WEBVTT 00:00:00.000 --> 00:00:08.500 Welcome, everyone. My name is Barnetti the Magnificent, and I'm going to need a volunteer. 00:00:09.620 --> 00:00:13.580 Come on, I need a volunteer from the audience. Anybody? Don't make me pick somebody. 00:00:14.380 --> 00:00:21.519 I need a volunteer. Okay, young lady, yes, please come down the front. Let's give her a clap as she comes up. 00:00:23.859 --> 00:00:29.120 I have a fairly normal deck of cards here, young lady. You can see it's just a fairly normal deck of cards, yes. 00:00:29.120 --> 00:00:32.620 What I'm going to get you to do is I'll just give it a quick shuffle. Yep, okay. 00:00:32.859 --> 00:00:36.140 What I'm going to do is I'm going to get you to take a card. Any card? Pick a card. 00:00:38.060 --> 00:00:42.700 Oh, that one. Okay, all right. Have a look. Show the audience. Yeah, don't you? I'll turn around. 00:00:43.380 --> 00:00:48.299 Show the stream as well. Okay, all right. Now pop that back in there. 00:00:50.079 --> 00:00:54.400 Wonderful. Okay, what I'm going to do now is just do a bit of hand waving over this. 00:00:54.400 --> 00:00:58.079 I'm just going to chop this a couple of times. Hopefully I haven't ruined my trick. 00:00:59.119 --> 00:01:07.019 Do this. Do this. And was it this card? What card is that? Okay, wasn't that a card? Okay. 00:01:07.459 --> 00:01:16.159 Was it this card? No. No. Okay. Now, here's the real test. Was it this card? Yeah. 00:01:16.340 --> 00:01:20.060 Yay! I got it right. Okay, let's give Chloe a round of applause. Thank you very much. 00:01:21.060 --> 00:01:23.579 Look at that. It was the... Oh, was it the Joker? 00:01:23.579 --> 00:01:26.140 Yeah. Well, that's kind of funny, isn't it? That's kind of funny. 00:01:27.599 --> 00:01:34.340 Now, of course, you are not an audience. You are a church. We are a church. We are the body of Christ 00:01:34.340 --> 00:01:41.780 who is gathered together to worship our great God and to encourage each other. And I'm not Barnetti the 00:01:41.780 --> 00:01:48.959 Magnificent. I'm just James. And I don't do magic. It was just all a little bit of deception. 00:01:48.959 --> 00:01:55.539 Now, it was silly and entertaining. Well, for me, it was entertaining. But we can easily be tricked. 00:01:56.759 --> 00:02:01.579 You might be thinking, how did he do that? How did he deceive us so well? 00:02:02.659 --> 00:02:06.899 Now, it wasn't actually that important. But we can be tricked and deceived in life. 00:02:06.900 --> 00:02:14.060 And there can be grave consequences. You know, if we're tricked into buying a car by a salesman, 00:02:14.219 --> 00:02:19.840 that the car is actually a lemon. It's not a very good car. We don't realise it until it's too late. 00:02:21.180 --> 00:02:28.480 We live in a world of misinformation where people on all sides are crying out about being deceived by fake news. 00:02:28.479 --> 00:02:34.019 It hurts to be deceived. Lied to from a loved one or a colleague. 00:02:34.919 --> 00:02:38.679 It can make us doubt who we are and the things that we hold dear. 00:02:39.780 --> 00:02:46.719 The author of this book, John, he is writing to a church who is at a very dangerous risk of being deceived 00:02:46.719 --> 00:02:51.639 about who Jesus is and who they were as a church and who they were to be as Christians. 00:02:52.339 --> 00:02:56.679 People have come in and they have been spreading rumours. 00:02:56.680 --> 00:03:02.860 They have been deceiving people to try and change their views, to take them down another path. 00:03:03.439 --> 00:03:10.099 And today, as we see John's word against those deceivers, we will be challenged to watch out for deception. 00:03:10.900 --> 00:03:15.960 Because we too can be deceived about who Jesus is and who we are to be as Christians. 00:03:16.439 --> 00:03:19.460 So as we have a look at this, let me pray for us. 00:03:20.540 --> 00:03:26.120 Heavenly Father, we thank you for your word that it reveals your son Jesus to us 00:03:26.120 --> 00:03:29.039 and it reveals you, our Heavenly Father, to us. 00:03:29.980 --> 00:03:35.580 We ask that as we look at your word this morning, that you would give us eyes that see clearly 00:03:35.580 --> 00:03:38.000 and that do not get deceived. 00:03:38.740 --> 00:03:42.540 And Lord, when we are deceived, we ask that you would help us to understand 00:03:42.540 --> 00:03:46.159 and to come back to loving and following you wholeheartedly, Lord. 00:03:46.640 --> 00:03:47.020 Amen. 00:03:47.020 --> 00:03:50.020 So please have your Bibles open. 00:03:50.240 --> 00:03:52.340 We're in 1 John chapter 3. 00:03:52.439 --> 00:03:57.340 If you don't have a Bible, there is Bibles at either side door. 00:03:57.480 --> 00:03:58.520 There are brown ones. 00:03:58.680 --> 00:03:59.800 We have written in them. 00:03:59.860 --> 00:04:01.060 They are a gift for you. 00:04:01.140 --> 00:04:04.580 We would love you to have a Bible if you don't have a Bible. 00:04:04.660 --> 00:04:07.900 So please take one of those, put your name in it, write all over it. 00:04:07.920 --> 00:04:08.680 That is yours. 00:04:08.680 --> 00:04:14.719 And as we have a look at 1 John chapter 3, John begins with a sense of urgency, 00:04:15.560 --> 00:04:18.879 speaking about a group called the Antichrists, 00:04:19.500 --> 00:04:23.000 those who came in and deceived and who had been deceived. 00:04:23.100 --> 00:04:25.699 Have a look with me, 1 John chapter 3 verse 18. 