I'm going to ask you to take
your Bibles and turn with me to the book of 1 John, 1 John
chapter 2. As you're turning there, I was
thinking, on the back side of the bulletin,
I put a little short article, two of them by Brother Scott.
One of them, the second one, says, if the heart be occupied
with Christ, songs of praise will be the natural result. It's impossible for the eye of
faith to rest on Him and the Spirit not be bowed in holy worship. But when Brother Scott said that
if the heart be occupied with Christ, songs of praise will
be the natural result. Now I didn't know what Pat was
going to read, but when he read Psalm 47 and verse 6, listen
to the Listen to the emphasis that the
Spirit of God put upon singing. He said in verse 6 of Psalm 47,
sing praises to God. Sing praises. Sing praises unto
our King. Sing praises for God is the King
of all the earth. Sing ye praises with understanding. I mean, what we sing unto the
Lord, I appreciate whenever these songs are picked that are God-honoring. You know, we won't sing a song. If it's a song and it doesn't
honor the Lord, we just don't sing it. Or we'll change a word. We'll just change it. We're going
to sing praises unto the Lord and sing them with understanding.
I appreciate that very much. So, all right, 1 John chapter
2. As the case often is with me,
I'm going through the book of 1 John, and the last time I preached
I was already in chapter 3 of 1 John. And this week, something
struck me that I had read and probably made a comment on, but
something struck me back in chapter 2 of 1 John and I wanted us just
to look at it for just a minute. It was something that was just
to me a precious gem, a jewel of the Lord's revelation. And it was this last verse of
1 John 2 Verse 29, the apostle John said, if you know that he
is righteous, you know that everyone that, and here's what I want
to look at, doeth righteousness, is born of him. Everyone that doeth righteousness,
Now, the Apostle John had been moved by the Spirit of God to
warn against anything or anyone that would attempt to draw away
the people of God from the consistency of hearing the Gospel. He said
in 1 John 2 verse 15-16, he said, Love not the world, neither the things that are in
the world. If any man love the world, the
love of the Father is not in him for all that's in the world. The lust of the flesh, the lust
of the eyes, the pride of life is not of the Father, but is
of the world." Now, whenever John's talking about the world,
He's talking about the goals of the world, the character,
the opinion, or the attitude of this world and its religion. He said in verse 17, he said,
and the world passeth away and the lust thereof, but he that
doeth the will of God abideth forever." Now, the world. Again, the world, that which
looks upon and seeks its own glory, whatever is of the world,
looks totally at the temporal, for self, always for its own
goal, its own attitude. So he says the world, everything
that's temporal, everything, whatever it is, it passes the
way and the lust thereof. The world's religion and its
empty promises of fulfillment. Now you know that. The world
and its religion. Now that's, we're going to get
down, there's a point that I'm building up to. and it's totally
concerning he that doeth righteousness. But he said everything that is
of this world, all of its temporal stuff, empty promises, loving
and holding to that at the expense of absolute total commitment
to Christ. He said it's going to be passing
away, but Verse 17, he that doeth the will of God. Now let me ask
you something. We'll all talk about I want to
do the Lord's will. I want to do the Lord's will.
A believer does. John 6 and verse, the gospel
according to John, I'll read this to you. It's John chapter
6 and verse 40. It comes right down to asking
yourself this. A person says, I want to do the
will of God. Every believer does. What is
the doing of the will of God? What is it to do righteousness? What is it to do? Listen to John
6, 40. This is the will of Him that
sent me, that everyone that seeth the Son, seeth Him by faith. Many saw Him, many looked on
Him and beheld Him, but looks upon Him by faith. He that seeth the Son and believeth
on Him cast himself upon Christ totally for life, for salvation. He that believeth on the Son. That's what it means. Not, again,
not that believes that there is a Lord Jesus. I've said so
many times, demons believe that. They believe that. I mean, somebody
said, you believe in the Lord Jesus Christ? Oh yeah, I believe,
yeah. I believe there's a George Washington
too. I believe it was. I mean, I read about him. Seen
pictures of Him. Stuff like that. I believe that.
