Ron Dunn Podcast - First John Part 11

Episode Date: April 13, 2022

Ron Dunn begins wrapping up his sermon series on First John

always want to look for when you're reading the Scripture. You'll notice in verse 24 there is a little word, which indicates that what is about to be said is a practical application based on what has previously been said. And every time one of the New Testament writers prefaces what he's about to say with the word, therefore, or wherefore, you know that he's about to say with the word therefore or wherefore, you know that he's getting ready to be essentially and extremely practical.

And so he's telling us how to do something that he has just described to us or dealt with in the previous passage. And we'll find out what that is in a moment. Beginning with the 24th verse, "'Let that therefore abide in you which ye have heard from the beginning. If that which ye have heard from the beginning shall remain in you, ye also shall continue in the Son and in the Father.' And this is the promise that he hath promised us,

even eternal life. These things have I written unto you concerning them that seduce you. But the anointing which ye have received from him abideth in you, and ye need not that any man teach you. But as the same anointing teacheth you of all things, and is truth, and is no lie, and even as it hath taught you, ye shall abide in him.

And now, little children, abide in him, that when he shall appear, we may have confidence and not be ashamed before him at his coming. If you know that he is righteous, you know that everyone that doeth righteousness is born of him. The key to living a victorious Christian life is our fellowship with God. And really that's basically what John is saying from the first verse to the last verse of this epistle, that everything in the Christian life,

our joy, our attitude towards sin, our assurance of salvation, our victory, our prayer life, our loving others, right behavior, everything in the Christian life hinges upon one thing, that is, our fellowship with God and maintaining that fellowship with God. Now, he has just been, in this second chapter, in the passage immediately preceding this particular one we've read, he's just been saying that fellowship with God includes some things and also excludes some things.

Fellowship with God includes walking as Jesus walked. It includes loving one another. But it also excludes certain things. There are certain dangers that threaten the fellowship of the believer as he lives in this world. And it's good for us to understand that the believer will always be facing some dangers that threaten this fellowship with God. He speaks about excluding the wrong kind of affection, love not the world, neither the things that are in the world. And he speaks about the Antichrist and those Antichrists that are even now in the world. He speaks about false teachers. He speaks about those things and those people that you and I are to avoid if we are going to live a life of consistent fellowship with God.

Now, I don't think it's necessary for me or even John to try to prove to you that in this Christian life, if I am to maintain my fellowship with God, and therefore if I am to live a victorious Christian life, it goes without saying that there are certain things that are to be excluded from our lives. Naturally, there are certain things you and I are going to have to avoid. That is not the problem. The problem is how can we avoid them. The problem is what are the safeguards?

How can I build, as it were, a hedge around my life so as not to be foiled by these dangers that are threatening my fellowship with God? That's where this therefore comes in. And in this passage that I've chosen tonight, John is getting very practical, and he is telling us how to avoid these things. He is revealing to us the place of safety, revealing to us the safeguards of the Christian life that enable us to avoid those dangers, those pitfalls, those enemies that would try to destroy my fellowship with God.

And so I want to put it in a very positive statement, as John does here. And there are three key words, three key words in these verses 24 through 29. And I think we could simply entitle this passage, How Not to Backslide. That's a good thing to know. How not to backslide, or how to live securely, safely in this present evil age. And the key is found in three words, and it just so happens they all start with the word A, letter A. Isn't that convenient for a preacher?

Three words. The word abide, the word anointing, and the word appearing. Abiding, anointing, and appearing. Abiding is the key. That's the basic. Anointing tells us how to abide. Appearing tells us why we ought to abide. So there are three words, three keys on how not to backslide, but one is the basic, the fundamental, the foundation, abiding. The other, anointing, enables us to abide, and appearing encourages us to abide. So let's look at them. These three words sum up John's formula on how not to backslide.

