1 00:00:01,780 --> 00:00:03,880 Now I would like to turn to the 2 00:00:03,880 --> 00:00:07,160 passage of Scripture that was read for us 3 00:00:07,160 --> 00:00:10,040 by Mr. Lowe a little earlier on, in 4 00:00:10,040 --> 00:00:12,620 1 John, chapter 2, verses 18 to 29. 5 00:00:12,880 --> 00:00:14,400 We turn to this passage for the third 6 00:00:14,400 --> 00:00:14,880 time. 7 00:00:17,300 --> 00:00:19,460 John is here, you will remember, applying the 8 00:00:19,460 --> 00:00:23,400 third of his tests to those who are 9 00:00:23,400 --> 00:00:26,020 somewhat heretical, to say the least. 10 00:00:26,020 --> 00:00:28,340 They have left the fellowship of the Christian 11 00:00:28,340 --> 00:00:31,500 church, and John is eager that the Christians 12 00:00:31,500 --> 00:00:36,280 should know their spiritual status and standing. 13 00:00:37,460 --> 00:00:39,240 And so he has been referring to certain 14 00:00:39,240 --> 00:00:42,480 tests that may, and indeed ought to be 15 00:00:42,480 --> 00:00:44,700 applied in such a situation. 16 00:00:45,660 --> 00:00:48,980 He began in this rather large passage, he 17 00:00:48,980 --> 00:00:53,100 began here by sharing with the readers of 18 00:00:53,100 --> 00:00:55,240 his letter his understanding of the times. 19 00:00:55,240 --> 00:00:57,620 It's very late, says John, it's the last 20 00:00:57,620 --> 00:00:58,020 hour. 21 00:00:59,220 --> 00:01:04,440 Then he proceeded to unmask these awkward people 22 00:01:04,440 --> 00:01:08,340 who have left the Christian church and brought 23 00:01:08,340 --> 00:01:10,000 into existence an opposition. 24 00:01:11,820 --> 00:01:14,860 He is unmasking them and he designates them 25 00:01:14,860 --> 00:01:15,900 as antichrists. 26 00:01:17,500 --> 00:01:19,740 You mustn't play with these people, says John, 27 00:01:20,400 --> 00:01:21,640 you mustn't toy with them. 28 00:01:22,640 --> 00:01:25,000 You must have no fellowship with these. 29 00:01:26,420 --> 00:01:29,440 These are not Christians that have gone wrong, 30 00:01:29,620 --> 00:01:32,060 these are enemies of the Christ. 31 00:01:33,580 --> 00:01:36,780 They have the spirit of the great antichrist 32 00:01:36,780 --> 00:01:39,000 who will come in the very last time. 33 00:01:40,540 --> 00:01:42,820 And because of that, you must be very 34 00:01:42,820 --> 00:01:45,280 careful, they are antichrists. 35 00:01:46,600 --> 00:01:50,880 And now before he leaves this passage and 36 00:01:50,880 --> 00:01:55,560 completes the application of this third test, the 37 00:01:55,560 --> 00:01:59,520 test of truth, the test of belief, he 38 00:01:59,520 --> 00:02:02,900 comes to undergird the faith of the faithful. 39 00:02:04,220 --> 00:02:05,580 And that's what we're going to look at 40 00:02:05,580 --> 00:02:06,100 today. 41 00:02:06,220 --> 00:02:09,180 And there are two main things that are 42 00:02:09,180 --> 00:02:12,560 brought together here, two main threads, two main 43 00:02:12,560 --> 00:02:13,140 truths. 44 00:02:14,020 --> 00:02:18,780 The first is this, John reminds the Christians 45 00:02:18,780 --> 00:02:20,660 of their relation to the Holy Spirit. 46 00:02:22,000 --> 00:02:24,660 And the second, he reminds them of the 47 00:02:24,660 --> 00:02:27,140 fact that they have in their possession the 48 00:02:27,140 --> 00:02:28,460 word of God. 49 00:02:29,980 --> 00:02:34,760 Now how very simple, and how very familiar, 50 00:02:36,480 --> 00:02:39,480 but how unutterably important. 51 00:02:42,100 --> 00:02:45,340 No man in a pulpit can say anything 52 00:02:45,340 --> 00:02:48,060 more important to his people today than this. 53 00:02:50,160 --> 00:02:53,140 If you're a Christian, you have been anointed 54 00:02:53,140 --> 00:02:55,840 of the Holy One, the Holy Spirit. 55 00:02:57,500 --> 00:02:59,900 And if you're a Christian, you have in 56 00:02:59,900 --> 00:03:03,200 your possession God's own truth. 57 00:03:05,700 --> 00:03:08,960 So that by the anointing of the Spirit 58 00:03:08,960 --> 00:03:13,140 which you have, and the truth of the 59 00:03:13,140 --> 00:03:17,680 word which you possess, you have the capacity 60 00:03:17,680 --> 00:03:22,080 and you have the resources to fight on 61 00:03:22,080 --> 00:03:26,740 all hands against Christians who would have an 62 00:03:26,740 --> 00:03:29,740 influence upon you that would slacken your spiritual 63 00:03:29,740 --> 00:03:34,620 pace, or against heretics who have opened up 64 00:03:34,620 --> 00:03:37,920 another show down the street and who are 65 00:03:37,920 --> 00:03:40,160 opposing some of the main tenets of your 66 00:03:40,160 --> 00:03:40,920 Christian faith. 67 00:03:41,340 --> 00:03:43,680 With the Spirit of God within you and 68 00:03:43,680 --> 00:03:46,140 the word of God that you know, says, 69 00:03:46,220 --> 00:03:48,860 John, you don't need anything else. 70 00:03:50,540 --> 00:03:52,420 Now that's my message this morning. 71 00:03:52,920 --> 00:03:54,720 May the Lord help us to extract it 72 00:03:54,720 --> 00:03:56,760 from here as briefly as we can. 73 00:03:57,820 --> 00:04:00,080 First of all, the apostle reminds them of 74 00:04:00,080 --> 00:04:02,220 their relation to the Spirit of God. 75 00:04:02,300 --> 00:04:04,820 Now let me read verses 20 and 27. 76 00:04:06,600 --> 00:04:09,920 But you, says John, have been anointed by 77 00:04:09,920 --> 00:04:14,340 the Holy One, and you all know. 78 00:04:16,640 --> 00:04:18,200 Come back to that in a moment. 79 00:04:18,700 --> 00:04:21,340 Then verse 27, the anointing which you receive 80 00:04:21,340 --> 00:04:24,580 from Him abides in you, and you have 81 00:04:24,580 --> 00:04:28,160 no need that anyone should teach you, as 82 00:04:28,160 --> 00:04:31,700 His anointing teaches you everything, and is true 83 00:04:31,700 --> 00:04:34,580 and is no lie, just as it has 84 00:04:34,580 --> 00:04:38,100 taught you, abide in Him. 85 00:04:39,340 --> 00:04:41,780 Now fundamentally what John is doing at this 86 00:04:41,780 --> 00:04:42,340 point is this. 87 00:04:42,340 --> 00:04:45,700 He's reminding his first readers of the time 88 00:04:45,700 --> 00:04:46,960 when they became Christian. 89 00:04:48,280 --> 00:04:51,540 Whatever language you use to describe becoming a 90 00:04:51,540 --> 00:04:53,840 Christian for the moment, that's what John is 91 00:04:53,840 --> 00:04:54,420 getting at. 92 00:04:54,700 --> 00:04:57,840 The time when they came to Christ and 93 00:04:57,840 --> 00:05:00,200 the response of that was this, they were 94 00:05:00,200 --> 00:05:01,980 anointed with the Holy Spirit. 95 00:05:02,860 --> 00:05:05,540 We don't use this language very ordinarily, but 96 00:05:05,540 --> 00:05:07,060 this is biblical. 