But now, talking about believing on Christ, He that seeth the
Son and believeth on Him. And when I say believe on Him,
this is what I mean. Excluding self. All that is of
the world that seeks its own. Everything that is not totally
looking, trusting, casting upon the Lord Jesus Christ for life. I mean to tell you that God chose
to show mercy. Christ redeemed those that God
the Father chose. The Spirit of God calls them
out and then tells them later. I never knew anything about salvation
until I was saved. The Lord saved me. and told me
about it. I didn't know that. If it's left
up to me, I'm gone because I'm dead in trespasses and sins. This is the will of Him. Everyone
that seeth the Son, believeth on Him, may have everlasting
life. I will raise Him up at the last day. So John is saying,
He that doeth the will of God. What's the will of God? That
a man sees the Son by faith. believes on Him, trusts Him,
sees Him as His only hope. Now, then the Apostle reminded
us of the words of our Lord concerning Antichrist. Antichrist had been
on the scene. He said in verse 18, little children,
it is the last time as you've heard that Antichrist shall come,
Even now are there many antichrists whereby we know that it is the
last time. Antichrist. What does that mean? Antichrist is everyone... Now listen. Antichrist. Everyone that gives
man any credit for salvation. That's antichrist. What does
the Spirit of God say? What did the Spirit of God say
through the prophet Jonah? Whenever he was getting ready
to come out of the belly of that whale. This is what he said.
Salvation is of the Lord. Period. What part does that leave
us? None. Antichrist, I got this
from Brother Henry. is not anti-morality, not anti-religion,
not anti-works, but he's anti-Christ. He is against Christ having all
the honor and glory and praise. So now, here's John, the aged
apostle, the last of the apostles, and he's given some instruction
to these younger converts and he speaks as one that has been
truly taught, instructed, taught, seasoned by the Lord. And we
would do well to hear what the Lord's been instructing through
these taught and aged believers. John heard the Lord. Now he's still talking about
something, he's talking about these antichrists and the world
and don't love the world and doing the will of God and doeth
righteousness. But John had heard the Lord,
back in Matthew 24, 24, he heard the Lord say this, For there
shall arise false Christ, false prophets, and shall show great
signs and wonders insomuch that if it were possible, which it's
not, but if it were, They shall deceive the very elect. That's what the Lord said. These
false Christs, even the chosen, the elect, would be fooled. Now there's a telltale sign of
an Antichrist. What is? They're Antichrist,
and here's what they don't do. They have no heart for the gospel
of Christ. They love not the Lord and they
don't love His gospel. They have no heart for God getting
all the honor and glory and praise and eventually this is what will
happen. Verse 19, they went out from
us but they were not of us for if they had been of us They would
no doubt have continued with us, but they went out that they
might be made manifest that they were not all of us. Now, Paul had warned the church
at Ephesus of this very thing. Acts chapter 20. Acts 20 verse
28 to 31. Again, I'll read if you want
to just listen or turn. Acts 20. In verse 28, Paul says, Therefore
unto yourselves and to all the flock over which the Holy Ghost
hath made you overseers, feed the church of God which he hath
purchased with his own blood. For I know this, that after my
departing shall grievous wolves enter in among you, not sparing
the flock, also of your own selves shall men arise, speaking perverse
things to draw away disciples after them. Therefore, watch
and remember. that by the space of three years
I cease not to warn every night, every one night and day. So there's a warning here. He that doeth the will of God
is born of God. He's warning something. He said
now I, the Lord himself concerning keeping God's people, they would
He said if they had been of us, they no doubt would have stayed.
The Lord said in John 17, 12, while I was with them in the
world, I kept them in thy name. Those that thou gavest me, I've
kept. And none of them is lost but the son of perdition that
the scripture might be fulfilled. The Lord said while I was here,
He's praying to His Father while I was here. He's gone now. Now
he's gone. Listen, even as he prayed concerning
that. And now I'm no more in the world,
but these are in the world. And I come to thee, Holy Father,
keep through thine own name those who thou hast given me, that
they may be one as we are. So we know concerning the keeping,
the staying of God's elect. It's sure. God's going to keep
them. There's no doubt about it. They're not going anywhere.
Well, what if they do? What if somebody does leave?