00:04:26.540 --> 00:04:30.180 Dear children, this is the last hour. 00:04:31.139 --> 00:04:33.480 And as you have heard that the Antichrist is coming, 00:04:33.840 --> 00:04:35.960 even now many Antichrists have come. 00:04:35.959 --> 00:04:39.239 This is how we know it is the last hour. 00:04:40.139 --> 00:04:41.319 John's got this sense of urgency. 00:04:41.500 --> 00:04:43.239 Guys, we're living in the last days. 00:04:43.379 --> 00:04:44.680 We are in the last moments. 00:04:45.299 --> 00:04:48.719 And his desire for this church is to not be deceived. 00:04:49.779 --> 00:04:54.019 John consistently calls this church dear children, little children. 00:04:55.099 --> 00:04:59.339 And it's a reminder that little children are easily deceived. 00:04:59.839 --> 00:05:01.459 I don't know if you've ever done the whole, 00:05:01.599 --> 00:05:04.759 I pull the coin from behind your ear trick to a small child. 00:05:04.759 --> 00:05:06.219 Children are easily deceived. 00:05:06.539 --> 00:05:11.300 And this church can find it easy to be deceived. 00:05:12.079 --> 00:05:14.319 And John speaks about the Antichrist. 00:05:14.920 --> 00:05:17.000 It's something we've probably heard of before. 00:05:17.560 --> 00:05:19.560 Maybe we've heard of it in movies. 00:05:20.079 --> 00:05:22.139 We might have some different ideas about it. 00:05:23.240 --> 00:05:27.539 And there is two different concepts in the Bible generally when it comes to the Antichrist. 00:05:27.540 --> 00:05:32.780 There is a specific reference to one individual, the devil, the Antichrist. 00:05:33.120 --> 00:05:39.960 And then there is this reference here, which is more general to a number of different people who are Antichrists. 00:05:40.580 --> 00:05:41.360 So what does it mean? 00:05:41.420 --> 00:05:42.140 What does it mean? 00:05:42.200 --> 00:05:43.240 So we've got two options. 00:05:43.920 --> 00:05:46.680 Ante can have two different meanings, the word anti. 00:05:46.680 --> 00:05:47.680 Antichrist. 00:05:47.680 --> 00:05:49.920 First of all, it can mean those who are against. 00:05:50.400 --> 00:06:01.000 So if I said, you know, if I said, you know, that person, they're anti-Australian, that means they're against Australians. 00:06:01.000 --> 00:06:07.819 So this group, Antichrists, could be described as those who are against Christ. 00:06:09.100 --> 00:06:12.540 The word anti can also mean to take the place of. 00:06:13.519 --> 00:06:20.660 And so this group could also be described as those who want to steal Jesus' place and substitute it with their own version of Jesus. 00:06:21.740 --> 00:06:23.300 And so we've got this group who've come in. 00:06:24.040 --> 00:06:26.100 John describes them as the Antichrists. 00:06:26.100 --> 00:06:32.260 Either those who are wanting to take Jesus' place or those who are his enemies, those who are against him. 00:06:33.520 --> 00:06:38.580 And it actually turns out that this group was from that church to begin with. 00:06:39.280 --> 00:06:40.660 But they didn't really belong. 00:06:40.780 --> 00:06:41.340 Verse 22. 00:06:42.020 --> 00:06:42.780 Who is the liar? 00:06:43.700 --> 00:06:46.640 It is whoever denies that Jesus is the Christ. 00:06:47.240 --> 00:06:51.439 Such a person is the Antichrist, denying the Father and the Son. 00:06:51.439 --> 00:06:59.680 These people had been part of the church and they'd left and they'd come back and they've had their view of Jesus twisted. 00:07:00.360 --> 00:07:03.600 They're denying that Jesus is the Son of God. 00:07:03.920 --> 00:07:08.079 And this person is against Christ when they deny that. 00:07:09.779 --> 00:07:11.540 They're preaching a different kind of Jesus. 00:07:11.980 --> 00:07:15.319 Jesus who is not the Jesus that's revealed to us in the Bible. 00:07:15.620 --> 00:07:19.420 One who isn't the Christ, the chosen one, the Son of God. 00:07:19.420 --> 00:07:25.740 And John is really concerned for this church that they would be deceived by these Antichrists. 00:07:26.900 --> 00:07:29.819 Instead of being tricked, he calls them to remain. 00:07:30.780 --> 00:07:31.840 Remain in Jesus. 00:07:32.000 --> 00:07:32.580 Verse 24. 00:07:33.040 --> 00:07:37.540 See that what you have heard from the beginning remains in you. 00:07:38.600 --> 00:07:40.520 Remain in what you have heard from the beginning. 00:07:41.240 --> 00:07:44.460 Don't change your view of who Jesus is, that he's the Son of God, 00:07:44.520 --> 00:07:47.980 just because somebody has come in and told you some stories about him. 00:07:47.980 --> 00:07:56.720 We looked at last week, John's resume in chapter one, where John said that he had seen and touched and heard Jesus. 00:07:57.100 --> 00:08:02.860 Don't just believe other people that have come in who haven't met him, who don't know him, who didn't see him rise from the dead. 00:08:03.840 --> 00:08:05.540 John is a far more reliable witness. 00:08:07.220 --> 00:08:12.500 The group that came in to deceive the church was most likely a group called the Gnostics. 00:08:12.500 --> 00:08:15.839 Gnostic is all about knowledge. 00:08:16.019 --> 00:08:19.240 They believed they had a special revelation from God. 00:08:19.439 --> 00:08:24.980 They believed that they alone had special knowledge from God about who Jesus was. 00:08:25.339 --> 00:08:28.839 And you had to have a special religious experience to receive it. 00:08:29.920 --> 00:08:32.639 But John calls them, don't be deceived by this. 00:08:33.799 --> 00:08:34.500 Remain in Jesus. 00:08:34.620 --> 00:08:36.559 You don't need a new special revelation. 00:08:36.860 --> 00:08:38.340 You don't need new special knowledge. 00:08:38.340 --> 00:08:39.680 You've already got that knowledge. 00:08:39.759 --> 00:08:40.680 You've got it at the beginning. 