97 00:05:07,940 --> 00:05:09,780 You see, Jesus Christ is the Messiah. 98 00:05:11,800 --> 00:05:14,260 Messiah means the Anointed One. 99 00:05:16,410 --> 00:05:18,130 We read in Acts chapter 10 and verse 100 00:05:18,130 --> 00:05:21,090 38 that God anointed Jesus of Nazareth with 101 00:05:21,090 --> 00:05:22,850 the Holy Spirit and with power. 102 00:05:23,650 --> 00:05:25,770 He is the Anointed One. 103 00:05:26,110 --> 00:05:27,590 We read in the epistle to the Hebrews 104 00:05:27,590 --> 00:05:29,470 that God did not give the Spirit to 105 00:05:29,470 --> 00:05:30,350 Him by measure. 106 00:05:31,770 --> 00:05:34,410 Now you put those two statements together, God 107 00:05:34,410 --> 00:05:40,390 anointed Him, and not with measure, without measure. 108 00:05:41,570 --> 00:05:43,890 No man has been filled with the Spirit 109 00:05:43,890 --> 00:05:44,890 as Jesus was. 110 00:05:48,250 --> 00:05:49,950 Let's take that in for a moment. 111 00:05:51,170 --> 00:05:53,970 No man has known the fullness of the 112 00:05:53,970 --> 00:05:58,070 Spirit perpetually and abidingly as Jesus did. 113 00:05:59,090 --> 00:06:02,730 Now, when you become a Christian you come 114 00:06:02,730 --> 00:06:04,430 to Christ. 115 00:06:05,590 --> 00:06:08,050 Not only do you come to believe on 116 00:06:08,050 --> 00:06:11,230 Him, but you come to be incorporated into 117 00:06:11,230 --> 00:06:13,550 Him as a branch into the vine. 118 00:06:14,230 --> 00:06:16,030 That's His own beautiful picture. 119 00:06:16,770 --> 00:06:17,550 Now what happens? 120 00:06:18,470 --> 00:06:19,970 What happens is this. 121 00:06:20,350 --> 00:06:24,350 As the branch is incorporated into the vine, 122 00:06:24,490 --> 00:06:28,050 to change the metaphor, the sap of the 123 00:06:28,050 --> 00:06:31,930 vine penetrates and percolates the branch. 124 00:06:32,870 --> 00:06:35,070 It is endued. 125 00:06:35,730 --> 00:06:37,130 It is anointed. 126 00:06:38,270 --> 00:06:41,550 It shares, to change the metaphor again, in 127 00:06:41,550 --> 00:06:42,930 the anointing of the head. 128 00:06:44,430 --> 00:06:46,950 The head of the body is anointed beyond 129 00:06:46,950 --> 00:06:47,370 measure. 130 00:06:47,690 --> 00:06:51,190 When you become a Christian, you share in 131 00:06:51,190 --> 00:06:53,690 the anointing of the anointed. 132 00:06:55,410 --> 00:06:57,750 So that if any man have not the 133 00:06:57,750 --> 00:06:59,270 Spirit of God, he is none of His. 134 00:07:00,430 --> 00:07:02,190 You're not a branch of the vine. 135 00:07:02,570 --> 00:07:04,250 You're not a member of the body of 136 00:07:04,250 --> 00:07:06,950 which Christ is the head unless you yourself 137 00:07:06,950 --> 00:07:07,750 have been anointed. 138 00:07:08,110 --> 00:07:11,170 It is part and parcel of the experience 139 00:07:11,170 --> 00:07:12,230 of becoming a Christian. 140 00:07:15,610 --> 00:07:18,170 Now that is basic to what John is 141 00:07:18,170 --> 00:07:18,730 saying here. 142 00:07:18,910 --> 00:07:21,450 You, he says, have been anointed. 143 00:07:22,850 --> 00:07:25,970 In other words, if you come really to 144 00:07:25,970 --> 00:07:29,610 a saving relationship with Jesus Christ, the Messiah 145 00:07:29,610 --> 00:07:32,750 has breathed His Spirit into your heart, you 146 00:07:32,750 --> 00:07:33,850 have the anointing. 147 00:07:35,170 --> 00:07:36,150 That's the fundamental. 148 00:07:36,310 --> 00:07:36,930 That's the base. 149 00:07:37,070 --> 00:07:39,830 Now arising out of that, and this is 150 00:07:39,830 --> 00:07:45,330 almost as important, John speaks, first of all, 151 00:07:45,350 --> 00:07:46,790 of the universality of that. 152 00:07:47,070 --> 00:07:47,970 He stresses it. 153 00:07:49,590 --> 00:07:52,150 Now he stresses it because of the circumstances. 154 00:07:53,550 --> 00:07:57,410 In times of distress, in times of problems, 155 00:07:57,690 --> 00:07:59,890 in times of danger, in times of heresy, 156 00:08:00,870 --> 00:08:03,270 when some young Christians are trying to stand 157 00:08:03,270 --> 00:08:07,030 on their two feet, spiritually and morally, countering 158 00:08:07,030 --> 00:08:08,530 this influence and that influence. 159 00:08:08,790 --> 00:08:10,190 You know the tendency, don't you? 160 00:08:12,230 --> 00:08:13,730 Oh, I feel so weak. 161 00:08:15,950 --> 00:08:17,570 I need something extra. 162 00:08:18,770 --> 00:08:20,390 And this is the time when young Christians 163 00:08:20,390 --> 00:08:24,670 tend to look for something which they say 164 00:08:24,670 --> 00:08:25,470 they haven't got. 165 00:08:27,290 --> 00:08:29,750 And the tendency at this point is to 166 00:08:29,750 --> 00:08:32,630 look for this experience or that experience. 167 00:08:32,770 --> 00:08:33,510 And John knew that. 168 00:08:34,390 --> 00:08:38,330 Now look, he says, You have been anointed 169 00:08:38,330 --> 00:08:41,390 by the Holy One, and notice, and you 170 00:08:41,390 --> 00:08:44,790 all know certain things. 171 00:08:46,090 --> 00:08:48,150 I want to underline that word, all. 172 00:08:50,450 --> 00:08:53,070 Some of the translations, unfortunately, put it the 173 00:08:53,070 --> 00:08:53,630 other way around. 174 00:08:53,950 --> 00:08:55,850 They say, like the King James, and you 175 00:08:55,850 --> 00:08:57,690 know all things. 176 00:08:58,330 --> 00:08:59,650 Now that's not what John said. 177 00:09:01,550 --> 00:09:02,930 No Christian knows everything. 178 00:09:03,310 --> 00:09:04,930 No one is omniscient, only God. 179 00:09:04,930 --> 00:09:05,990 You don't know everything. 180 00:09:06,090 --> 00:09:06,950 I don't know everything. 181 00:09:07,170 --> 00:09:07,950 I'm sure I don't. 182 00:09:09,790 --> 00:09:11,730 There is no man, there is no woman, 183 00:09:11,830 --> 00:09:14,090 there is no Christian, however mature in our 184 00:09:14,090 --> 00:09:15,470 church this morning, who knows everything. 185 00:09:15,690 --> 00:09:16,770 John didn't say that. 186 00:09:17,090 --> 00:09:18,010 What he did say is this. 187 00:09:18,610 --> 00:09:22,270 There are certain things that every Christian knows 188 00:09:22,270 --> 00:09:23,830 because of the anointing. 189 00:09:25,670 --> 00:09:27,270 And basic to that, of course, is the 190 00:09:27,270 --> 00:09:29,370 truth that Jesus is the Son of God. 191 00:09:30,510 --> 00:09:33,130 When Simon Peter acknowledged Jesus to be the 192 00:09:33,130 --> 00:09:36,510 Messiah in Caesarea Philippi, Jesus counted, Blessed art 193 00:09:36,510 --> 00:09:39,170 thou, Simon Barjona, flesh and blood did not 194 00:09:39,170 --> 00:09:41,490 reveal this to you, but my Father which 195 00:09:41,490 --> 00:09:42,050 is in heaven. 