The first one is the abiding, the abiding. Look at verse 24. Let that therefore abide in you which ye have heard from the beginning. If that which ye have heard from the beginning shall, King James reads, remain, it's the same word, abide in you, ye shall also abide in the Son and in the Father. Now, what we're interested in is how to maintain that fellowship with God. And here's how we're to do it. He says, Let that which you've heard from the beginning abide in you,

and as that which you've heard from the beginning abides in you, this will enable you to abide in the Son and in the Father. In other words, this initial fellowship that you received upon salvation will be maintained and continued as you abide,

as you learn to abide. And notice here there is a responsibility placed upon the believer, for he says, let that abide in you. Let that abide in you, indicating that perhaps there is the possibility that I may not permit something to abide in me. Now, this word abide occurs six times in this particular passage. As I've already indicated, the King James translates it differently. Why? I do not know, but it does.

The word remain, the word continue, is all translations of the same Greek word, to abide. And six times in this particular passage, you find that word abiding. And you know what it means. It means to settle down, to dwell permanently, to make a home. Now, this word abide is extremely important because it is an index finger pointing to the nature of the Christian life.

Let me pause here for a moment just to say this. There are many schemes of Christian living that fail. You've been involved in them. We've all had our ways of living the Christian life, different philosophies of how to live the Christian life, and we've all experienced failure. The reason so many of these schemes of how we're to live the Christian life fail is because they are contrary to the nature of the Christian life. You know, it's so obvious that we miss it. But if a man is going to live a consistent, victorious Christian life, it is essential that, first of all, he discover the nature of that life. And I'm convinced the reason so many of us are fumbling around in this matter of living the Christian life is because we do not

understand the nature of the Christian life. And any scheme of living, any plan of living that is contrary to the very nature of the life itself is doomed to failure. And so it is essential that you and I understand the nature of the Christian life. And this word abide is important because it is revealing to us the nature of the Christian life. What is the nature of the Christian life? The nature of the Christian life is this. It is an inward experience. It is an inward life. Therefore, if the nature of the life is inward,

then I am going to have to learn how to live that inward life. Things that deal only with the outward are doomed to failure. When I started my Christian life and really got serious about trying to be pleasing to the Lord, you know what my scheme of Christian living was? It had to do all with outward things. Don't do this, don't do that. We used to have a little poem. I'm sure you heard it. I don't smoke and I don't chew and I don't grow with girls what do. And everything was a don't do this. It was a rule book type of religion. This was how I was brought up.

And I'll be honest with you, this is the way I started preaching. I thought every sermon was a failure if in that sermon I didn't preach against something. And I still have some of those old sermon notes when I started out, and you know, it doesn't make any difference where I started, what my text was, I always got around to dancing and movies and card playing, you know, all those things that I didn't do myself back in those days. And every sermon had to sooner or later... I wasn't going to correct myself.

I was going to wait and see if you caught it. And sure enough, you did. Well, you know what I mean. Anyway. But that was my philosophy of Christian living. That the Christian life is a life that is lived like this. You don't do this, you don't do this, you don't do this. And you evaluated a person's spirituality by the things they did not do.

Now, what's wrong with that? It is contrary to the nature of the life. You see, a man is ruled from within. Jesus said, it's not the things that a man takes into himself that defiles a man. It's not the outward things that defile a man. He said, the things that defile a man are the things that issue forth from his heart. All of these things come from his heart. Jesus was simply saying a man is ruled from the inside out, not from the outside in. Therefore, all philosophies of Christianity as a rule book

religion are doomed to failure because they contradict the nature of the Christian life. I do not need somebody on the outside telling me what not to do. I need somebody on the inside enabling me to do what God wants me to do. And it is essential that you and I understand, first of all, the nature of the Christian life. And the nature of the Christian life is revealed in this word abide. Let that abide in you, in you. In other words, my life, there's supposed to be something in me, not something attached to me, not something I'm following, not something I'm living up to,

but the whole business is that there is something in me that I am to allow to remain there and to abide and to control. And a man's life is ruled from within. And until you and I come to understand that, there is never going to be any kind of consistent success in the Christian life. So he says, the first thing is this, let that which you have heard from the beginning abide in you. All right, what is it now that I am to allow to abide in me?

What is it? Let that therefore abide in you which ye have heard from the beginning. Now, there are several things that abide in us. The Lord Jesus abides in us naturally. The Father abides in us, he says in John 14. The Holy Spirit abides in us. The Godhead abides in us. You say, that ought to be enough.