00:08:41.500 --> 00:08:44.240 When you first heard about Jesus, that is all that you need. 00:08:46.360 --> 00:08:50.320 In verse 20, they've already been given an anointing by the Holy Spirit. 00:08:51.000 --> 00:08:53.300 They don't need anything new. 00:08:54.040 --> 00:08:56.940 They don't need anything else to be able to follow this God. 00:08:56.940 --> 00:09:05.820 It's a reminder that Christianity, sorry, the Holy Spirit opens our eyes to see who Jesus is. 00:09:06.180 --> 00:09:10.620 And so we don't need another revelation from the Spirit to see who Jesus is. 00:09:11.540 --> 00:09:18.640 And so John reminds them in verse 23 that whoever denies that Jesus is the Son of God denies God. 00:09:19.340 --> 00:09:22.020 This is a reminder that Christianity is an exclusive claim. 00:09:22.320 --> 00:09:24.120 You deny that Jesus is the Son of God. 00:09:24.120 --> 00:09:26.440 You cannot know the Father. 00:09:27.299 --> 00:09:28.399 There is only one God. 00:09:29.100 --> 00:09:31.560 And it is Jesus who reveals him to us. 00:09:32.679 --> 00:09:37.620 When the church kept their eyes fixed on Jesus, the same Jesus who had been revealed, 00:09:37.940 --> 00:09:38.940 well, they wouldn't be deceived. 00:09:39.039 --> 00:09:42.299 They wouldn't be deceived by the sleight of hand of the Antichrists. 00:09:43.340 --> 00:09:47.879 But the reality is we don't have this same problem. 00:09:47.879 --> 00:09:55.439 We don't have people coming in, preaching from the pulpit, saying you need to believe in this slightly different view of Christ. 00:09:56.379 --> 00:10:02.320 But yet it is also possible for us today, living in 2021, to be deceived. 00:10:03.340 --> 00:10:05.720 We can be deceived about who Jesus is. 00:10:06.080 --> 00:10:09.539 It can be very subtle and it can be from our culture. 00:10:09.539 --> 00:10:14.959 It can be from other Christians who have got a slightly different view of who Jesus is. 00:10:15.439 --> 00:10:22.759 And so I think there are four types of deceptions we can see, at least four types, when it comes to who Jesus is. 00:10:23.099 --> 00:10:25.599 The first is Red Bull Jesus. 00:10:26.620 --> 00:10:29.799 Does anybody know what one of the slogans of Red Bull is? 00:10:31.099 --> 00:10:32.019 It gives you wings. 00:10:32.419 --> 00:10:34.039 Thank you for ladies on my left and right. 00:10:34.519 --> 00:10:35.379 It gives you wings. 00:10:35.500 --> 00:10:36.639 Red Bull gives you a boost. 00:10:36.639 --> 00:10:37.860 It makes you a little bit better. 00:10:38.740 --> 00:10:41.240 It's that 10% improvement you need. 00:10:41.759 --> 00:10:46.360 And so we can be deceived into thinking that we need a Red Bull Jesus. 00:10:46.679 --> 00:10:49.080 We need just a little bit more. 00:10:49.460 --> 00:10:50.960 I just need a push. 00:10:52.039 --> 00:10:53.279 You know, I'm a pretty great person. 00:10:54.159 --> 00:10:57.580 And Jesus helps me just get over the line with God. 00:10:58.220 --> 00:11:03.019 I'm pretty close myself, but I just need God to get me over the line. 00:11:03.460 --> 00:11:04.639 And that's all he is to me. 00:11:04.639 --> 00:11:07.840 Jesus is just an energy drink to help me get to God. 00:11:08.879 --> 00:11:09.919 Don't be deceived. 00:11:10.159 --> 00:11:13.259 Ephesians 2 reminds us that we are dead. 00:11:13.919 --> 00:11:14.899 We are totally dead. 00:11:15.019 --> 00:11:16.799 It's not that we need a push over the line. 00:11:17.279 --> 00:11:19.679 We need, what are those things you have in hospitals? 00:11:20.319 --> 00:11:22.899 The things you zap people with to make them come back to life? 00:11:24.480 --> 00:11:24.879 Defibrillators. 00:11:25.659 --> 00:11:26.659 We need a defibrillator. 00:11:26.740 --> 00:11:28.100 We don't just need a little bit of a drink. 00:11:28.100 --> 00:11:31.500 We need to go from dead to life. 00:11:31.860 --> 00:11:33.620 And that only happens because of Jesus. 00:11:34.580 --> 00:11:36.159 Dead people don't need a push. 00:11:36.680 --> 00:11:37.899 They need a grave. 00:11:38.659 --> 00:11:40.960 And if it wasn't for Jesus, that's where we would be. 00:11:41.879 --> 00:11:45.680 Instead, Jesus went to the grave for us to redeem us. 00:11:45.679 --> 00:11:52.939 So we can easily be deceived to think that we are pretty good people and Jesus just helps us get over the line with God. 00:11:53.039 --> 00:11:54.259 But that is not the reality. 00:11:54.359 --> 00:11:56.819 The reality is far greater and far terrible. 00:11:56.959 --> 00:11:58.359 We don't deserve anything good from God. 00:11:58.899 --> 00:12:00.219 And yet he gives us good. 00:12:00.220 --> 00:12:07.680 The second type of Jesus that we can be deceived by is our fairy godmother Jesus. 00:12:09.399 --> 00:12:13.080 My kids have been reading a whole lot of fairy tales recently, so I'm thinking fairy godmothers. 00:12:13.779 --> 00:12:19.139 This version of Jesus gives you whatever you like as long as you follow the rules. 00:12:20.279 --> 00:12:25.960 You can have salvation, but you can have all the blessings from God, but you've got to follow the rules. 00:12:26.279 --> 00:12:30.139 You can have salvation, but if you don't follow my rules, you'll turn into a pumpkin. 00:12:30.220 --> 00:12:30.920 At 12 o'clock. 00:12:31.399 --> 00:12:32.320 Is that how the story goes? 00:12:32.360 --> 00:12:32.860 I can't remember. 00:12:33.820 --> 00:12:38.220 But this deception ruins our relationship with Jesus because it brings it down to, 00:12:38.220 --> 00:12:43.080 I have to follow these restrictions so that I can get these blessings. 