Well, John said it was because they weren't of us. Had they
been of us, no doubt they would have stayed. But now, those that
the Spirit of God has truly called out, they're kept. I'll tell
you why. Look at verse 20. But you have
an unction from the Holy One. And you know all things. You have an unction. An anointing. What is the unction? What is the anointing? 2 Corinthians
1.21. What is it? You have an unction.
You have an anointing. And the Spirit of God moved upon
the Apostle Paul to tell us what that anointing is, what that
unction is. 1 Corinthians 1.21. The scripture says this, Now
he which establisheth us with you in Christ and hath anointed
us is God. Okay, God has done something
for us, has given us an unction, an anointing. God has done that. What is it who hath also sealed
us and given us the earnest of the Spirit in our hearts? So
we have an unction, an anointing. John is saying, he said, little
children, it's the last time. You've heard that Antichrist
shall come. There's many Antichrist, whereby we know it's the last
time. But here's what happened, John says, concerning these Antichrist. They went out. Why? Because they weren't of us. If
they'd have been of us, they'd have stayed. But he said, but
now for you. You that believe, you that God's
called. You have an unction. You're kept. Kept by this anointing. What
is that anointing? It's the Spirit of God. You're
called out of darkness and God has kept you. You possess an
anointing. The Spirit of God that teaches
you. John chapter 14. Here's what
happens. to everyone that has that anointing. John 14 and verse 26. Spirit of God says, the Comforter,
which is the Holy Ghost, whom the Father will send in my name,
he shall teach you all things and bring all things to your
remembrance whatsoever I have said unto you. These all things,
all things. Everything? Does that mean we
know everything? No. We know in part. We prophesy
in part. There's no preacher that knows
everything. There was only one who was omniscient, who knew
the Lord. We're frail creatures. We see through a glass darkly. It's a shadow to us. But he said, here you know all
things. What things? All things needful
for salvation. You know salvation is of the
Lord. You know that. You know that
salvation comes to sinners who are spiritually impotent. You
know that. You know that without Him, we
can do nothing. You know that. Without Him, we're
not gonna be kept. We know that. John says, you
know all things. You know everything. Then he
says in verse 24, let that then, what you've been taught, what
the Spirit of God has taught you, that unction, the Spirit
of God Himself, that Holy One that has given you the earnest
of the Spirit. He says in verse 24, look at
the wording here, let that therefore abide in you. which ye have heard
from the beginning. If that which you've heard from
the beginning shall remain in you, ye also shall continue in
the Son and in the Father." That word, that, let that, what that? What is it? What the Spirit of
God has taught you concerning the gospel. Let that. remain in you. And then he says,
listen, he says, but the anointing, verse 27, I'm sorry, but the
anointing which you've received of him abideth in you and you
need not any man shall teach you. That anointing, as you have
been anointed, they went out. He that doeth the will of God
is born of God. They went out because they were
Antichrist. They wouldn't hear the glory
of Christ. They wouldn't bow to that. Man
wants to have some glory. I want to have some honor. Don't
tell me that I can't do anything. Don't tell me that I can't do
anything. I know I can. God says you can. But they went out. Why? Because
they weren't of us. But you have an option. You know
all things. The Spirit of God's taught you.
Let that abide in you. Let that remain in you. That
which you've received from the Spirit of God, you don't have
any need that any man teach you. He's not talking about it's not
needful, because I'm coming down to the point here in just a second.
It's not that he's saying it's unneedful to be taught, because
this is how God does teach. But what you are hearing, what
you have received from being taught, God had to teach you
that first. It wasn't that I have the ability.
Brother Scott didn't have the ability. No preacher of the gospel
has the ability. God has taught you that. But
he said, now look at verse 27 again. But the anointing which
you've received of Him abideth in you, and you need not that
any man teach you." Now that's a fact. That's a fact. What you know, you know. God's
taught you the gospel. You that believe, God has taught
you that. He's anointed you with the Spirit
of God. You've got the unction of the
Holy Spirit. You're sealed by the power of
God. Kept. unto the day of salvation. There is no doubt about it. You know that. And you don't
hear me say one thing week to week to week, doesn't matter
where I am in this scripture. Proverbs, Revelation, wherever. I got one point. One point. The glory of the Lord Jesus Christ.
Jesus Christ and Him crucified. That's what Paul said. I'm determined
not to preach anything. Jesus Christ and Him crucified. That's it. That's it. And that's
all a believer wants to hear. Tell me one more time how the
Lord's put away my guilt. You know that. You know that.
