I have been for several weeks
now studying the last word that the Apostle John gives in his
epistle of 1 John. 1 John chapter 5 and verse 21. This is John's inspired conclusion
to his very tender, very instructive epistle. We might rightly expect
the Apostle to give his last word as a very weighty statement. A very weighty statement that
fairly well summarizes what he has been teaching in these five
chapters. Throughout this blessed epistle, John's intent has been
obvious. He seems to have been focused
as with a laser on just one thing that runs throughout the epistle.
The one thing John focused on is the blessed, sweet, comforting
assurance of faith in Christ Jesus. He wants us, every heaven-born
soul, to live in the assured knowledge of God's grace and
salvation in Christ. He wants us, every heaven-born
soul, every believing sinner, to live and walk with God in
the blessed, full assurance of faith. Look in 1 John chapter
1 for a moment. 1 John chapter 1. Notice how the epistle opens,
and he sets the tone for the whole thing. That which was from
the beginning, which we have heard, which we have seen with
our eyes, which we have looked upon with our hands and our hands
have handled of the word of life. For the life was manifested and
we have seen it and bear witness and show unto you that eternal
life, which was with the father and was manifested unto us. That
which we have seen and heard declare we unto you. We speak
to you about things concerning which we're absolutely certain. Things we've experienced, things
we know by divine revelation and by the experience of God's
grace. That which we've seen and heard declare we unto you
for this purpose. that you also may have fellowship
with us and truly our fellowship is with the father and with his
son Jesus Christ. And these things write we unto
you that your joy may be full. John says now take it up my pen
and I'm writing to you that your joy may be full as I declare
to you that which I've experienced and learned from God himself.
He wants us to know that we know God. That's the purpose of this
epistle. Listen to what he says in these
chapters. Just listen to me. Hereby, we
know that we know him. Hereby, we know that we're in
him. Ye know that he is righteous. We know that when he shall appear,
we shall be like him. You know that he was manifested
to take away our sins. We know that in him is no sin. We know that we pass from death
unto life. We know that we are of the truth. We know that he abideth in us. We know the spirit of God. We
know the spirit of truth. We know the spirit of error.
We know that we love the children of God. These things have I written
unto you, John said. You who believe in the name of
the Son of God, that you may know that you have eternal life. We know that we are of God. We
know that we are of God. We know that the Son of God has
come. We know Him that is true. And
we are in Him that is true, even in His Son, Jesus Christ. This
is the true God. This is eternal life. We know
Christ and we know Antichrist because we have an unction from
the Holy One, because the anointing which we've received of God abides
in us and teaches us all things. Now, in the light of those things,
how would you expect John to conclude this epistle? What kind
of statement would you expect him to make? I have to be honest
with you. As I read these five chapters
over and over again, if I were anticipating what his last word
would be, just having read the chapters myself, I would never
imagine that he would conclude the epistle as he does. The last
thing I would expect him to say, almost, almost the very last
thing I would expect him to say is what he says as he concludes
this epistle. This epistle of love, this epistle
of tenderness, this epistle of assurance, this epistle of peace,
this epistle to God's children, this epistle to you and to me,
to you who are God's. Now watch what he says. And after
we get done tonight, I think you will see that this is certainly
the most appropriate way, possibly, to conclude this epistle. Little
children, keep yourselves from idols. Amen. Little children, keep yourselves
from idols. Amen. If we would walk with God
in the assurance of faith, if we would truly love one another
and walk in love, having the love of God perfected in us,
we must keep ourselves from idolatry. First, please notice how John
addresses you and me. Little children. Little Children. This title, Little Children,
is a title that expresses deep affection. It is an expression
of the deep affection of God our Father for us. You and I,
who are gods, are God's little children. Little children. cared
for by our God, God's little children. Don't ever forget that. Don't ever forget that. How often
we fail to recognize in our day-by-day
experience this blessed relationship. We are loved of God infinitely
beyond we can ever imagine, loved of God. And whatever it is that
you experience in this world as a believer, whatever it is
that you experience here, be it sickness or pain or poverty
or abuse, whatever it is, whatever it is, it comes by the will and
by the wisdom and by the hand of Him who loves you infinitely
more deeply, infinitely more really than you can ever imagine
what love is. You're God's little children.