00:12:44.139 --> 00:12:49.860 This is a very simple little deception that can come in to our relationship with Jesus. 00:12:51.440 --> 00:12:53.759 Because the Bible does have lots of rules. 00:12:53.879 --> 00:12:55.040 It does have lots of commands. 00:12:56.660 --> 00:13:00.160 But it is not fairy godmother, I'm going to give you these blessings. 00:13:00.220 --> 00:13:01.940 And I'm going to give you these curses. 00:13:02.040 --> 00:13:03.080 You've got to be home by 12. 00:13:03.500 --> 00:13:09.259 God pours out his lavish love on us and calls us to follow him. 00:13:09.779 --> 00:13:10.860 It is the reverse. 00:13:11.240 --> 00:13:13.440 He loves us, first and foremost. 00:13:14.399 --> 00:13:19.060 Instead of having to follow rules, we are given love. 00:13:19.340 --> 00:13:23.960 And we are called to have a relationship with the one who loves us and continue to love. 00:13:23.960 --> 00:13:26.060 And we do that by choosing to obey. 00:13:26.740 --> 00:13:30.500 The third type of Jesus is skydiving Jesus. 00:13:31.560 --> 00:13:33.600 I kind of wish I had pictures of each of these. 00:13:34.420 --> 00:13:40.660 But for many Christians, there can be a chasing after spiritual experiences. 00:13:40.659 --> 00:13:45.039 Trying to get a Christian high, like jumping out of a plane. 00:13:46.059 --> 00:13:51.759 The Gnostics were trying to deceive the church that John is writing to, to say that they had special knowledge. 00:13:52.000 --> 00:13:53.459 They had a special religious experience. 00:13:53.679 --> 00:13:54.480 And you had to get that. 00:13:54.539 --> 00:13:56.719 You had to chase that if you wanted to be a real Christian. 00:13:58.379 --> 00:14:00.339 Other groups today would say similar things. 00:14:00.600 --> 00:14:06.419 You must have a spiritual experience like speaking in tongues to be truly saved and to be a real Christian. 00:14:06.419 --> 00:14:10.259 Nowhere in the Bible does it say that. 00:14:11.259 --> 00:14:12.860 Don't be deceived, as John said. 00:14:13.799 --> 00:14:15.559 We have the Holy Spirit. 00:14:15.959 --> 00:14:18.219 Remain in what we have had from the beginning. 00:14:19.120 --> 00:14:21.860 The Holy Spirit reveals the truth of Jesus to us. 00:14:23.039 --> 00:14:28.219 And so instead of chasing something new, chasing a new spiritual experience, a new spiritual high, 00:14:28.220 --> 00:14:36.500 instead chase a closer and deeper relationship with the God and Father who has been made known by Jesus. 00:14:38.540 --> 00:14:40.660 Fourth, the good man Jesus. 00:14:41.800 --> 00:14:46.600 This deception is a very common one from our culture. 00:14:46.800 --> 00:14:47.980 Jesus is a good man. 00:14:48.660 --> 00:14:50.860 And Christians are to just be good people too. 00:14:52.000 --> 00:14:54.639 Jesus inspires us to be good people. 00:14:54.639 --> 00:15:00.720 And while we are called to be like him, you know, that is not why he came. 00:15:00.819 --> 00:15:03.500 He didn't call us to just be like him. 00:15:03.960 --> 00:15:06.439 He didn't make us to just be nice people. 00:15:07.059 --> 00:15:13.460 He came to take dead people wrapped in grave clothes, stuck in the grave, and make us new people. 00:15:13.939 --> 00:15:15.899 So Jesus is a good man. 00:15:16.639 --> 00:15:18.639 But he's not just a good man. 00:15:18.980 --> 00:15:22.379 He is God himself who came to do so much more. 00:15:22.379 --> 00:15:26.019 All of these deceptions start with a good thing. 00:15:26.799 --> 00:15:31.340 You'll find that true about every heresy that's ever been. 00:15:31.720 --> 00:15:34.519 Every heresy starts with something really good. 00:15:34.620 --> 00:15:35.860 Jesus is a good man. 00:15:37.259 --> 00:15:41.879 We get a spiritual revelation from the Holy Spirit. 00:15:43.259 --> 00:15:45.620 God gives us wonderful things. 00:15:46.740 --> 00:15:48.620 God does help us so much. 00:15:48.620 --> 00:15:49.620 God does help us. 00:15:49.620 --> 00:15:49.960 God does help us. 00:15:49.960 --> 00:15:54.860 Every heresy, every deception starts with a core of truth. 00:15:55.279 --> 00:15:57.240 And it just takes it offline. 00:15:57.600 --> 00:15:58.960 It just takes it too far. 00:16:00.379 --> 00:16:03.060 John calls us to remain in Jesus. 00:16:04.279 --> 00:16:12.299 Don't be deceived into following a knock-off, low-cost version of Jesus when the real Jesus is so wonderful. 00:16:12.299 --> 00:16:18.719 Chase a closer relationship with him as the Holy Spirit reveals him to us through his word. 00:16:20.219 --> 00:16:25.059 And so John has reminded this church about who Jesus is and not to be deceived. 00:16:25.839 --> 00:16:31.899 And now he turns to our confidence in God and who we are as Christians. 00:16:32.740 --> 00:16:34.699 And all of this comes from our identity. 00:16:34.819 --> 00:16:37.059 Have a look at the start of chapter 3 with me. 00:16:37.120 --> 00:16:38.039 Chapter 3, verse 1. 00:16:38.039 --> 00:16:48.360 See what great love the Father has lavished on us, that we should be called the children of God. 00:16:49.139 --> 00:16:51.419 This verse really stood out to me when I was preparing this. 00:16:51.719 --> 00:16:55.399 I don't think I've ever seen the word lavish in the Bible. 00:16:56.539 --> 00:16:58.139 I'll have to do a word search on it later. 00:16:58.559 --> 00:17:01.539 God lavished his love on us. 00:17:02.879 --> 00:17:04.519 Lavish is a great word. 00:17:04.519 --> 00:17:09.859 This is what I do when I'm preparing, if I'm having toast and butter. 00:17:10.059 --> 00:17:11.839 This is how I have butter on my bread. 