196 00:09:43,110 --> 00:09:43,650 He knew. 197 00:09:45,590 --> 00:09:48,970 And every Christian knows that Jesus is the 198 00:09:48,970 --> 00:09:50,210 Christ, the Son of God. 199 00:09:50,430 --> 00:09:52,230 You know, you all know. 200 00:09:52,490 --> 00:09:55,510 You all know certain things just because of 201 00:09:55,510 --> 00:09:55,750 this. 202 00:09:57,230 --> 00:10:01,230 But now, equally important is this, the perpetuity 203 00:10:01,230 --> 00:10:01,730 of that. 204 00:10:04,190 --> 00:10:05,010 Look at verse 27. 205 00:10:05,210 --> 00:10:09,750 The anointing which you received, says John, abides 206 00:10:09,750 --> 00:10:10,230 in you. 207 00:10:12,690 --> 00:10:14,590 You see, some of these young Christians might 208 00:10:14,590 --> 00:10:16,870 say, yes, yes, I know, I know, John, 209 00:10:16,990 --> 00:10:19,230 I know, I did receive something. 210 00:10:20,510 --> 00:10:21,650 And I was so different. 211 00:10:23,810 --> 00:10:26,250 And it was very wonderful whilst it lasted, 212 00:10:26,570 --> 00:10:28,850 but I don't any longer have the same 213 00:10:28,850 --> 00:10:29,910 kind of feeling. 214 00:10:31,790 --> 00:10:34,390 I'm not living on that same plane consciously 215 00:10:34,390 --> 00:10:35,130 at any rate. 216 00:10:37,300 --> 00:10:38,680 But now, says John, all right. 217 00:10:39,740 --> 00:10:41,500 I want you to know, he says, that 218 00:10:41,500 --> 00:10:45,520 the anointing which you received from him abides 219 00:10:45,520 --> 00:10:46,280 in you. 220 00:10:48,400 --> 00:10:50,360 My good friend, you and I need this 221 00:10:50,360 --> 00:10:51,600 every day of our lives. 222 00:10:51,680 --> 00:10:52,980 We need to be reminded of this. 223 00:10:54,960 --> 00:10:58,200 The Holy Spirit that the Father and the 224 00:10:58,200 --> 00:11:01,540 Son have sent as the paraclete to the 225 00:11:01,540 --> 00:11:05,120 church abides in the hearts of his people. 226 00:11:06,660 --> 00:11:09,340 Jesus said that, you remember him promising the 227 00:11:09,340 --> 00:11:10,300 Spirit to his disciples. 228 00:11:11,120 --> 00:11:12,960 I will pray the Father, he says, and 229 00:11:12,960 --> 00:11:15,560 he will give you another counselor or another 230 00:11:15,560 --> 00:11:20,460 comforter to be with you forever. 231 00:11:23,540 --> 00:11:23,940 Forever. 232 00:11:25,520 --> 00:11:27,020 Even the Spirit of truth. 233 00:11:27,620 --> 00:11:29,640 That is John 14 and verse 16. 234 00:11:30,740 --> 00:11:32,100 You see, it was so different with the 235 00:11:32,100 --> 00:11:33,800 incarnation of the Son of God. 236 00:11:34,240 --> 00:11:35,940 He came down to earth for a period, 237 00:11:36,140 --> 00:11:38,420 then to leave, to ascend, to go back, 238 00:11:38,460 --> 00:11:40,420 as he said, to my Father, to return. 239 00:11:41,740 --> 00:11:44,760 But, says Jesus, the Spirit, the other paraclete 240 00:11:44,760 --> 00:11:46,900 who's coming to take my place, when he 241 00:11:46,900 --> 00:11:50,920 comes, he will abide with you forever. 242 00:11:52,900 --> 00:11:55,220 Now, my good friend, you and I need 243 00:11:55,220 --> 00:11:57,600 this this morning, as much as the readers 244 00:11:57,600 --> 00:11:59,180 of John's epistle in the first place. 245 00:12:00,580 --> 00:12:02,460 You need to know that the Spirit of 246 00:12:02,460 --> 00:12:05,200 God who's come into your heart, the anointing 247 00:12:05,200 --> 00:12:07,720 which you've received, is with you forever. 248 00:12:09,560 --> 00:12:11,700 Oh, many things may have happened to make 249 00:12:11,700 --> 00:12:14,280 you cold, to make you doubt. 250 00:12:15,140 --> 00:12:17,540 You've almost thrown in the sponge as far 251 00:12:17,540 --> 00:12:20,160 as within you, as far as you yourself 252 00:12:20,160 --> 00:12:20,900 are concerned. 253 00:12:21,420 --> 00:12:23,800 But, says John, he is still there. 254 00:12:26,120 --> 00:12:28,020 And then we come to the crux of 255 00:12:28,020 --> 00:12:28,340 the matter. 256 00:12:28,900 --> 00:12:30,920 What is the ministry that he performs? 257 00:12:32,960 --> 00:12:35,960 You have no need, says John, that anyone 258 00:12:35,960 --> 00:12:41,300 should teach you, as his anointing teaches you 259 00:12:41,300 --> 00:12:44,620 about everything, and is true, and is no 260 00:12:44,620 --> 00:12:45,360 lie. 261 00:12:46,360 --> 00:12:48,240 Now, let's get hold of this. 262 00:12:48,760 --> 00:12:53,160 By his anointing, the Holy Spirit teaches Christ's 263 00:12:53,160 --> 00:12:55,700 people everything they need to know. 264 00:12:59,080 --> 00:13:01,320 You don't need that anyone should teach you. 265 00:13:01,380 --> 00:13:02,820 Now, you've got to take that in its 266 00:13:02,820 --> 00:13:03,340 context. 267 00:13:04,360 --> 00:13:06,720 Some people would make John contradict himself here. 268 00:13:07,700 --> 00:13:10,060 Actually, John is teaching them in writing, so 269 00:13:10,060 --> 00:13:11,200 they do need teachers. 270 00:13:13,520 --> 00:13:15,820 The Apostle Paul says that the Holy Spirit 271 00:13:15,820 --> 00:13:20,240 endows some people with a gift of teaching. 272 00:13:22,580 --> 00:13:24,100 What then did John mean? 273 00:13:24,180 --> 00:13:25,320 What he means is this, of course. 274 00:13:25,400 --> 00:13:26,480 Take it in its context. 275 00:13:28,040 --> 00:13:29,640 You see how these heretics have gone out 276 00:13:29,640 --> 00:13:30,180 from the church. 277 00:13:30,300 --> 00:13:31,660 Some of them were very clever people. 278 00:13:31,760 --> 00:13:32,960 Heretics generally are. 279 00:13:35,680 --> 00:13:37,140 They generally are. 280 00:13:38,460 --> 00:13:41,320 In all the cults, you will find geniuses. 281 00:13:43,260 --> 00:13:45,800 Judged according to the level of the flesh 282 00:13:45,800 --> 00:13:49,760 and of natural ability, you will find great 283 00:13:49,760 --> 00:13:52,140 men in all the cults that are worth 284 00:13:52,140 --> 00:13:52,740 talking about. 285 00:13:55,700 --> 00:14:00,220 But now, if they've gone out then from 286 00:14:00,220 --> 00:14:04,200 a community of Christian men, the Christians might 287 00:14:04,200 --> 00:14:06,320 feel, well, if they've gone and if they 288 00:14:06,320 --> 00:14:08,940 believe other things, how are we going to 289 00:14:08,940 --> 00:14:11,380 cope without them, some of the more knowing 290 00:14:11,380 --> 00:14:12,520 and the more clever ones? 291 00:14:12,740 --> 00:14:16,180 And don't forget, the word gnostic means knowledge. 292 00:14:16,320 --> 00:14:17,960 They claim to have great knowledge. 