Well, yes. But none of those are what John is referring to in this 24th verse. It is true the Father, the Son, the Holy Spirit all dwell in me, all abide in me through the Holy Spirit. That's so. But in verse 24 he says, Let that which you have heard from the beginning abide in you. And if that which you have heard from the beginning shall remain in you,

then you shall also continue in the Son and in the Father. All right, that's very simple. What is it that I heard from the beginning? What's he referring to? He's referring to the facts of the gospel. He's referring to the historical data concerning the Lord Jesus Christ. He's referring to the Word of God. There's a little ring in this I'm hearing. He's referring to the Word of God. Let that which you have heard from the beginning. In this

particular place, there is something that I have heard from the very beginning, from the beginning of my Christian life, from the first time I was ever exposed to the facts of salvation, I heard something, and by hearing that and obeying that, I came into salvation. Now, how do I continue? I continue the same way I started. I heard the word of truth, and I responded to it, and I obeyed it. Now, I continue by doing what? That which I heard at the very outset, I am to let it abide in my life. And what he is referring to here very simply is this, that I am to allow the Word of God, this book, the truth of this book, the facts of the gospel of Jesus Christ, I am to allow them to live in me, becoming the mode of conduct, becoming the regulated force in my life,

and I am to be ruled from within by the Word of God. Because the Father and the Son and the Holy Spirit, they always, they always dwell in me and direct me through the Word of God. Therefore, this Word of God is to be not something I give simple mental assent to, not something I listen to on Sunday morning, but it is to be something that lives within me. It's to be a vital part of me. It doesn't come and then leave.

It comes to stay, and it is to be a regulating force in my life. This simply means I'm to allow the truth of this book to control me. Now, you cannot allow something to abide in you if you never get it in you in the first place. And this is the reason that there's so much in this book about its place in the life of the believer. And you know, I have a lot of explanations why I'm up and down, on and off, hot and cold. Don't you? I mean, really, don't you? Isn't it true that one of the most sought-after things among us tonight is to be able to live a consistent life.

I mean every day just be the same. Don't you get tired of one day being enthused and filled with zeal and the next day being draggy spiritual, you know? And I'll be honest with you. I've excused my off days, off weeks, off months. You know, I've excused those things by this and by that. But you know what I'm discovering? And this is a very real and present and recent reaffirmation, I would say, because I've known this, but somehow you forget some things and God

reaffirms them. You know what I have been seeing lately? That my emotional stability, spiritually now, that my zeal for the Lord, my excitement for the Lord, my joy, my patience or impatience rises and falls in direct proportion to my faithfulness to my everyday time along with God in this Word. And I wish I could give to you tonight some big, dark secret on how to live a consistent life, but I don't have anything to say to you tonight you don't already know. By the way, most preaching is simply being reminded of something you've already heard but haven't done anything about. You know, God, in a very real way, has been rebuking me day after day recently

because I find myself excusing my spiritual ups and downs by various other things. Outside forces and influences, what people say and what people do, what they don't say and what they don't do. But I want to tell you something. You know, I've just made the gladdest discovery. I can be consistent every day with the Lord if I will just discipline myself to let that which I've heard from the beginning abide in me. That's the secret of fruitfulness, John 15, 5.

It's the secret of answered prayer, John 15, 7. Abide in me and my words abide in you, and you shall ask what you will and it shall be done unto you. It's the secret of growth, 1 Peter 2, verses 1 and 2, wherefore laying aside all filthiness and hypocrisy and such and such as newborn babes desire the sincere milk of the Word that you may grow thereby. That's the secret of a successful life, Psalm 1, verses 2 and 3. But his delight is in the law of the Lord, and in his law doth he meditate day and night,

and he shall be like a tree planted by the rivers of water that bringeth forth its fruit in its season. His leaf also shall not wither, and whatsoever he doeth shall prosper. God came to Joshua in chapter 1, verse 9 and 10, and he says, Don't let the word of this law depart out of your mouth, for if you will not let it depart out of your mouth, and if you'll obey it, everything you do will be successful. You'll have good success. It's the secret of a cleansed life. Psalm 119, verses 9 and 11 tells us, Wherewithal shall a young man cleanse his way by taking heed unto thy word.