00:17:12.039 --> 00:17:12.980 I lavish it. 00:17:13.460 --> 00:17:16.559 Usually for me, bread and butter is a one-to-one ratio. 00:17:17.460 --> 00:17:20.440 Because I think that's the way God has given us those gifts to enjoy. 00:17:21.039 --> 00:17:22.539 But that's what God does. 00:17:22.779 --> 00:17:23.980 He lavishes. 00:17:24.119 --> 00:17:28.059 He goes over the top expressing his love for us. 00:17:28.519 --> 00:17:29.180 And verse 2. 00:17:29.180 --> 00:17:33.740 We shall be like him, for we shall see him as he is. 00:17:34.700 --> 00:17:39.160 All who have this hope in him purify themselves, just as he is pure. 00:17:40.440 --> 00:17:43.299 We will be made like him, and we will be made pure. 00:17:44.080 --> 00:17:48.080 And he says in verse 9 that we're given the Holy Spirit like a seed in us, 00:17:48.299 --> 00:17:52.799 and it blossoms so that we can remain in God. 00:17:52.799 --> 00:17:59.639 John is really keen that this church isn't deceived into being confused about who they are as Christians. 00:18:00.220 --> 00:18:06.359 And he paints this beautiful picture of God's love, his lavish love, and what he does for us. 00:18:06.960 --> 00:18:08.359 The Antichrists have come in. 00:18:08.599 --> 00:18:12.619 They're trying to deceive people about who Jesus is and about what a Christian looks like. 00:18:13.159 --> 00:18:18.319 And John reminds the church of the beauty of being a child of God. 00:18:18.319 --> 00:18:25.799 And he builds on this comparison between those who are the Antichrists and those who are Christ's in verse 4. 00:18:26.740 --> 00:18:29.399 Everyone who sins breaks the law. 00:18:30.279 --> 00:18:31.799 In fact, sin is lawlessness. 00:18:32.980 --> 00:18:36.220 But you know that he appeared so that he might take away our sins. 00:18:37.079 --> 00:18:38.779 And in him is no sin. 00:18:40.059 --> 00:18:42.460 No one who lives in him keeps on sinning. 00:18:42.839 --> 00:18:46.000 No one who continues to sin has either seen him or known him. 00:18:46.000 --> 00:18:49.420 Now, we might have a bit of a confusion about this point. 00:18:49.579 --> 00:18:53.740 You might see it and do a bit of a double take as Paul was reading it for us for it earlier. 00:18:54.559 --> 00:18:57.940 Does that really say that Christians don't sin? 00:18:59.079 --> 00:19:02.559 I'm a Christian and I've sinned, you know, a dozen times this morning already. 00:19:03.839 --> 00:19:06.680 Is this part of the Bible possibly wrong? 00:19:07.299 --> 00:19:08.900 Or am I just not really a Christian? 00:19:08.900 --> 00:19:15.400 Some modern Christians have been deceived and preached that Christians don't sin. 00:19:16.019 --> 00:19:16.600 Full stop. 00:19:17.160 --> 00:19:21.360 Or that it's possible for Christians to reach a state called sinless perfection. 00:19:21.660 --> 00:19:24.600 Where Christians just do not sin anymore. 00:19:25.980 --> 00:19:28.060 But this doesn't make sense of the Christian's experience. 00:19:28.340 --> 00:19:31.660 This doesn't make sense of the joy of following Jesus. 00:19:32.280 --> 00:19:33.580 The joy of forgiveness. 00:19:33.579 --> 00:19:37.419 And struggling with our sin to continue to follow him. 00:19:37.980 --> 00:19:39.279 It doesn't make sense of our experience. 00:19:39.439 --> 00:19:40.960 But it also doesn't make sense of the Bible. 00:19:41.039 --> 00:19:42.919 It doesn't make sense of just this book alone. 00:19:43.299 --> 00:19:47.799 1 John 1.8, which we saw last week, call us to confess our sins. 00:19:48.220 --> 00:19:51.359 Because we've forgiven us in Jesus, the advocate before the Father. 00:19:51.819 --> 00:19:53.319 So, what do we do with this? 00:19:53.319 --> 00:19:57.819 If in 1 John 1, John says that when you sin, confess. 00:19:57.819 --> 00:20:03.759 And if he then says in 1 John 3, Christians don't have sin, what do we do with this? 00:20:04.799 --> 00:20:08.059 Is John contradicting himself in the space of two chapters? 00:20:09.039 --> 00:20:10.899 It is very strong language. 00:20:11.679 --> 00:20:16.220 Verse 9, no one who is born of sin will continue to sin. 00:20:17.839 --> 00:20:18.879 So, what do we do? 00:20:19.759 --> 00:20:23.779 I think there's two ways to understand what is going on at this point. 00:20:23.779 --> 00:20:27.639 This is going to be a brief stopover in a technical argument. 00:20:27.799 --> 00:20:29.039 So, please stay with me for this. 00:20:30.259 --> 00:20:33.680 The first is the we don't do this here approach. 00:20:34.319 --> 00:20:39.539 From verse 6 of chapter 3, no one who lives in him keeps on sinning. 00:20:40.000 --> 00:20:45.539 And so, this first view says that as Christians, we are saved and we are forgiven. 00:20:45.759 --> 00:20:49.119 And yet we still sin, but we're not stuck in sin. 00:20:49.119 --> 00:20:52.979 The Holy Spirit convicts us of our sin. 00:20:53.259 --> 00:20:59.359 And whilst we do it, it's different to before because now we know God and now we're not stuck in sin. 00:20:59.779 --> 00:21:06.199 And so, the mark of a Christian is that their life reflects God's love shown in Jesus' death. 00:21:06.679 --> 00:21:13.739 A Christian's life is lived to honour God, to obey Him, bringing glory to Him and to treasure Jesus. 00:21:13.740 --> 00:21:17.099 Christians are different after they know God. 00:21:17.200 --> 00:21:19.319 And so, while they sin, they're not stuck sinning. 00:21:19.400 --> 00:21:20.759 They're not in the habit of sinning. 00:21:21.579 --> 00:21:24.460 It'd be me at home, family dinner. 00:21:24.680 --> 00:21:26.460 It's about 6 o'clock on a normal night. 00:21:27.359 --> 00:21:32.559 And I say something like, children, we Barnets sit up straight. 