293 00:14:18,980 --> 00:14:21,500 They could always talk about their knowledge. 294 00:14:23,560 --> 00:14:25,020 So what is the church going to do 295 00:14:25,020 --> 00:14:25,760 without these people? 296 00:14:25,900 --> 00:14:26,980 Now, says John, it's all right. 297 00:14:27,320 --> 00:14:29,000 You don't need anyone from outside. 298 00:14:29,080 --> 00:14:31,040 You don't need any heretic to teach you 299 00:14:31,040 --> 00:14:31,880 in Christian things. 300 00:14:33,860 --> 00:14:36,200 You as a Christian community, you are self 301 00:14:36,200 --> 00:14:36,740 -contained. 302 00:14:37,900 --> 00:14:40,040 You don't need the liberal of the world. 303 00:14:40,160 --> 00:14:41,900 You don't need the man from outside. 304 00:14:42,140 --> 00:14:43,480 You don't need the heretics. 305 00:14:44,260 --> 00:14:45,520 You don't need any of them. 306 00:14:45,520 --> 00:14:46,820 So, he had the anointing. 307 00:14:47,680 --> 00:14:49,540 And the anointing will give you teachers. 308 00:14:50,460 --> 00:14:53,100 And the anointing will give you disciples, men 309 00:14:53,100 --> 00:14:54,720 and women who are prepared to be taught. 310 00:14:55,260 --> 00:14:56,500 You have to have the two, of course. 311 00:14:57,960 --> 00:15:00,280 Some churches have teachers, but they haven't got 312 00:15:00,280 --> 00:15:01,780 listeners who are willing to be taught. 313 00:15:03,080 --> 00:15:04,640 They have men with itching ears. 314 00:15:05,420 --> 00:15:06,940 They listen, but they will not be taught. 315 00:15:07,760 --> 00:15:09,680 Some people have listeners, but they have no 316 00:15:09,680 --> 00:15:10,020 teachers. 317 00:15:14,260 --> 00:15:16,500 John says, you're a listening people. 318 00:15:16,640 --> 00:15:18,200 You're willing to be taught now. 319 00:15:18,280 --> 00:15:19,320 He says, you don't need to worry that 320 00:15:19,320 --> 00:15:20,120 these folk have gone out. 321 00:15:20,640 --> 00:15:25,640 The Holy Spirit, the anointing, will teach you 322 00:15:25,640 --> 00:15:27,140 all things you need to know. 323 00:15:27,400 --> 00:15:30,220 You're self-contained because you have the Father 324 00:15:30,220 --> 00:15:33,100 and the Son and the Spirit and the 325 00:15:33,100 --> 00:15:33,560 Word. 326 00:15:36,560 --> 00:15:38,420 My good friends, this is something for us 327 00:15:38,420 --> 00:15:38,840 to know. 328 00:15:40,180 --> 00:15:41,960 I look at some of you this morning, 329 00:15:42,080 --> 00:15:44,400 and you've left little Christian communities, perhaps in 330 00:15:44,400 --> 00:15:45,760 distant parts of the world, I think, for 331 00:15:45,760 --> 00:15:46,680 some of our missionaries. 332 00:15:48,100 --> 00:15:50,060 Isn't this a very precious truth? 333 00:15:51,060 --> 00:15:54,060 If we have the anointing of the Spirit, 334 00:15:54,740 --> 00:15:56,920 then He is able to give the gifts 335 00:15:56,920 --> 00:15:59,160 that are necessary for the building up of 336 00:15:59,160 --> 00:16:01,800 the saints until we all come in the 337 00:16:01,800 --> 00:16:03,580 unity of the faith and of the knowledge 338 00:16:03,580 --> 00:16:06,260 of the Son of God, Ephesians 4, unto 339 00:16:06,260 --> 00:16:08,000 a perfect man. 340 00:16:08,000 --> 00:16:11,680 I will build my church, says Jesus. 341 00:16:13,160 --> 00:16:16,400 We don't depend upon men who are cultured 342 00:16:16,400 --> 00:16:17,920 according to this world. 343 00:16:20,940 --> 00:16:24,060 God supplies the anointing and the need of 344 00:16:24,060 --> 00:16:24,520 His people. 345 00:16:25,820 --> 00:16:26,680 Now that's the first thing. 346 00:16:26,820 --> 00:16:29,620 John reminds them of their relation to the 347 00:16:29,620 --> 00:16:30,520 Holy Spirit. 348 00:16:31,500 --> 00:16:33,520 And I trust that you and I don't 349 00:16:33,520 --> 00:16:35,740 need any further application of that this morning. 350 00:16:36,600 --> 00:16:38,640 Christian, look into your heart. 351 00:16:40,800 --> 00:16:42,840 Though you and I may have grieved Him 352 00:16:42,840 --> 00:16:45,380 many a time, He is still there. 353 00:16:46,840 --> 00:16:49,360 Maybe this morning, honor Him and look to 354 00:16:49,360 --> 00:16:51,160 Him to guide us and to teach us 355 00:16:51,160 --> 00:16:53,720 and to perfect in us what God by 356 00:16:53,720 --> 00:16:54,660 His grace has begun. 357 00:16:54,820 --> 00:16:55,640 That's the first thing. 358 00:16:55,720 --> 00:16:56,520 The second is this. 359 00:16:57,480 --> 00:16:58,980 I don't know what's happened this morning, but 360 00:16:58,980 --> 00:17:00,380 the clock's gone all haywire. 361 00:17:02,320 --> 00:17:03,359 However, here we are. 362 00:17:05,440 --> 00:17:06,760 The second is this. 363 00:17:07,619 --> 00:17:10,020 And after the annual meeting, I'm trying to 364 00:17:10,020 --> 00:17:11,540 be brief, as you notice, but I've got 365 00:17:11,540 --> 00:17:11,900 to hurry. 366 00:17:13,180 --> 00:17:15,460 I'm under law these days, not under grace. 367 00:17:17,400 --> 00:17:18,859 Well, now, a little bit of law may 368 00:17:18,859 --> 00:17:19,319 do us good. 369 00:17:21,560 --> 00:17:24,319 What is the second main strand of truth 370 00:17:24,319 --> 00:17:24,980 woven here? 371 00:17:25,220 --> 00:17:25,900 Well, it's this. 372 00:17:27,180 --> 00:17:30,880 The apostle reminds them of their possession and 373 00:17:30,880 --> 00:17:32,760 knowledge of God's truth. 374 00:17:34,330 --> 00:17:36,330 Now, if I were to stop at this 375 00:17:36,330 --> 00:17:39,750 point, it would be the most dishonorable thing 376 00:17:39,750 --> 00:17:41,510 to the God of the Word and the 377 00:17:41,510 --> 00:17:42,430 Word of God. 378 00:17:45,270 --> 00:17:48,530 It is not all the truth to say 379 00:17:48,530 --> 00:17:50,470 to Christians you have the anointing of the 380 00:17:50,470 --> 00:17:50,730 Spirit. 381 00:17:51,290 --> 00:17:52,310 It is true. 382 00:17:54,930 --> 00:17:57,410 But John says you need something else as 383 00:17:57,410 --> 00:17:58,270 well as the Spirit. 384 00:17:58,590 --> 00:18:00,150 My, that sounds like heresy. 385 00:18:02,150 --> 00:18:02,890 You know, it isn't. 386 00:18:02,890 --> 00:18:04,150 It's Christianity. 387 00:18:06,050 --> 00:18:07,530 You have the anointing. 388 00:18:07,670 --> 00:18:08,510 You have the Spirit. 389 00:18:08,630 --> 00:18:09,650 He says, well, all right, full stop. 390 00:18:09,710 --> 00:18:10,290 We don't need any more. 391 00:18:10,390 --> 00:18:11,230 Wait a minute, says John. 392 00:18:11,270 --> 00:18:11,570 You do. 393 00:18:13,470 --> 00:18:14,490 Now, what's he saying? 