Now let me tell you what the flesh would say. Okay. I got it. I got it. I know. I know. I know what you're
going to say. I understand it. Did you not
say anything any different than you said last week? So I got
it. Okay. And if I got it, well, what's the need of, you
know, continuing to come to hear this? This is what He's coming
down to on doing righteous. He that doeth righteousness.
Here's, we're building up right here to it. 27 says, But the
anointing which you have received of Him abideth in you, and you
need not that any man teach you. Period. That's okay. Well, it
says colon, but that's a point. Right there. Look at the next
word. But. But. Now, he's coming from a
point that he's been making. They went out. They went out
from us. They don't hear. They went out
from us. They weren't of us. Had they
been of us, they would have remained. And he's telling them something.
He said, now you've been taught that anointing. You've been taught
you don't have need that a man teach you. God's taught you something.
But as the same anointing teaches you of all things and is truth
and is no lie. And even as it hath taught you,
ye shall abide in him. But if you have a margin on that
word him right there, if you have a marginal writing, you
know what that word is? It. But, As the same anointing teaches
you of all things and is truth and is no lie, and even as it
has taught you, you shall abide in the hearing of the gospel
continually. You will continue to hear. You shall abide. I looked that up again this morning,
make sure where it says Even as it hath taught you, ye shall
abide. I looked it up. Ye shall. It means don't leave. Don't depart. Be present. I just wrote down
the definition of it. Maintain unbroken fellowship. Ye shall abide in him. That is in the hearing of the
gospel concerning him. You abide in it, abide in the
faithful, continual hearing of the gospel. You've heard this
before. You're hearing the same thing.
But John says, stay. Stay. Listen to it. Listen to
it again. Listen. Why? We're so prone to
forget. We need to hear it again. What is the necessity? What is
the necessity of hearing and hearing and hearing and hearing
and hearing? The necessity of hearing the
gospel because it is through the hearing of the gospel that
our desperate need is met. Faith. Faith. They went out. But John says,
don't you, don't do it. That which you've been taught,
no man taught you that. God taught you that. You know
that. You've heard it. You know it.
But abide in it. Abide in it. Stay exactly. Faith cometh by hearing. and hearing by the word of God. Where there is little hearing,
there is little faith. Jude, Jude chapter 1, there's
only one chapter in Jude, but Jude 1, 17 to 20, listen to this. Jude says,
but beloved, remember ye the words which were spoken before
of the apostles of our Lord Jesus Christ. How that they told you
that there should be mockers in the last time, who should
walk after their own ungodly lust. These be they who separate
themselves, sensual, not having the spirit. But ye beloved, building
up yourselves on your most holy faith, praying in the Holy Ghost,
building up yourselves in the most holy faith. Brother Henry
Mahan made this statement. He said, the hearing of the Word
of God is the means of God-given faith. Faith, by God's grace,
is increased by hearing. Hear. what God has to say. God's preachers
are instructed, you feed the sheep. You feed them the bread
of heaven. You tell them of Christ. You
tell them of His life, His death, His salvation. You tell them,
and you tell them, and you tell them. And sheep, all of us, I
need to hear what I'm preaching right now. I'm listening to it.
I need to hear it. It's not that I'm separated,
I just happen to be the one talking. But I need to hear. If there
was a man standing here other than that, and I was sitting
right there with Pat, sitting right there listening, I need to hear
this. I need to be refreshed, I need to be fed, and this is
the only thing that feeds the believer, the hearing of the
gospel. God's preachers are instructed to feed, and God's people are
instructed to hear that which is sent by God. Now, verse 28. Little children, abide in Him
that when He shall appear we may have confidence and not be
ashamed before Him at His coming. Now, little children, now listen
to this, abide in Him. Now, John is not insinuating
that the eternally chosen People of God, chosen in Christ, can
remove themselves from the Lord who is their surety. That's not
what he's talking about. When he says abiding in Him,
you say, well if I've been chosen in Christ, put in Christ, and
kept in Christ, what do you mean I abide in Him? What else can
I do but abide in Him? No, what he's saying is, what
he's been talking about right up to this point. He started
off by saying they went out, but you have an unction. You've
been kept, you've been sealed by the Spirit of God. Abide,
stay. What you've been taught, God
taught you. You've learned it, you know that,
but, but, but you shall abide in it." Abide in Him. Now, little children, abide in
Him. Stay and dwell in the place where
God Almighty is honored through the preaching of the gospel.