00:21:33.319 --> 00:21:36.620 We Barnets, we don't have our elbows on the table. 00:21:37.000 --> 00:21:39.380 And we Barnets don't play with our food. 00:21:39.380 --> 00:21:43.520 But also, at the same time, one of my kids is lying on the floor. 00:21:44.220 --> 00:21:46.840 One of them is flicking food at their sibling. 00:21:47.160 --> 00:21:49.760 And me, myself, I'm just spinning pasta on a fork. 00:21:50.560 --> 00:21:53.960 It's not true, me saying that we Barnets do all these things. 00:21:54.000 --> 00:21:54.720 It's not true. 00:21:55.000 --> 00:21:57.920 But it's a statement of who we are and who we should be. 00:21:59.680 --> 00:22:03.300 Christians, and so what 1 John 3 could be saying is, 00:22:03.540 --> 00:22:05.320 Christians are not held in sin. 00:22:05.700 --> 00:22:10.240 Christians are called to follow God wholeheartedly with their whole life. 00:22:11.939 --> 00:22:14.000 Christians aren't held by sin in the same way. 00:22:14.240 --> 00:22:15.119 That's the first view. 00:22:16.299 --> 00:22:18.419 The second view is the one I prefer. 00:22:19.399 --> 00:22:21.799 But reading a whole bunch of commentaries, 00:22:22.099 --> 00:22:24.720 a number of people will go into either side, so I'm okay with either. 00:22:24.720 --> 00:22:29.920 But here, John has spoken about the identity of the Christians 00:22:29.920 --> 00:22:32.819 and about those who are the anti-Christians, 00:22:33.279 --> 00:22:35.740 those who are for and against Christ. 00:22:36.180 --> 00:22:39.200 And he continues his argument here in chapter 3. 00:22:39.600 --> 00:22:43.180 He's describing them as either sons and daughters of God 00:22:43.180 --> 00:22:45.039 or sons and daughters of the devil. 00:22:46.360 --> 00:22:49.019 The sin he describes as lawlessness is not 00:22:49.019 --> 00:22:52.079 breaking the Ten Commandments type of sin, 00:22:52.079 --> 00:22:56.519 but the sin here is of rejecting that Jesus is the Son of God. 00:22:57.240 --> 00:22:59.759 Chapter 2 was all about the identity of Jesus. 00:22:59.919 --> 00:23:01.379 Don't be deceived about who Jesus was. 00:23:01.539 --> 00:23:02.359 Remain in Jesus. 00:23:04.579 --> 00:23:08.139 And now, those who have rejected Jesus, 00:23:08.599 --> 00:23:11.339 well, they are the ones who do sin 00:23:11.339 --> 00:23:13.899 and the ones who follow Jesus, they don't. 00:23:14.199 --> 00:23:15.659 They don't reject Jesus. 00:23:15.660 --> 00:23:19.519 So no one who has the Holy Spirit working in their heart 00:23:19.519 --> 00:23:22.660 can reject Jesus in this sense and sin. 00:23:23.460 --> 00:23:25.060 Because no one who has the Holy Spirit 00:23:25.060 --> 00:23:27.420 can say that Jesus is not the Son of God. 00:23:28.400 --> 00:23:30.460 And everyone who doesn't have the Holy Spirit, 00:23:30.540 --> 00:23:32.700 well, they can't see that Jesus is the Son of God. 00:23:32.920 --> 00:23:34.580 And so all they can do is to sin. 00:23:36.000 --> 00:23:38.720 It makes this passage a reassurance 00:23:38.720 --> 00:23:41.080 from John to the church of their salvation. 00:23:41.079 --> 00:23:43.539 Your sins have been taken away. 00:23:44.579 --> 00:23:47.619 And you can see that because you are remaining in Christ. 00:23:48.399 --> 00:23:51.119 And your fruit of love is for the church. 00:23:52.579 --> 00:23:54.579 Regardless of which of these two positions, 00:23:55.139 --> 00:23:57.740 John is clearly concerned that the church 00:23:57.740 --> 00:24:00.059 would be deceived by these imposters who would come in. 00:24:00.579 --> 00:24:02.500 That they would be tricked and deceived 00:24:02.500 --> 00:24:05.099 by the view of Jesus and who the Christian was. 00:24:06.000 --> 00:24:08.599 We face the same challenge today. 00:24:08.599 --> 00:24:11.639 That we can forget the wonder 00:24:11.639 --> 00:24:13.939 and lavish love of God. 00:24:14.259 --> 00:24:16.039 And we can end up with a knock-off, 00:24:16.439 --> 00:24:18.079 cheapened version of Christianity. 00:24:19.240 --> 00:24:21.000 And so I have three types of Christians 00:24:21.000 --> 00:24:23.159 that we can be deceived into being. 00:24:24.599 --> 00:24:27.500 Firstly, is the arrogant Christian. 00:24:28.459 --> 00:24:30.019 This has been me in the past. 00:24:30.879 --> 00:24:32.939 It's the type of Christian that says, 00:24:33.199 --> 00:24:34.779 you know, Jesus died for my sins, 00:24:34.980 --> 00:24:37.079 and so it doesn't matter if I do a few more. 00:24:37.079 --> 00:24:39.179 He's died for them all anyway. 00:24:39.519 --> 00:24:40.919 What's another couple to the tally? 00:24:41.319 --> 00:24:42.839 He's already died and risen again. 00:24:45.319 --> 00:24:47.679 But what we do does matter. 00:24:48.819 --> 00:24:51.000 Our sin grieves God. 00:24:52.019 --> 00:24:54.939 Instead of that, we can actually bring joy and happiness 00:24:54.939 --> 00:24:56.019 to our Heavenly Father, 00:24:56.379 --> 00:24:58.059 and glory to Him when we obey. 00:24:59.019 --> 00:25:00.659 He offers us to be His children, 00:25:00.839 --> 00:25:03.179 to pour out His lavish love on us. 00:25:03.180 --> 00:25:07.000 And so let's not be deceived that what we do doesn't matter, 00:25:07.680 --> 00:25:11.940 but instead respond to God by loving Him and obeying Him. 00:25:12.860 --> 00:25:17.539 Second is the be true to myself Christian. 00:25:17.539 --> 00:25:20.579 This is a more modern deception, 00:25:21.359 --> 00:25:25.420 which takes our culture's love of celebrating people, 00:25:25.940 --> 00:25:27.839 pursuing their own personal goals, 00:25:28.220 --> 00:25:29.420 as being true to themselves. 