Thy word have I hid in my heart that I might not sin against thee. It's so simple, isn't it? It's right before our eyes. That's an amazing thing. There used to be a little popular song used to sing a lot. You'll find your happiness lies right under your eyes, right in your own backyard. Do you remember that? And the song talks about going all over the world trying to find happiness,

trying to find happiness, and you find it right under your eyes in your own backyard. I think, in a way, that's what God is trying to say to us through this passage in 1 John. You and I look to every other place and every other means trying to find the secret of a consistent Christian life where every day is on even keel, every day even keel, and he said this right before your eyes, dust it off. Let that therefore which you have heard from the beginning abide in you. And if that which you've heard from the beginning abide in you, then you shall continue, you shall abide in the Son and in the Father. So the first thing is this.

If I'm going to avoid the dangers, the pitfalls, the enemies that are threatening my fellowship with God, I must abide in the Word. Abide in the Word. I must learn to let this Word live within me and let my life be ruled from within and let the Word of God be the regulating force in all that I say and do. All right, the second word is that word anointing, the anointing of the Spirit.

Look in verse 27. say and do. All right, the second word is that word anointing, the anointing of the Spirit. Look in verse 27. But the anointing which you have received from him abideth in you, and you need not that any man teach you, but as the same anointing teacheth you of all things, and is truth, and is no lie, and even as it hath taught you, ye shall abide in him. So the second word is the word anointing. Now what does this mean? Well, the word anointing, it's translated unction in verse 20 of chapter 2. But you have an unction from the Holy One, and you know all things, or you all know these things.

It means a christening. It refers to the impartation of the Spirit of truth. Now, he is saying, John is saying, as you live in a godless world, one of the dangers that will be facing you, that will be attempting to destroy your fellowship with God, will be false teaching and false teachers. The spirit of Antichrist is already in the world.

The instead of Christ, the instead of Christ, you are constantly being besieged with things that are not true, things that are false. And how is a Christian going to know which way to turn? How is he going to know that which is true from that which is false? How is he going to know that which is right from that which is wrong? He says, you need to realize that you have an anointing from the Holy One, the Spirit of truth, and that refers to that divine impartation of the Holy Spirit. And when I was saved, I received the Holy Spirit, and He anointed me.

Paul says in 2 Corinthians chapter 1 that all of us have been anointed. We have received an anointing from the Lord. And that anointing, among other things things means it is the Holy Spirit as he lives within us teaching us all things. Now let me say two or three things about this. When it says it teaches us all things, the all things there refers to the things of the Christian life. It doesn't mean that he teaches me how to wire a house with electricity. And it says there that you need no man to teach you for you yourself are taught. It doesn't mean that we're not to have teachers in the Christian life. Here it is referring, you do not need anybody to teach you right from wrong, to discern that which is right from that

which is wrong, because you have within you an anointing, and he himself gives you discernment, so you're able to recognize that which is genuine from that which is wrong because you have within you an anointing and he himself gives you discernment so you're able to recognize that which is genuine from that which is phony. You know, it's interesting. The believer is the only one, the believer is the only one who has a divine capacity in this world to be able to discern that which is morally right from that which is morally wrong. This refers to a divine intuition that lets you know when things aren's something wrong, when there's something just not as it ought to be,

you may not always be able to give a reason why you feel something is wrong. But you know that there is something wrong because the Holy Spirit who indwells you is giving you that divine intuition. That's the anointing. That's the anointing. And one of the things that a believer needs to do

is to learn to trust and recognize that divine anointing. That divine anointing. Let me illustrate it. I've had people come back from listening to various people that I'll not mention because who they are is not important, but let's say that they are questionable people, all right? Let's say they are questionable people theologically, all right? And they'll come back and they'll say, Preacher, what do you think about so-and-so?

And for a long time I didn't know how to answer that question because I didn't know what to think about so-and-so. I knew nothing about him. But I discovered what to ask. I said, well, what do you think about? I said, you were there. You heard. You heard. You listened.

