Sermon Central
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The Power Of The Promise Series
Contributed by Guy Mcgraw on Sep 24, 2003 (message contributor)
Summary: A battle within every believer is to keep us from living out the Eternal Life which Jesus has given us.
THE POWER OF A PROMISE
(25) And this is the promise that He Himself made to us; eternal life.
(26) I have written these things to you about those who are trying to deceive you.
(27) The anointing you received from Him remains in you, and you don’t need anyone to teach you. Instead, His anointing teaches you about all things, and is t rue and is not a lie; just as it has taught you, remain(abide) in Him.
(28) So now, little children, remain in Him, so that, you know this as well; everyone who does what is right has been born of when He appears we may have boldness 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.
A tourist was driving through West Texas and stopped at a gas station. He observed a small piece of rope hanging from the porch under which was a sign reading ’weather forecaster’. ‘How does this work’, he asked.
‘When it swings it is windy. When it is wet it means rain.
When it is frozen stiff it means snow. When it is gone…tornado!
Some signs are pretty obvious. Doesn’t take a PHD to recognize the signs of the times in our generation.
• In verses 18-29 John is emphasizing how important it is that we live our lives in intimate fellowship with Jesus Christ. The time is short and the deceptions of this world are strong. It is so important that we hang on to those things which really matter.
LAST SUNDAY:
1) John warned us about the times we live in ’it is the last hour’. This period between the first and second coming of Jesus Christ. An age of grace in which we are to reach out to a lost world.
a) Sense of urgency b) Signs to intensify
(1) Sign of foolish lifestyles
(2) Sign of false teachings
2) John also warned us about the deceivers who will come.
a) The Antichrist - satanic superman of end times
b) But also the antichrists of every age - those of every generation which will grow in number as the end draws near.
(1) Come out from inside the church(2:19)
(2) Deny the truth about Jesus Christ(2:22)
3) John encouraged us to rely on our defense against false teachers
a) The anointing from the Holy One - False teachers claim to have superior knowledge or new revelations but John reminds the church that it is only those who are truly born again that have the Spirit of Truth.
Jer 23:31-32 - Behold, I am against the prophets who use their tongues and declare, ’Thus saith the Lord’. Behold, I am against those who have prophesied false dreams and related them and led My people astray by their falsehoods and boasting; yet I did not send them or command them, nor do they furnish this people the slightest benefit’, declares the Lord.
PS 25:14 - The secret of the Lord is for those who fear Him, and He will make them know His covenant.
AMOS 3:7 - Surely the Lord does nothing unless He reveals His secret counsel to His servants the prophets.
(Are these ’servants of God’ - self-serving or God serving.)
4) John also warned us of the dangers of false teachings
a) They cannot save the lost whoever denies the Son does not have the Father…
b) They can prove the saved as for you, let that abide in you which you heard from the beginning. Prove their salvation by their rejection of error
• This morning: We are going to look at this wonderful promise that we have because of our relationship with Jesus Christ. The real truth that our anointing leads us to understand. New Life in Christ.
THE PROMISE - (25) And this is the promise that He Himself made to us; eternal life.
because of the advances in medical science the average life-span is getting a little longer. Currently, in this Country, the average life expectancy is around 72 years. The maximum life-span, however, is around 120 years. And speculation that medical science could increase this to between 160 and 180 years is fueling the debate.
Would you like to live to be 180 years old? It is an interesting question. few people would like to live to be 160 or 180 years old if the quality of their life was poor. If after a certain age you were still plagued with sickness, degenerative disease, and pain, living to be very old would be a burden not a blessing. If, on the other hand, one could live longer without feeling the effects of aging, then that would be another story.
INNER MAN BEING RENEWED DAY BY DAY(OUTER MAN DECAYING) 2 Cor