00:25:29.559 --> 00:25:30.579 Have you heard of people say, 00:25:30.680 --> 00:25:33.299 you know, I just want to be true to myself here, 00:25:33.559 --> 00:25:35.059 and so I'm going to follow this path? 00:25:36.099 --> 00:25:38.059 We can do that as Christians. 00:25:38.059 --> 00:25:43.539 And this view glorifies people who say, 00:25:43.700 --> 00:25:44.919 I'm going to be true to myself, 00:25:45.559 --> 00:25:47.279 but what that often means is, 00:25:47.399 --> 00:25:50.539 I'm going to be true to my feelings and my emotions. 00:25:51.039 --> 00:25:53.399 I am going to let my feelings and my emotions 00:25:53.399 --> 00:25:56.519 make decisions about who I am and what I will do. 00:25:57.659 --> 00:26:00.480 We can be deceived as Christians to think along these lines, 00:26:00.720 --> 00:26:03.299 to value our emotions and feelings too much, 00:26:03.759 --> 00:26:05.679 and to align our identity with that, 00:26:05.680 --> 00:26:08.140 particularly when it comes to sexuality. 00:26:09.519 --> 00:26:12.279 Instead, our identity is created first by God. 00:26:12.320 --> 00:26:13.120 At the start of chapter 3, 00:26:13.440 --> 00:26:15.380 our identity is as His children. 00:26:17.019 --> 00:26:18.860 God has lavished His love on us. 00:26:19.160 --> 00:26:20.460 We have been made His children, 00:26:20.740 --> 00:26:25.220 and then our emotions and values get shaped by Him. 00:26:25.880 --> 00:26:27.820 It is very dangerous for us 00:26:27.820 --> 00:26:31.720 to create our identity based on our emotions and feelings first, 00:26:31.720 --> 00:26:34.019 and not who God has made me to be. 00:26:34.019 --> 00:26:38.799 Because if I'm basing my decisions on how I feel, 00:26:39.119 --> 00:26:40.079 today, do you know what? 00:26:40.279 --> 00:26:42.279 I may have been sinning a whole lot, 00:26:42.799 --> 00:26:46.379 and I might not be feeling like a particularly good child of God. 00:26:46.759 --> 00:26:50.299 And then that leads me to doubt that I am a child of God. 00:26:51.379 --> 00:26:54.299 Instead, the start of chapter 3 reminds us, 00:26:54.660 --> 00:26:56.680 I am a child of God. 00:26:57.599 --> 00:26:59.500 God has lavished His love on me. 00:26:59.500 --> 00:27:02.019 So even though I don't feel that, I know that. 00:27:02.819 --> 00:27:05.519 And I want my emotions to come into line 00:27:05.519 --> 00:27:07.559 with this objective reality from God. 00:27:08.500 --> 00:27:11.319 Third, this is the insecure Christian. 00:27:12.220 --> 00:27:16.319 The insecure Christian feels the weight of their sin 00:27:16.319 --> 00:27:17.960 and the pain of their sin. 00:27:18.240 --> 00:27:19.940 But the problem with this deception is, 00:27:20.019 --> 00:27:21.500 it makes the sin too big. 00:27:22.339 --> 00:27:24.160 Surely God can't forgive me. 00:27:25.040 --> 00:27:25.840 I'm too bad. 00:27:25.940 --> 00:27:27.940 I am too sinful for Him. 00:27:28.259 --> 00:27:29.779 He can't forgive me again. 00:27:29.900 --> 00:27:32.720 I've sinned in this way again and again and again. 00:27:32.940 --> 00:27:35.420 Surely, I've failed Him so many times, 00:27:35.460 --> 00:27:36.779 He won't forgive me this time. 00:27:37.980 --> 00:27:40.980 There is a rightness about this pain and grieving 00:27:40.980 --> 00:27:42.060 when it comes to this sin. 00:27:42.360 --> 00:27:43.680 But the danger with this deception 00:27:43.680 --> 00:27:45.860 is that it makes this sin bigger than God Himself. 00:27:45.859 --> 00:27:47.639 It says, 00:27:48.000 --> 00:27:50.919 God, I'm too big for you to deal with. 00:27:51.719 --> 00:27:54.259 And it makes God very small. 00:27:54.699 --> 00:27:57.759 It makes Jesus' death on the cross very small. 00:27:59.099 --> 00:28:01.579 We can be deceived that because of Jesus' death, 00:28:01.639 --> 00:28:02.619 what we do doesn't matter. 00:28:03.119 --> 00:28:03.759 But it does. 00:28:04.000 --> 00:28:07.159 We can be deceived into finding our self-worth, 00:28:07.519 --> 00:28:08.779 into looking inside, 00:28:08.939 --> 00:28:10.699 instead of looking at the cross. 00:28:11.059 --> 00:28:13.459 We can be deceived into thinking too much of our sin, 00:28:13.460 --> 00:28:17.440 instead of being reminded of how great God's love is for us. 00:28:18.559 --> 00:28:20.660 No one likes being deceived. 00:28:21.539 --> 00:28:23.720 In that card trick I did earlier, 00:28:24.420 --> 00:28:26.220 would you like me to reveal how I did it? 00:28:27.340 --> 00:28:28.700 Very, very simple. 00:28:28.880 --> 00:28:31.200 When dear Chloe took the card, 00:28:31.920 --> 00:28:33.340 I held the deck back out, 00:28:33.600 --> 00:28:34.759 and I held it tightly, 00:28:35.000 --> 00:28:36.860 so that when she put the card in, 00:28:37.059 --> 00:28:38.620 it wouldn't go all the way in. 00:28:38.860 --> 00:28:42.340 And so the card would just be sticking out like that. 00:28:43.319 --> 00:28:44.139 It's very simple. 00:28:44.279 --> 00:28:45.379 You don't even have to look at it. 00:28:45.419 --> 00:28:46.379 You just close the deck, 00:28:46.659 --> 00:28:47.539 you flip it around, 00:28:47.839 --> 00:28:49.639 and then you can just feel where the card is. 00:28:50.359 --> 00:28:52.240 And without even looking at it, 00:28:52.259 --> 00:28:53.439 you can just pull the card out. 00:28:53.819 --> 00:28:56.379 Very easy little piece of deception. 00:28:56.819 --> 00:28:58.639 I'm sorry I deceived you and everybody else. 00:29:00.059 --> 00:29:01.859 But now I've done that trick. 