You're saved. I said, what did you think about it? They'll say, well, I just don't know. There's just something about it that didn't sit right. I said, then why ask me? You see, one of the ministries of the Holy Spirit is to authenticate that which is genuine in your heart. And I'll be truthful with you. I can listen to some men

that I don't agree with everything they say, but they're godly men. I don't know that I would agree with everything that Billy Graham preaches and every point of doctrine, but I want to tell you something. I can sit down and watch him on television. There's something in here saying amen to that man. I don't know that I agree with everything that Jack Taylor believes and teaches, and

he's preached some things that I've not agreed with on every little fine point, but I tell you this much, I never hear him, but there's something in here saying, Amen. The Holy Spirit is authenticating that. You know what's happening? That is the divine witness of the Spirit, that anointing, that is saying, you're in good company. You're right where you belong. But I tell you, I have listened to some others that I've had questions about, and all the time there is unrest in my heart.

There is something that says this isn't right. And a believer, and what John is pleading for, is for the believer to recognize that he does have an anointing from the Spirit and to recognize that anointing and learn to trust it and let the Holy Spirit give him divine intuition. I'd like to ask you, and I won't ask you to raise your hands, but I'm tempted to do, how many of you, how many of you have taken a course of action this past week? You've done something. You've made a decision. You took a direction that at the time you took it, you didn't feel right about it in your heart,

but you went ahead and did it anyway. Any of anyway. Did you do anything like that this week? I see a few honest people nodding their heads. You know what you did? You sinned and you quenched and grieved the Holy Spirit when you did that. That's right. You know what that was in your heart saying, don't, don't, don't? That was the anointing of the Spirit. And every time you feel that anointing of the Spirit, you always back off until you get additional light. Always, you back off anytime, anytime you're listening to teaching, you're in a situation, you're facing a decision, anytime, and suddenly there is this unrest in your heart, there is a warning signal going on in your heart, there's a flashing red light, intuitively you don't feel right about it, You back off until God either says yes or no in a

clear, unmistakable voice. And it's amazing, it's amazing how you and I can avoid those things in the world that are trying to trick us up and trying to destroy our fellowship if we would just learn how to appropriate and obey that divine anointing. Just trust it. Just trust it. I'd like it to be an interesting experiment to see how different your life would be this week if you only did those things

that you had the witness in here to do. You felt all right about doing it. God gave you the go-ahead. How many times you and I have said something, we've done something, we've taken a course of action, we've made a decision, and all the time there was something in here,

just, you know what I'm saying, don't you? Are you with me? Okay. Now, notice he says in that verse, If that anointing which you have received of him abideth in you, but as that same anointing teacheth you of all things, and is truth, and is no lie, you can trust it, and even as it hath taught you, then you will abide in him.

Now, listen very carefully. I want to put all of this together as we go through it. First of all, you let the Word abide in you. You let the Word abide in you. You see, that's soil for the Holy Spirit to work in. You're putting instruments and tools in the hand of the Holy Spirit to work in, in this divine anointing, in this intuitive knowing. First of all, you let the Word abide in you. Just let the Word abide in you. You see, the goal, what you're really after is to continue to abide in Jesus. You're trying to maintain that fellowship with Jesus.

You want to continue in the Son and in the Father. You don't want anything to destroy that fellowship you have in the Son and in the Father. You don't want anything to destroy that fellowship you have with the Father and with the Son. So the first thing you do is, in order to ensure that you abide in the Word, to let that Word abide in you, live in it, let it live in you, you soak it up, and you fill your heart with the Word of God and let it be a regulating and controlling force in your life. As you do that, then this divine anointing of the Holy Spirit that you receive at salvation, the Holy Spirit who dwells in you,

He will make you more and more sensitive to the things of God and He will teach you what is right and teach you what is wrong, teach you what is true and what is false, teach you what is proper and what is improper. And as you yield then to this intuition from the Holy Spirit, you're what? You're able to abide in Jesus.