This is an expression of John's deep affection for these people
for whom he was pastor. He was a pastor with a pastor's
heart. God said, I will give you pastors
according to my own heart who will feed you with knowledge
and with understanding. and such a pastor John was. He writes to these who are his
beloved ones in Christ Jesus. Indeed, this is an expression
concerning all of those who are called of God and serve him as
faithful pastors. For God's servants love his children
and count it their high honor to serve his children. The word
little children suggests a family relationship God's little children
are those whom he has chosen, whom he has adopted into his
family, those who are born again by his spirit, all who believe
on his son. The term little children also
suggests humility of mind, a teachableness of spirit, a weakness of frame,
and dependence. Little children must have another
for everything. Little children are weak. Little children are easily taught. Little children are dependent. They must have another. We must
have another to provide for us, to care for us, to teach us,
to protect us, to feed us. Little children must have someone
else to make decisions for them, someone else to take care of
all responsibility for them. That's a pretty good description
of you and me, is it not? Little children, little children.
Now look at the next word. John says, little children, keep
yourselves. How we rejoice to know that we
are kept of God. Kept in our Savior's hand. Kept
secure by His omnipotent grace. Kept by the seal of His Spirit. Kept by the purpose of our Father.
Kept of God, and yet we are admonished to keep ourselves. Little children,
keep yourselves I look these passages up today, you don't
have to look at them again tonight, but in Joshua 6, you remember
when the children of Israel went in to destroy the land of Canaan,
and God gave a command to the children of Israel. He said,
keep yourselves from the accursed thing. Keep yourselves from the accursed
thing. Don't take anything that you
find in the land of Jericho. Don't take it for yourself. The
only thing to take is what is consecrated to God and useful
for God's service. Everything else is cursed. Everything
else is cursed. Children of God, keep yourselves
from the accursed things. Keep yourselves from everything
here that would rob your heart's affection to God your Savior. Set your affection not on things
on the earth, but on things above, where Christ sitteth on the right
hand of the majesty on high. Keep yourselves, little children,
from the very appearance of idolatry and from the filth of the flesh.
You remember when the saints had their conference at Jerusalem,
the first conference they had there, they came together discussing
the matter of the law and how believers ought to behave themselves. And James sent out a letter and
he said, it seemed good to the Holy Ghost and to us, to us,
the apostles and the teachers of God's church, inspired of
God by God, the Holy Spirit. to lay upon you no greater burden
than these necessary things. These necessary things so that
you walk to honor God, so that you live to honor God, that you
abstain from meats offered to idols and from blood and things
strangled. Don't allow yourselves to be
duped into eating food offered to idols Don't do that. Don't
do that. Now. We don't have a problem
like that in our day We we don't in our society You're not likely
to go to the store and find One section of meat that set aside
as having been offered to idols and so you got a discount price
here It's already been used and this is all this is the leftovers
with it You don't have a problem with that today, but in their
day that was a real problem Because the heathen, the Gentiles, they
commonly offered sacrifices to idols. And to eat meats offered
to idols implied a complicity with the idolatry. And so the
apostles say, it would be best not to do that. Now Paul writes
and tells us plainly, an idol is nothing. I don't I don't nothing
and meets off and I don't nothing but don't offend you brethren
Don't allow any implied complicity with idolatry and they said and
to abstain from fornication From which if you keep yourselves
you shall do well fare ye well Keep yourselves from the appearance
of idolatry and keep yourselves from the filth of the flesh.
We live in this age when folks have the idea that somehow fornication
and adultery is just, and it has become as common as drinking
a glass of milk these days. It's just as common as drinking
a glass of milk, folks. Everywhere used to hide such. Now folks
everywhere speak openly of such and promote such. Promoted in
your schools, everything else. Now listen, fornication is filth. It's filth. And you rob yourselves
by it. And you rob the one with whom
you commit the act by it. Fornication is vile ungodliness. You young people, understand
what I'm saying. Understand what God says. It
is filth. It is vile ungodliness. No matter
how much the world approves of it, keep yourselves from that
which will destroy everything precious to humanity. Destroy
everything valuable in life for it destroys the very fabric and
foundation of family Look in first Thessalonians. I want you
to look at this first Thessalonians chapter 5 Talking about keeping
yourselves now from that which will corrupt verse 16 Rejoice
evermore Pray without ceasing and everything give thanks For
this is the will of God in Christ Jesus concerning you Quench not
the spirit, despise not prophesies, prove all things, hold fast that
which is good, abstain from all appearance of evil. He's talking
now about doctrinal evil. He says you prove all things.