00:29:01.939 --> 00:29:03.919 If you're going to hang around for the 11 o'clock service, 00:29:04.119 --> 00:29:04.659 you'll know. 00:29:05.259 --> 00:29:06.319 And you'll put your hand up. 00:29:06.319 --> 00:29:08.119 I'll come up and be the audience member. 00:29:08.119 --> 00:29:12.579 But now you know how to look out for that deception, 00:29:12.919 --> 00:29:14.000 you can spot it. 00:29:15.019 --> 00:29:17.500 It's not just about keeping our eyes open. 00:29:17.759 --> 00:29:21.259 We actually need to have our eyes trained for deception. 00:29:22.639 --> 00:29:23.579 Brothers and sisters, 00:29:24.559 --> 00:29:26.879 for some of the deceptions around us, 00:29:27.479 --> 00:29:29.159 our hearts will leap to. 00:29:29.699 --> 00:29:32.579 We will willingly be deceived. 00:29:32.579 --> 00:29:33.539 Others, 00:29:33.699 --> 00:29:34.519 our culture, 00:29:34.720 --> 00:29:36.699 will want to close our eyes 00:29:36.699 --> 00:29:37.779 to who Jesus is 00:29:37.779 --> 00:29:39.879 and who he has called us to be. 00:29:41.539 --> 00:29:42.939 And that's so we don't 00:29:42.939 --> 00:29:44.980 buy into a cheap Christianity 00:29:44.980 --> 00:29:47.179 with a knock-off version of Jesus, 00:29:47.659 --> 00:29:49.899 with a watered-down version of Christianity. 00:29:50.419 --> 00:29:53.579 As we walk a life following him, 00:29:54.279 --> 00:29:57.259 with that image on the screen in mind, 00:29:57.259 --> 00:29:59.919 we need to continue to walk straight following him, 00:29:59.920 --> 00:30:03.120 but knowing that we will get deceived, 00:30:03.240 --> 00:30:05.460 we will wander off the path. 00:30:07.120 --> 00:30:07.980 Years ago, 00:30:08.980 --> 00:30:12.779 when my kids first started getting into Duplo, 00:30:12.980 --> 00:30:14.560 which is the younger version of Lego, 00:30:15.279 --> 00:30:17.580 I bought a knock-off version of it 00:30:17.580 --> 00:30:20.120 on eBay from somewhere. 00:30:20.360 --> 00:30:21.019 It could have been China, 00:30:21.080 --> 00:30:21.519 I'm not sure. 00:30:21.800 --> 00:30:22.279 Alibaba, 00:30:22.380 --> 00:30:22.960 I think it was. 00:30:23.500 --> 00:30:25.039 And it was very cheap. 00:30:25.039 --> 00:30:26.039 And it came, 00:30:26.200 --> 00:30:26.440 you know, 00:30:26.539 --> 00:30:27.359 six months later. 00:30:27.879 --> 00:30:29.839 And it came, 00:30:30.279 --> 00:30:32.000 and I thought it was going to be great, 00:30:32.240 --> 00:30:33.720 but it was different sizes. 00:30:34.920 --> 00:30:35.720 And so, 00:30:35.960 --> 00:30:37.879 it didn't actually fit in 00:30:37.879 --> 00:30:39.839 with the rest of the Lego that we had. 00:30:40.139 --> 00:30:41.159 Very frustrating. 00:30:41.839 --> 00:30:43.000 It's all ended up in the bin. 00:30:44.139 --> 00:30:45.720 So we don't end up 00:30:45.720 --> 00:30:48.619 with an unsatisfying Christianity, 00:30:49.559 --> 00:30:51.460 without a relationship with God, 00:30:51.460 --> 00:30:55.519 following a totally different version of Jesus. 00:30:55.680 --> 00:30:56.340 Keep asking, 00:30:57.539 --> 00:30:59.279 is this the real Jesus? 00:30:59.440 --> 00:30:59.680 God, 00:31:00.059 --> 00:31:01.960 am I following you wholeheartedly, 00:31:02.100 --> 00:31:03.579 or have I been deceived 00:31:03.579 --> 00:31:05.799 into following a Jesus 00:31:05.799 --> 00:31:07.720 that just makes things a little bit easier for me, 00:31:07.960 --> 00:31:09.759 just makes it a little bit cheaper for me 00:31:09.759 --> 00:31:10.620 because it's more convenient? 00:31:11.700 --> 00:31:13.460 Am I following the Jesus 00:31:13.460 --> 00:31:15.019 of the Bible, 00:31:15.019 --> 00:31:17.220 of the reality of human history? 00:31:17.220 --> 00:31:21.779 Compare it with God's word, 00:31:22.860 --> 00:31:25.120 knowing that God has given us His spirit 00:31:25.120 --> 00:31:26.920 so that we can test 00:31:26.920 --> 00:31:28.620 where we're going. 00:31:29.579 --> 00:31:30.819 We can ask God, 00:31:30.960 --> 00:31:32.279 am I going following you? 00:31:32.480 --> 00:31:34.380 So that we can keep our eyes fixed 00:31:34.380 --> 00:31:36.420 on the real Jesus who loves us. 00:31:36.720 --> 00:31:37.579 Let me pray for us. 00:31:41.279 --> 00:31:42.140 Heavenly Father, 00:31:42.259 --> 00:31:43.100 I thank you so much 00:31:43.100 --> 00:31:44.680 for the book of 1 John, 00:31:44.680 --> 00:31:47.920 and for John's clarity 00:31:47.920 --> 00:31:49.920 in seeing the deceptions 00:31:49.920 --> 00:31:51.060 around the church 00:31:51.060 --> 00:31:53.840 and pointing them out for us today. 00:31:54.820 --> 00:31:55.460 Heavenly Father, 00:31:55.580 --> 00:31:57.039 we ask that as we 00:31:57.039 --> 00:31:59.920 want to continue to follow you, 00:32:00.000 --> 00:32:00.960 that we want to be people 00:32:00.960 --> 00:32:02.160 who are shaped by you, 00:32:02.720 --> 00:32:04.140 that we would have our eyes 00:32:04.140 --> 00:32:05.000 not just open, 00:32:05.100 --> 00:32:05.779 but trained 00:32:05.779 --> 00:32:08.279 to see how we can be deceived 00:32:08.279 --> 00:32:09.360 by our own hearts 00:32:09.360 --> 00:32:12.799 and by the world around us, Lord. 00:32:12.799 --> 00:32:14.519 help us 00:32:14.519 --> 00:32:15.740 to keep our eyes fixed 00:32:15.740 --> 00:32:16.419 on you, 00:32:16.819 --> 00:32:17.240 trained 00:32:17.240 --> 00:32:19.200 to know who you are, 00:32:19.419 --> 00:32:20.339 to not be deceived, 00:32:20.879 --> 00:32:22.259 so that we 00:32:22.259 --> 00:32:24.139 will be with you 00:32:24.139 --> 00:32:25.319 when your son returns. 00:32:25.940 --> 00:32:27.139 We ask this in his name. 00:32:27.500 --> 00:32:27.839 Amen. 00:32:27.839 --> 00:32:27.940 Amen.