He's maintaining that fellowship with God, maintaining that fellowship with God. Now, the last word is the word appearing. And this is given to encourage us to abide in him. The anointing enables us to abide in him. The appearing encourages us to abide in him. Verses 28 and 29, And now, little children, abide in him, in order that when he shall appear, we may have confidence and not be ashamed before him at his coming.

The word appear has in it the idea of suddenness. The only thing uncertain about the Lord's coming is when. And he says at any moment the Lord Jesus Christ will break through. And you want to live such a life, abide in Him, abide in Him, live such a life so that when He does appear, we may have confidence. That word confidence means freeness of speech,

freedom and openness of speech. I was reminded as I was reading through this earlier this afternoon, Romans 3.19, as it is describing the sin guilt of the world, says the Lord is in His the sin guilt of the world, says the Lord is in His holy temple that all the world keeps silence before Him. And our sin guilt demands that we keep our mouths shut in the presence of God.

You don't have anything to say. But in this passage of Scripture, He says we are to live such a life so that when Jesus Christ breaks through and appears and we stand before him face to face, we will have lived such a life, we have freeness of speech. Have you ever been around somebody that you have wronged or that has wronged you and that wrong has not been made right?

Have you ever noticed how difficult it is to talk? Have you ever noticed that? Have you ever noticed how if there's somebody that, well, things just aren't right between you, you'll want to avoid them lest you have a confrontation and you'll walk clear around the block lest you have to meet them and say, how do you do? There is something about guilt that restrains us

in our speaking to people. And John is saying, you live such a life, if you will abide in Jesus, if you'll abide in Jesus, and how do you abide in him? Letting the Word live in you, letting the Holy Spirit direct you, then when he appears, you'll have freedom of speech. You won't be speechless before him. Why? Because you will have lived such a life that you can talk freely in front of the Lord Jesus and not be ashamed.

The King James says, before him at his coming. Literally, it's ashamed from him at his coming and is a picture of a person turning away from the Lord Jesus. Can't face him. Afraid to face him. You turn away from him because you're ashamed,

embarrassed because of the life that we've lived. This is the motive. This is the motive. This is the motive. I can't help but notice as I read the New Testament how these early believers actually expected Jesus Christ to come at any moment. As a matter of fact, Paul had to write to Thessalonians

and tell them to start doing some work. They were so expecting the soon return of Jesus, they thought there's no reason to go out and sow and cultivate and go to work because the Lord's coming back at any moment. Paul said, listen, you misunderstand. It may be a while before Jesus comes back. It might be at least two weeks. I really believe, as you read 1 John and the epistles of Paul,

I really believe both of those men expected Jesus to come in their lifetime. I think those early Christians never expected to get out of this world by natural death. I thought they either had their minds made up they would exit this world by martyr's death or on clouds of glory just as Jesus exited from this world. And they live with that anticipation so much so that some of them over in Thessalonica just sitting down not doing any work, thought Jesus was going to come at any moment. Well, he is coming at any moment. Whenever that moment is, I do not know. That's the only thing uncertain about it is the moment,

but it is certain that he's coming. Therefore, I, the motive, the motive of a holy life is that when he shall appear, I'll have confidence and not be ashamed before him. This is an encouragement for us to abide in him, abide in him, so that when he comes, when he appears, you'll have confidence and not be ashamed. So let me sum it up. The secret, the way, the path, the key, whatever you want to call it, to a consistent Christian life is abiding in Jesus. Going on, continuing, maintaining that sweet fellowship with Christ. How do you do that? By letting the Word live in you.

By letting that which you've heard from the beginning remain in you. By letting the Word of God come, take up residence in you, let Him live in you, and let it regulate your life, be a controlling force. By letting the Holy Spirit direct you, becoming sensitive to His anointing, to His intuition. By recognizing you do have one who lives within you, to always be pointing to you and saying, listen, stay away from that. This is the way to go. Back off from this. And as I yield to that anointing, that abiding is maintained. And then the encouragement is that Jesus may come at any moment,

and I must so abide in Him that when He comes, I'll be confident and not be ashamed before Him. The Ron Dunn Podcast is available only for personal edification, not to be duplicated, uploaded to the web, or resold without prior written consent. It is managed and operated by Sherwood Baptist Church. Thank you.