394 00:18:14,810 --> 00:18:17,210 Let me read three verses, 21, 24, and 395 00:18:17,210 --> 00:18:17,690 25. 396 00:18:18,630 --> 00:18:20,550 I write to you, he says, not because 397 00:18:20,550 --> 00:18:24,230 you do not know the truth, but because 398 00:18:24,230 --> 00:18:27,510 you know it and know that no lie 399 00:18:27,510 --> 00:18:28,330 is of the truth. 400 00:18:28,930 --> 00:18:29,970 Then we come. 401 00:18:30,630 --> 00:18:34,870 Let what you have heard from the beginning 402 00:18:34,870 --> 00:18:36,470 abide in you. 403 00:18:37,170 --> 00:18:39,030 If what you have heard from the beginning 404 00:18:39,030 --> 00:18:41,710 abides in you, then you will abide in 405 00:18:41,710 --> 00:18:43,170 the Son and in the Father. 406 00:18:43,890 --> 00:18:45,490 And this is what he has promised us 407 00:18:45,490 --> 00:18:46,450 eternal life. 408 00:18:47,070 --> 00:18:48,110 How can I summarize that? 409 00:18:49,570 --> 00:18:52,110 Along with the anointing of his Spirit, God 410 00:18:52,110 --> 00:18:54,590 has given his redeemed people his truth. 411 00:18:55,890 --> 00:18:56,670 His truth. 412 00:18:57,410 --> 00:19:02,950 Now, by that, John means fundamentally the truth 413 00:19:02,950 --> 00:19:05,390 as it was revealed in the Lord Jesus 414 00:19:05,390 --> 00:19:09,570 Christ and taught to the twelve apostles, who 415 00:19:09,570 --> 00:19:11,550 in turn passed it on to the churches. 416 00:19:14,330 --> 00:19:16,670 But as a matter of fact, that truth 417 00:19:16,670 --> 00:19:21,370 includes Jesus Christ's view of the Old Testament. 418 00:19:23,490 --> 00:19:25,790 So many things that he taught were based 419 00:19:25,790 --> 00:19:27,130 upon the Old Testament. 420 00:19:27,650 --> 00:19:29,250 And he said, I am not come to 421 00:19:29,250 --> 00:19:32,010 destroy the law or the prophets, but I've 422 00:19:32,010 --> 00:19:32,850 come to fulfill. 423 00:19:34,610 --> 00:19:37,210 So that as a matter of fact, when 424 00:19:37,210 --> 00:19:39,830 John is speaking here of the truth, though 425 00:19:39,830 --> 00:19:42,130 he is thinking first and foremost of what 426 00:19:42,130 --> 00:19:44,030 they heard from the beginning from the apostles, 427 00:19:45,270 --> 00:19:49,370 that included a view of the Old Testament. 428 00:19:49,370 --> 00:19:52,510 So that it all may be summed up 429 00:19:52,510 --> 00:19:53,890 in terms of what you and I have 430 00:19:53,890 --> 00:19:55,510 in our Old Testament and our New. 431 00:19:57,690 --> 00:20:00,370 We are not wrong if we equate the 432 00:20:00,370 --> 00:20:03,030 truth with what is incorporated into the Old 433 00:20:03,030 --> 00:20:05,210 Testament Scriptures and the New Testament Scriptures. 434 00:20:08,530 --> 00:20:11,130 Jesus Christ taught the truth. 435 00:20:11,890 --> 00:20:14,390 He was the personification of the truth. 436 00:20:14,390 --> 00:20:16,790 And yet in prayer to his father he 437 00:20:16,790 --> 00:20:20,130 said, thy word is truth. 438 00:20:21,750 --> 00:20:24,730 There's the word of Scripture and the word 439 00:20:24,730 --> 00:20:26,870 which he himself was and taught. 440 00:20:27,190 --> 00:20:30,550 All these wrapped up into one bundle comprise 441 00:20:30,550 --> 00:20:30,990 the truth. 442 00:20:32,090 --> 00:20:32,350 Right. 443 00:20:33,230 --> 00:20:35,430 Now will you please notice a principle here 444 00:20:35,430 --> 00:20:37,450 before we attempt to address ourselves to the 445 00:20:37,450 --> 00:20:37,770 details. 446 00:20:38,430 --> 00:20:40,750 And it's a very important principle. 447 00:20:40,890 --> 00:20:41,790 We've hinted at it. 448 00:20:44,170 --> 00:20:47,550 The Holy Spirit could, if he so chose, 449 00:20:47,850 --> 00:20:51,910 do everything for us directly as individuals without 450 00:20:51,910 --> 00:20:54,210 the Bible. 451 00:20:58,210 --> 00:21:00,790 What I'm saying is that if he chose, 452 00:21:00,930 --> 00:21:01,470 he could. 453 00:21:02,290 --> 00:21:04,730 You see, he communicated truth to Moses and 454 00:21:04,730 --> 00:21:08,030 he communicated truth to the prophets and they 455 00:21:08,030 --> 00:21:09,190 were able to write it down. 456 00:21:09,190 --> 00:21:13,610 Now, if he chose, he could do exactly 457 00:21:13,610 --> 00:21:14,870 the same thing with every Christian. 458 00:21:16,350 --> 00:21:18,130 If he chose, I underline that. 459 00:21:20,990 --> 00:21:23,450 He could call every Christian individually and say, 460 00:21:23,530 --> 00:21:24,750 look, you don't need a Bible but I'll 461 00:21:24,750 --> 00:21:26,310 talk to you and I'll reveal to you 462 00:21:26,310 --> 00:21:26,710 my truth. 463 00:21:26,890 --> 00:21:27,990 He could if he chose. 464 00:21:30,190 --> 00:21:31,530 Do you notice that's not the way that 465 00:21:31,530 --> 00:21:32,750 the Holy Spirit has chosen. 466 00:21:35,730 --> 00:21:38,270 What he has chosen to do, his method 467 00:21:38,270 --> 00:21:38,770 is this. 468 00:21:39,410 --> 00:21:42,490 Not to communicate truth to every Christian in 469 00:21:42,490 --> 00:21:45,090 the church directly as he did to Moses 470 00:21:45,090 --> 00:21:46,810 and the prophets and the apostles. 471 00:21:47,770 --> 00:21:51,030 But he has brought into existence a body 472 00:21:51,030 --> 00:21:51,690 of truth. 473 00:21:54,480 --> 00:21:56,540 The Scriptures of the Old and New Testaments. 474 00:21:58,320 --> 00:22:01,180 So that here we have an objective point 475 00:22:01,180 --> 00:22:01,720 of reference. 476 00:22:02,040 --> 00:22:03,780 The Word, the truth. 477 00:22:04,020 --> 00:22:05,860 Not a hunch that we may have within 478 00:22:05,860 --> 00:22:07,920 us, but the objective truth. 479 00:22:09,240 --> 00:22:10,700 And the Spirit's method is this. 480 00:22:10,980 --> 00:22:14,040 It's to anoint us with the ability to 481 00:22:14,040 --> 00:22:17,140 know and to understand and to believe and 482 00:22:17,140 --> 00:22:17,960 to obey the truth. 483 00:22:18,560 --> 00:22:19,980 But the truth is in the Word. 484 00:22:22,580 --> 00:22:24,220 You will know why I get a little 485 00:22:24,220 --> 00:22:26,980 bit edgy when I hear Christians talk an 486 00:22:26,980 --> 00:22:29,320 awful lot about, say, the Lord told me. 487 00:22:30,140 --> 00:22:31,520 The Spirit said to me. 488 00:22:32,880 --> 00:22:34,680 Now, I know we can do that. 489 00:22:36,060 --> 00:22:38,960 But if I hear a Christian talk consistently 490 00:22:38,960 --> 00:22:41,460 on that level, as if the Lord was 491 00:22:41,460 --> 00:22:43,400 communicating with them just as he did with 492 00:22:43,400 --> 00:22:45,120 Moses, just as he did with the prophets, 493 00:22:45,120 --> 00:22:48,840 giving them some new revelation, ah, there's something 494 00:22:48,840 --> 00:22:49,820 unwholesome there. 