Stay there and stay there with expectancy. Remain where God
has been pleased to meet with His people. Two or three are
gathered together in my name. I was talking to someone the
other day, doesn't matter, two or three
days ago. And they were saying, they said,
we really enjoy being able to, you know, watch, you know, I
do the same thing. I watch when we're not having
services here, I watch messages, live screen, men that are preaching
the gospel that I rejoice in and I'm thankful for. And I'm
especially, if it snows, Or I'm sick or something like that and
I can turn on and I can watch it. But I'll tell you this, it
never replaces this. Never. Never. There's where two
or three are gathered together in my name. They're together
in my, I'm in the midst of you. Do you know that's the only promise
that we have of his presence? That's the only promise that
we've got. I know He's omnipresent, I know that. But there is a special
togetherness with Him, where two or three are gathered together
in my name, where the Son is honored and magnified. John is
saying, abide in the hearing of Him, as opposed to those who
have apostatized. It's all one point. He started
off in verse 18, 19, started talking about it. They went out,
but you don't. You stay. You have an anointing. That's what John was talking
about. So then he comes down now to the point where I started. If you know that he is righteous,
you know that everyone that doeth Righteousness is born of God. What is he talking about now
in the context of everything he's been saying? He that doeth
righteousness. The first time that phrase was
made, doeth righteousness, is in the book of Psalms, chapter
106 and verse 3. Psalms 106 verse 3. Let me read
this to you. It says, blessed are they that
keep judgment. and he that doeth righteousness
at all times. He that doeth righteousness at
all times. You mean to tell me that the
Spirit of God is saying that there is one that doeth righteousness
at all times? What is that? I'll tell you what
it is. They believe God. And let me
tell you, believer, what you cannot do. You cannot stop yourself
from believing God. You cannot do that. Oh, believe
me, I know we waver. I know we fall. We're frail creatures. I know that. But I'll tell you
something that you cannot do. You cannot not believe the Lord.
Why? Because you have an unction.
God has given you the Spirit. Oh, we don't believe Him as we
ought. I'll admit that. And we do fail in our faithfulness. We'll all admit that. But I'll
tell you what you do. You're kept. And God's people
believed the Lord. When Peter, who had faltered
and had left, I'm going back to fishing, the Lord said, Peter,
lovest thou me? He said, Lord, you know I love you. I don't
deserve the mercy, but you know I love you. I do love you. I
do. God's people, he that doeth righteousness,
he, a true believer, One affectionately called, taught, kept, He doesn't
leave. He doesn't quit. Because He's
kept. If you know that He is righteous,
that He's the righteous one, and if you know that, you know
that because God's taught you by His Spirit. You know that
everyone that doeth righteousness, doeth righteousness, believeth
on Him, looks to Him, Frail, in a frail way, yeah. Falling often, yeah, all the
time, yeah. Little faith, yeah, but faith. God's people, because they're
born of God. Let me tell you what they don't
do. Here's the he that doeth righteousness. They don't apostatize. They don't leave the gospel.
They can't, they can't. No believer has ever left the
gospel. No believer has ever left the
gospel because God keeps him. You say, well what about the
one that would be illustrated by the prodigal son? What was
the end result? He came to himself. Oh my friend,
listen to me. By the grace of God, God keeps
His people. He that doeth righteousness is
born of God. He that believes God, that doesn't
leave, that doesn't apostatize, that doesn't walk away for good. Oh, there's times that I have
looked at myself and I thought, but for the grace of God, I'd
quit. I'd quit. Jeremiah said that. I ain't preaching no more. This
is it. I'm not preaching. But His Word was in me like fire
in my bones. And I could not quit. I couldn't quit. If we could,
we would. If we leave, it's because we
weren't of Him. He that doeth righteousness. What sayeth the scripture, Romans
4, 3? Abraham believed God and it was counted unto him for righteousness. Abraham believed God and he did
righteousness. That's what he said. Abraham,
he trusted by faith in God. May the Lord be pleased to keep
us today. He that doeth righteousness is
born of God. If it wasn't, we wouldn't do
it. Let's take a break.