You prove all things that don't despise the word given to you
from God, but prove everything by the book of God, and anything
that smells like free will, you pass it by. Anything that smells
like works religion have nothing to do with it. Little children,
keep yourselves, Jude says, in the love of God. Keep yourselves from the accursed
thing. Keep yourselves from that which implies complicity with
idolatry and the filth of this world, and keep yourselves in
the love of God. We must keep ourselves in the
love of God in this sense. We must ever keep before our
hearts and minds the eternal, immutable, boundless love of
God for us. being firmly persuaded of our
interest in that love. What can be more comforting in
any relationship than the comfort of assured love? Not the comfort of your assured
love for your wife or your assured love for your husband, but the
comfort of your husband's love for you. The comfort of the assurance
of your wife's love for you. Oh, now hear me, children of
God. I have great reason. You have
great reason to stand in doubt of your love for God. You have great reason to stand
in doubt of your love for God. But Allen Kibbe, if you believe
on the Son of God, you have no reason to stand in doubt of God's
love for you. Oh, what consolation. Keep yourselves there in the
love of God. This is the foundation of all
grace and the source of our everlasting salvation and eternal glory. The word might be translated,
preserve yourselves in the love of God. When Satan assaults,
when temptations assail, when tribulations come one on the
heels of another, when you're weak, when you fall, keep yourselves
in the love of God. Meditate on it. Study it. Rejoice in it and be assured
of it. Now, in our text, in our text
John says, little children, keep yourselves from idols. Keep yourselves from idols. What is he talking about? What
a strange admonition. John gives this admonition to
us who are gods. What a strange admonition to
give to men and women who believe God. What a strange admonition
to give to folks who are believers. Keep yourselves from idols. Now, surely you've got to consider
that a bit unusual. But let's see how strange it
is. Go ask Aaron how strange the admonition is. Aaron said
to the children of Israel, when they said Moses is going up in
this mountain, we don't know what's become of him, said, make
us gods. And Aaron said, give me your
earrings. And he took all their gold and made them gods and set
before them gold and cash and said, these be thy gods, O Israel,
and proclaimed a feast to Jehovah. Little children, keep yourselves
from idols. If you talk to Eli, you remember
Eli who trembled for the ark of God? He had two idols that
he dearly loved. His sons, Hothme and Phinehas,
who defiled Israel before God in his very temple, and the Lord
God destroyed them because they were not restrained by their
father. Go ask Eli. Little children, keep yourselves
from idols. Solomon, Solomon, what a wise,
wise man. Solomon who wrote for us the
books of wisdom. Proverbs, Ecclesiastes, the song
of Solomon. Solomon, a man who loved God,
worshipped God, feared God, and walked with God by faith. And
yet a man whose many wives turned him to idols. Little children,
keep yourselves from idols. Oh, we're not in any danger of
idolatry. We've been well instructed. We
know better than to practice idolatry. Go talk to all the generations
and the kings of Israel and Judah. From the days of Moses through
the days of Joshua through all the judges that God raised up
in Israel, through the days of Saul, and of David, and of Solomon,
all the way down to Manasseh. Moses put up with it, Elijah
put up with it, Elisha put up with it, Samuel put up with it,
Nathan put up with it, nobody said a word about it. The children
of Israel had kept that brazen serpent which God commanded Moses
to make to heal them of the fiery bites of the serpents in the
wilderness. Remember that? No, they kept that thing and
they burned incense to it all those years. All those years
until Manasseh turned to God and he took the brazen serpent
and ground it to powder and cast it away from Israel. Little children,
keep yourselves from idols. What's he talking about? Without
question, the Spirit of God here commands you and me to avoid
every form of visible idolatry. Now, I'm not at all inclined
to think any of you are likely to set up statutes of Buddha
and worship a statute of Buddha. So we'll leave that to itself. None of you are likely to whittle
you out of totem pole and worship a totem pole. We'll leave that
alone. But all religious symbols, all
religious icons, all religious pictures, all physical representations
of God and spirituality are idolatry. Keep yourselves from idols. Certainly,
John's telling us, the Spirit of God is telling us to avoid
the worship of this world. Love not the world. the worship
of wealth, materialism, fame, power, covetousness, which is
idolatry. Certainly John is warning us
against an overmuch love of our own families or ourselves, husband
or wife, son or daughters, parents or children. The dearest idol
I have known, whatever that idol be, Help me to tear it from thy
throne, and worship only thee. If any man come after me, and
hate not father, and mother, and brother, and sister, yea,
in his own life also, he cannot be my disciple. The last two times I've been
to England, or the last couple of years I've been to England,
I've asked about preachers that were no longer where they used
to be. And one of them had moved far away so he could take care
of his aging mama because she needed him. And folks think that's
so sweet. He gave up preaching to go take
care of his mama. He gave up too much. He gave
up too much. You wouldn't do that? No. And
my folks understood I wasn't going to do that. I'll bring
you to live with me. But I ain't giving up a thing with regard
to serving God to take care of you. Oh, no. No, no, no. I'll
bring you and take care of you here. Not there. Not the other
way around. Not the other way around. Little
children, beware of idolatry. Now that applies to every relationship
you have. That applies to everything in
this world. Let no rival to God Almighty
stand in your heart. Let no rival to Christ the Redeemer
stand in your heart. Let no care that rivals the Redeemer
stand in your heart. Let nothing keep you from worshipping
and serving the Son of God as you know He has revealed to you
He must be worshipped. John's admonition. is also a
stern warning against any influence of doctrine that would draw our
hearts and minds away from Christ and faith in him. There are lots
of doctrinal issues, lots of doctrinal issues that become
very, very important to people that turn and draw folks away
from Christ while pretending to be serving Christ. People
make a big issue of law, legalism, things you do, things you do,
and that becomes the subject. That becomes the subject of everything. That becomes the turning point
of everything so that your minds are no longer focused on the
Redeemer and worshiping and serving him who loved you and gave himself
for you, but rather your minds are focused on what other folks
ought to be doing. What other folks ought not to
do. Not what you ought to be doing you ought not to do. You
got that sewed up. You're always looking at others to consider
them. Landmarkism. We live in the midst of this.