495 00:22:49,960 --> 00:22:50,940 That's not his method. 496 00:22:52,160 --> 00:22:54,420 His method is he's given us the truth. 497 00:22:55,680 --> 00:22:58,860 And by the endowment of the Spirit, he 498 00:22:58,860 --> 00:23:00,900 tells us to search the Scriptures. 499 00:23:02,620 --> 00:23:05,640 And he tells us that all Scripture is 500 00:23:05,640 --> 00:23:08,440 given by inspiration of God and is profitable 501 00:23:08,440 --> 00:23:12,680 for doctrine, for reproof, for correction, for instruction 502 00:23:12,680 --> 00:23:13,440 in righteousness. 503 00:23:13,440 --> 00:23:16,560 So that our business is to employ the 504 00:23:16,560 --> 00:23:19,580 anointing and its gifts to search the truth. 505 00:23:22,220 --> 00:23:23,880 Of course, you can't be lazy if you're 506 00:23:23,880 --> 00:23:24,260 a Christian. 507 00:23:25,580 --> 00:23:27,640 Because searching the truth of God is not 508 00:23:27,640 --> 00:23:28,580 a lazy business. 509 00:23:28,900 --> 00:23:30,220 It'll get you up early and it may 510 00:23:30,220 --> 00:23:31,180 keep you down late. 511 00:23:32,900 --> 00:23:34,280 See, it's so much easier to say, look, 512 00:23:34,340 --> 00:23:36,120 I'm having an experience of the Spirit and 513 00:23:36,120 --> 00:23:37,060 then I know what's right. 514 00:23:37,060 --> 00:23:41,480 It always leads men astray if it's diversed 515 00:23:41,480 --> 00:23:43,840 from the truth of the Word. 516 00:23:44,560 --> 00:23:46,960 This is the objective point of reference. 517 00:23:48,540 --> 00:23:52,080 We are not dependent, then, upon a subjective 518 00:23:52,080 --> 00:23:55,520 experience of the Spirit, precious as that is 519 00:23:55,520 --> 00:23:57,040 in itself. 520 00:23:58,640 --> 00:24:01,200 And my good friends, there is nothing more 521 00:24:01,200 --> 00:24:03,740 wonderful than the peace of the Spirit in 522 00:24:03,740 --> 00:24:04,440 your heart. 523 00:24:05,060 --> 00:24:07,160 And the joy of the Spirit in your 524 00:24:07,160 --> 00:24:07,700 soul. 525 00:24:07,960 --> 00:24:09,760 And the fruit of the Spirit in your 526 00:24:09,760 --> 00:24:10,040 life. 527 00:24:10,300 --> 00:24:12,000 And the gifts of the Spirit that he 528 00:24:12,000 --> 00:24:12,740 imparts. 529 00:24:13,540 --> 00:24:16,060 Please, please don't let's be misunderstood. 530 00:24:17,960 --> 00:24:20,880 But the Spirit has brought the Bible to 531 00:24:20,880 --> 00:24:23,100 birth as he brought Jesus to birth. 532 00:24:24,480 --> 00:24:26,820 And the Word is the sword of the 533 00:24:26,820 --> 00:24:27,120 Spirit. 534 00:24:28,320 --> 00:24:31,220 When the Spirit is working to deal with 535 00:24:31,220 --> 00:24:33,120 sin and Satan in your life and mine, 536 00:24:33,560 --> 00:24:35,620 he takes hold of the Word and he 537 00:24:35,620 --> 00:24:37,160 uses it like a sword. 538 00:24:37,520 --> 00:24:38,260 That's his weapon. 539 00:24:40,020 --> 00:24:41,440 Oh, this is most important. 540 00:24:41,720 --> 00:24:44,920 Now, you have the endowment, he says, and 541 00:24:44,920 --> 00:24:45,880 you know the truth. 542 00:24:46,300 --> 00:24:48,440 Very well, then, what about the heretics? 543 00:24:49,120 --> 00:24:50,060 You can face them all. 544 00:24:50,400 --> 00:24:51,900 There's no reason why you should cringe. 545 00:24:51,900 --> 00:24:53,680 There's no reason why you should fear. 546 00:24:54,700 --> 00:24:55,420 You have it. 547 00:24:56,040 --> 00:24:58,260 Two or three words, very simply, very briefly. 548 00:24:58,920 --> 00:25:01,940 John reminds these early Christians that they have 549 00:25:01,940 --> 00:25:06,760 both the subjective prerequisite and the objective essential. 550 00:25:07,920 --> 00:25:11,240 The anointing of the Spirit and its influence 551 00:25:11,240 --> 00:25:11,560 within. 552 00:25:12,320 --> 00:25:16,740 The word of truth and its guidance outside. 553 00:25:18,200 --> 00:25:20,920 John assures them that they know God's truth. 554 00:25:20,920 --> 00:25:22,240 And he's able to do that for this 555 00:25:22,240 --> 00:25:22,520 reason. 556 00:25:23,880 --> 00:25:26,040 He had received the truth from Jesus Christ 557 00:25:26,040 --> 00:25:26,540 himself. 558 00:25:29,020 --> 00:25:31,040 You remember how this epistle started? 559 00:25:31,420 --> 00:25:33,460 It's a remarkable beginning to an epistle. 560 00:25:33,640 --> 00:25:35,760 That which was from the beginning. 561 00:25:37,300 --> 00:25:39,860 Which we have seen with our eyes, which 562 00:25:39,860 --> 00:25:42,600 we've touched with our hands and have handled, 563 00:25:42,900 --> 00:25:43,080 he says. 564 00:25:44,060 --> 00:25:47,180 Oh, we knew him, the word, the life 565 00:25:47,180 --> 00:25:48,460 itself was manifested. 566 00:25:48,740 --> 00:25:49,980 And we were with him and we touched 567 00:25:49,980 --> 00:25:51,660 him and we handled him and we listened 568 00:25:51,660 --> 00:25:52,040 to him. 569 00:25:52,260 --> 00:25:54,440 And we're committing and talking and giving over 570 00:25:54,440 --> 00:25:56,320 to you what we heard and received from 571 00:25:56,320 --> 00:25:56,580 him. 572 00:25:57,280 --> 00:25:58,100 He knew the truth. 573 00:25:59,460 --> 00:26:02,140 As it was embodied in Jesus, as it 574 00:26:02,140 --> 00:26:03,420 was given by Jesus. 575 00:26:03,900 --> 00:26:06,540 Now, John knew that these Christians had received 576 00:26:06,540 --> 00:26:06,980 the truth. 577 00:26:08,180 --> 00:26:10,320 He knew that what they believed was consistent 578 00:26:10,320 --> 00:26:10,900 with that. 579 00:26:11,180 --> 00:26:12,300 It wasn't anything new. 580 00:26:12,300 --> 00:26:14,860 There are always innovators in the church. 581 00:26:17,740 --> 00:26:19,700 Do be careful when you see somebody coming 582 00:26:19,700 --> 00:26:20,320 into the church. 583 00:26:20,520 --> 00:26:21,640 He wants to change everything. 584 00:26:23,300 --> 00:26:25,100 Now, some things need changing from time to 585 00:26:25,100 --> 00:26:25,360 time. 586 00:26:26,880 --> 00:26:28,420 But you find some people, they want to 587 00:26:28,420 --> 00:26:29,040 change everything. 588 00:26:29,380 --> 00:26:31,320 They're just plain innovators. 589 00:26:31,680 --> 00:26:34,680 Sometimes it's because they've lost the sense of 590 00:26:34,680 --> 00:26:35,980 the Spirit's anointing. 591 00:26:38,220 --> 00:26:40,200 Sometimes it's because they've lost a sense of 592 00:26:40,200 --> 00:26:40,620 truth. 593 00:26:43,120 --> 00:26:44,500 And they want to change things. 