2. There will be people out there trying to do the same thing to you.
3. Protect yourself
4. Stay in the Word, Stay in close fellowship with God
Conclusion
A. The Devil has his sneaky ways.
B. He was try and fool you and make you do stuff that you know is not write
C. However, you have His strategy
D. He will first take you out of fellowship
E. Then he will make you deny your Faith
F. Then He will use you to influence others
G. None of us want to be responsible for influencing others away from God
H. None of use want to deny our faith
I. None of use want to be taken out of fellowship
J. We do not have to be.
K. We have to remember what we have been thought from the beginning
L. WE have to remember what we know to be true
M. In the truth there is no lies
N. Stay with God
O. Do not depart from The Father, the Son, or the Holy Spirit.