594 00:26:44,580 --> 00:26:46,700 You know, it's like children wanting something new 595 00:26:46,700 --> 00:26:47,320 all the time. 596 00:26:47,720 --> 00:26:49,100 Give them a nice toy to play with, 597 00:26:49,140 --> 00:26:50,160 and the little kid, he wants a little 598 00:26:50,160 --> 00:26:54,100 toy, something quite inexpensive maybe, but something different. 599 00:26:55,340 --> 00:26:57,060 There's that about many Christian people. 600 00:26:57,920 --> 00:27:00,500 Give them different toys every Sunday, different toys 601 00:27:00,500 --> 00:27:01,780 for every day of the week, and they'll 602 00:27:01,780 --> 00:27:02,960 dance and they'll enjoy it. 603 00:27:03,780 --> 00:27:07,620 But the stale diet that God has provided 604 00:27:07,620 --> 00:27:10,600 for His people in and throughout this world, 605 00:27:11,120 --> 00:27:12,600 they cock up their noses at. 606 00:27:13,760 --> 00:27:14,660 Now, this is sad. 607 00:27:16,940 --> 00:27:18,980 It says, John, I write to you not 608 00:27:18,980 --> 00:27:20,860 because you do not know the truth, because 609 00:27:20,860 --> 00:27:22,820 you know the truth. 610 00:27:23,280 --> 00:27:25,280 So don't think of leaving the truth because 611 00:27:25,280 --> 00:27:26,460 the heretics have gone out. 612 00:27:26,700 --> 00:27:30,660 Don't think of entertaining some novel ideas just 613 00:27:30,660 --> 00:27:33,080 because these clever people have got novel ideas. 614 00:27:33,760 --> 00:27:36,060 I tell you, he says, you not only 615 00:27:36,060 --> 00:27:37,840 know the truth, but you know that there 616 00:27:37,840 --> 00:27:39,020 is no lie of the truth. 617 00:27:40,540 --> 00:27:44,600 God's truth is self-consistent, and anything that 618 00:27:44,600 --> 00:27:46,300 is contrary to it is a lie. 619 00:27:48,820 --> 00:27:52,580 Then this, John announces what they must do 620 00:27:52,580 --> 00:27:55,840 with the truth, which they know and which 621 00:27:55,840 --> 00:27:58,960 they have, if they are to mature as 622 00:27:58,960 --> 00:28:00,880 Christians and to overcome in the world. 623 00:28:01,320 --> 00:28:02,360 And he puts it very simply. 624 00:28:03,660 --> 00:28:05,320 To have the truth is not enough. 625 00:28:07,880 --> 00:28:10,260 They must know its contents, and then they 626 00:28:10,260 --> 00:28:11,500 must even go beyond that. 627 00:28:12,500 --> 00:28:13,400 How does John put it? 628 00:28:13,420 --> 00:28:14,460 Well, he puts it like this in verse 629 00:28:14,460 --> 00:28:14,920 24. 630 00:28:15,520 --> 00:28:17,560 Let what you have heard from the beginning 631 00:28:17,560 --> 00:28:19,040 abide in you. 632 00:28:21,520 --> 00:28:23,800 Truth, first of all, requires access. 633 00:28:26,520 --> 00:28:27,840 Don't we know what this is? 634 00:28:28,000 --> 00:28:31,940 Someone was confessing to me recently that he 635 00:28:31,940 --> 00:28:34,680 long listened to the preaching of the gospel, 636 00:28:35,040 --> 00:28:37,140 and it was always a battle. 637 00:28:38,160 --> 00:28:40,120 As he listened, he said, I was always 638 00:28:40,120 --> 00:28:41,560 trying to keep it at arm's length. 639 00:28:43,860 --> 00:28:45,620 I wonder whether there's someone here this morning 640 00:28:45,620 --> 00:28:46,440 in that category. 641 00:28:48,200 --> 00:28:50,640 You're prepared to listen, but you've got your 642 00:28:50,640 --> 00:28:52,420 armor on, and you say to the truth 643 00:28:52,420 --> 00:28:54,540 of the word of God, all right, I 644 00:28:54,540 --> 00:28:57,520 like listening to you, but don't come under 645 00:28:57,520 --> 00:28:57,960 the skin. 646 00:29:00,740 --> 00:29:02,660 You must receive the word, it must gain 647 00:29:02,660 --> 00:29:05,060 access, get right in, into the mind, into 648 00:29:05,060 --> 00:29:07,640 the heart, into the soul, into the depths. 649 00:29:08,420 --> 00:29:10,300 Then, says John, it must abide. 650 00:29:11,740 --> 00:29:13,820 It must abide there, stay there. 651 00:29:15,700 --> 00:29:18,160 That is, it must not be harassed, it 652 00:29:18,160 --> 00:29:20,760 must not be overridden. 653 00:29:21,200 --> 00:29:24,160 It must not be frustrated by ideas that 654 00:29:24,160 --> 00:29:25,320 are alien to it. 655 00:29:26,340 --> 00:29:28,440 You mustn't allow any philosophy to come in, 656 00:29:28,500 --> 00:29:30,080 or any idea to come in that would 657 00:29:30,080 --> 00:29:31,780 try to dislodge the truth. 658 00:29:32,600 --> 00:29:33,720 Keep them out, says John. 659 00:29:34,740 --> 00:29:36,680 Let it abide in you. 660 00:29:37,060 --> 00:29:39,000 And I suppose a good translation of that 661 00:29:39,000 --> 00:29:40,360 word abide is to be at home in 662 00:29:40,360 --> 00:29:40,520 you. 663 00:29:42,120 --> 00:29:43,760 Paul says the same thing when he prays 664 00:29:43,760 --> 00:29:45,840 for the Ephesians who are already Christians, that 665 00:29:45,840 --> 00:29:48,320 Christ may dwell in your hearts by faith. 666 00:29:48,760 --> 00:29:49,820 But Christ is in. 667 00:29:50,940 --> 00:29:52,160 What do you mean, Paul, when you say 668 00:29:52,160 --> 00:29:52,960 that Christ may dwell? 669 00:29:52,980 --> 00:29:54,380 What he means is that he may be 670 00:29:54,380 --> 00:29:55,080 at home there. 671 00:29:57,600 --> 00:29:58,800 He may be free. 672 00:29:59,440 --> 00:30:01,320 Let there be no one trying to dislodge 673 00:30:01,320 --> 00:30:02,240 him or upset him. 674 00:30:02,420 --> 00:30:04,040 Let him be at home in your heart. 675 00:30:05,100 --> 00:30:07,540 Let the word of God rule in your 676 00:30:07,540 --> 00:30:08,280 heart. 677 00:30:09,640 --> 00:30:10,520 Let it abide. 678 00:30:11,720 --> 00:30:13,220 Now, notice this. 679 00:30:13,820 --> 00:30:16,000 As it abides, it becomes active. 680 00:30:17,240 --> 00:30:19,300 Now, this is what proves the word of 681 00:30:19,300 --> 00:30:20,220 God to be the truth. 682 00:30:21,580 --> 00:30:24,020 Let it abide in your soul, and it 683 00:30:24,020 --> 00:30:26,140 will become active in this sense. 684 00:30:26,920 --> 00:30:29,420 It will always lead you to a greater 685 00:30:29,420 --> 00:30:32,160 knowledge of God the Father through God the 686 00:30:32,160 --> 00:30:32,580 Son. 687 00:30:34,540 --> 00:30:36,960 It will always lead you into battle with 688 00:30:36,960 --> 00:30:40,280 sin and battle with Satan, but will always 689 00:30:40,280 --> 00:30:42,620 keep you in fellowship with the Father and 690 00:30:42,620 --> 00:30:43,280 with the Son. 691 00:30:43,280 --> 00:30:45,920 If what you heard from the beginning, says 692 00:30:45,920 --> 00:30:49,160 John, abides in you, then you will abide 693 00:30:49,160 --> 00:30:50,320 in the Son and the Father. 694 00:30:51,920 --> 00:30:53,920 You have come to know the Lord Jesus 695 00:30:53,920 --> 00:30:56,580 in all his greatness and glory, and coming 696 00:30:56,580 --> 00:30:58,560 to know the Son, as such, you will 697 00:30:58,560 --> 00:30:59,600 know the Father. 698 00:31:01,100 --> 00:31:03,080 Can you see how the Christian experience is 699 00:31:03,080 --> 00:31:04,140 self-authenticating? 700 00:31:06,180 --> 00:31:10,860 Having the Holy Spirit's endowment within, having the 701 00:31:10,860 --> 00:31:13,200 truths of God in our hearts, now, by 702 00:31:13,200 --> 00:31:16,460 the Spirit, we must let the word which 703 00:31:16,460 --> 00:31:18,840 we have received abide. 704 00:31:20,440 --> 00:31:23,200 And as it abides, it acts. 705 00:31:25,320 --> 00:31:26,820 How does it act, says someone? 706 00:31:27,000 --> 00:31:28,260 Well, the psalmist will tell you that. 707 00:31:28,340 --> 00:31:29,740 Thy word, he says, have I hid in 708 00:31:29,740 --> 00:31:31,320 my heart that I might not sin against 709 00:31:31,320 --> 00:31:31,600 thee. 710 00:31:35,740 --> 00:31:36,880 I've hidden it within. 711 00:31:36,880 --> 00:31:39,060 I've got it in my soul, in my 712 00:31:39,060 --> 00:31:41,500 subconscious, says the psalmist, even if not in 713 00:31:41,500 --> 00:31:42,420 my conscious thought. 714 00:31:42,600 --> 00:31:45,780 It's there, and I find that when sin 715 00:31:45,780 --> 00:31:50,600 comes, it somehow rises up a standard of 716 00:31:50,600 --> 00:31:51,140 rebellion. 717 00:31:51,800 --> 00:31:52,400 Do you know that? 718 00:31:53,740 --> 00:31:55,240 Jesus did in the desert. 719 00:31:55,960 --> 00:31:58,000 When Satan came three times over, do you 720 00:31:58,000 --> 00:32:00,320 remember, he said, it is written, it is 721 00:32:00,320 --> 00:32:00,740 written. 722 00:32:01,240 --> 00:32:01,800 What is that? 723 00:32:01,800 --> 00:32:04,500 But the word hidden in the heart, rising 724 00:32:04,500 --> 00:32:06,460 up a standard of rebellion against evil. 725 00:32:07,600 --> 00:32:08,960 The word abiding in him. 726 00:32:10,960 --> 00:32:13,160 Paul speaks about the same thing in Colossians. 727 00:32:13,240 --> 00:32:15,160 Let the word of Christ, he says, dwell 728 00:32:15,160 --> 00:32:16,600 in you richly. 729 00:32:17,280 --> 00:32:19,360 As you teach and admonish one another in 730 00:32:19,360 --> 00:32:21,900 all wisdom, and as you sing psalms and 731 00:32:21,900 --> 00:32:24,920 hymns and spiritual songs, let it dwell in 732 00:32:24,920 --> 00:32:26,940 you, because as it dwells, it will become 733 00:32:26,940 --> 00:32:27,420 active. 734 00:32:32,720 --> 00:32:36,040 And in so doing, we enjoy what he 735 00:32:36,040 --> 00:32:39,160 has promised us, as John says, eternal life. 736 00:32:39,620 --> 00:32:41,600 And this is what he has promised us, 737 00:32:41,880 --> 00:32:43,160 eternal life. 738 00:32:43,600 --> 00:32:46,720 Now, as this goes on, says John, what 739 00:32:46,720 --> 00:32:49,540 you will discover is this, that the life 740 00:32:49,540 --> 00:32:53,400 of the ages, which in fullness you can 741 00:32:53,400 --> 00:32:54,840 only have when you go to be with 742 00:32:54,840 --> 00:32:56,860 the Lord, and are out of this body, 743 00:32:58,420 --> 00:32:59,820 but you already have it. 744 00:33:01,560 --> 00:33:04,160 And though living here upon earth, you have 745 00:33:04,160 --> 00:33:08,080 the life of heaven in all its expansiveness, 746 00:33:08,620 --> 00:33:11,300 and in all its glory and its wonder, 747 00:33:11,740 --> 00:33:15,820 you have it right here and now in 748 00:33:15,820 --> 00:33:16,460 the soul. 749 00:33:16,620 --> 00:33:20,300 In other words, you're exploring eternal life. 750 00:33:21,400 --> 00:33:22,440 And what about the heretics? 751 00:33:24,240 --> 00:33:27,300 And what happens is this, you become less 752 00:33:27,300 --> 00:33:32,000 conscious of them, and more conscious of Him. 753 00:33:35,020 --> 00:33:35,540 Hallelujah. 754 00:33:37,660 --> 00:33:41,120 My dear Christians, can you see the clarity 755 00:33:41,120 --> 00:33:42,820 of the Apostle's thought? 756 00:33:44,200 --> 00:33:45,980 You have the anointing, believer. 757 00:33:46,580 --> 00:33:47,240 Are you a Christian? 758 00:33:48,740 --> 00:33:50,740 If you're not a Christian, then I bid 759 00:33:50,740 --> 00:33:52,880 you turn from your sin this morning and 760 00:33:52,880 --> 00:33:54,060 come to the Saviour. 761 00:33:54,700 --> 00:33:56,240 Let Him be your Lord, let Him be 762 00:33:56,240 --> 00:33:58,280 your Master, let Him give you the life 763 00:33:58,280 --> 00:34:00,280 of the ages in your soul, let Him 764 00:34:00,280 --> 00:34:01,380 save you today. 765 00:34:03,500 --> 00:34:04,920 You'll share His anointing. 766 00:34:05,960 --> 00:34:08,520 With His anointing in your heart, and the 767 00:34:08,520 --> 00:34:11,840 truth in your mind, and in your possession, 768 00:34:12,820 --> 00:34:14,620 you have the key to a life of 769 00:34:14,620 --> 00:34:15,620 victory over all. 770 00:34:20,880 --> 00:34:23,860 Thanks be to God for His unspeakable gifts. 771 00:34:25,000 --> 00:34:27,840 Yes, in the plural, even though they're one. 772 00:34:28,380 --> 00:34:31,600 For the word of truth is the fruit 773 00:34:31,600 --> 00:34:33,980 and the gift of the Spirit. 774 00:34:35,420 --> 00:34:36,380 Let us pray. 775 00:34:43,139 --> 00:34:48,699 Father, Thou knowest how similar or dissimilar our 776 00:34:48,699 --> 00:34:51,159 experience may be from that of these ancient 777 00:34:51,159 --> 00:34:53,360 Christians addressed by the Apostle long ago. 778 00:34:55,560 --> 00:34:57,680 We ask of Thee that the relevance of 779 00:34:57,680 --> 00:35:01,080 that word written by the Apostle to them 780 00:35:03,160 --> 00:35:09,460 may be unquestionably appreciated by us, so that 781 00:35:09,460 --> 00:35:11,900 in our day, in our age, whatever happens 782 00:35:11,900 --> 00:35:15,160 round and about us, we may know that 783 00:35:15,160 --> 00:35:17,960 we have, in the Spirit and in the 784 00:35:17,960 --> 00:35:20,760 Word, all that we need. 785 00:35:21,440 --> 00:35:24,260 For they bring us to an ever-deepening 786 00:35:24,260 --> 00:35:30,580 knowledge of Thy Son and of Thyself, and 787 00:35:30,580 --> 00:35:34,440 thereby to an ever-deepening experience of the 788 00:35:34,440 --> 00:35:38,220 everlasting life which Thou hast given us in 789 00:35:38,220 --> 00:35:38,900 Thy Son. 790 00:35:40,020 --> 00:35:42,660 Oh, lead us by the way, we pray, 791 00:35:43,240 --> 00:35:44,820 to Thine everlasting glory. 792 00:35:46,260 --> 00:35:46,980 Amen.