I'm using deliberate terms because I want folks to understand exactly
what I'm saying. Landmarkism is little more than
worship of local churches. Little more than worship of Baptist
name. Little more than the worship
of traditions. When his wife died Michelle's
mom Diane Campbell grew up in a very strong landmark influence
We're talking about a little bit the other day All you heard
preached with these either works or church or rewards That's all
about either works or church or rewards David. You grew up
in it. Have I misstated anything? I No focus on the worship and
service of Christ. And yet folks would get very
upset if they heard that. But the whole message is involved
in works and church and rewards. And of course, this day of prophecy,
everybody is excited about prophecy. Everybody is excited about prophecy.
Larry sent me something, a written article in the New York Times,
was it? But that Hagee fell out in San
Antonio making prophecy about this blood moon. As if he understood
stuff. And folks get excited about it,
write books about it, and tell stories about it, and get you
scared to death when you're excited about it. Listen to this. Finally,
my brethren, rejoice in the Lord. Beware of dogs. Religious dogs. Don't bring the
price of a dog into my house, God said. Talk about male prostitutes. That's what he calls false prophets.
Beware of evil workers. Promoters of self-righteousness
are evil workers. Beware of the concision, folks
who teach you to abuse your flesh to make yourself holy. Folks
who teach you that you can make yourself holy by denying things
concerning pleasure in this world. Beware of the concision. For
we are the circumcision which worship God in the spirit and
rejoice in Christ Jesus and have no confidence in the flesh. Set
your heart on the Redeemer. Set your heart on Christ. Beware
of idolatry. Children of God, keep yourselves
from idols. John's principle admonition here,
however, clearly in the context in which we find it, has reference
to every form of Antichrist religion, every Antichrist doctrine, every
denial of the doctrine of Christ. First John chapter 2 he tells
us we're in the last time many Antichrist have gone out in the
world He tells us that they went out from us because they were
not of us That is they left the Church of God left the people
of God left the gospel God because they never knew God If they had
known us they would no doubt if they had known the truth They'd
no doubt would have stayed with us if they'd been of us They
would have stayed with us to this day and John said but now
the only reason you have it Because you have an option for the Holy
One He's talking clearly about anti-Christ religion. And he
says, beloved, believe not every spirit, but try the spirits.
Whosoever believeth that Jesus is the Christ, he's born of God.
And everyone who denies that Jesus is the Christ, he's not
born of God. The word of God warns us plainly
and repeatedly. It warns us plainly and repeatedly
about Antichrist. Antichrist is a false Christ. Antichrist is one who is set
forth as though he were Christ, but is not Christ at all. Antichrist
is that one who comes with all deceivableness and unrighteousness
of men, declaring that he is Christ. And they have powers
and wonders and signs to prove it. This is the Christ. And the
Savior said, when you hear that, don't believe it. Don't believe
it. Don't believe it. Now, you're familiar. You're
familiar with various notions concerning Christ. The liberals
Modernist, whatever term you take for it. They deny that Jesus
Christ is God. They'll grant that he is a good
philosopher, a good teacher, but to say that he's God, now
that's a little ridiculous. He was a man. That's the notion
of the liberal. The liberal considers everything
in scripture to be allegorical so that you take the whole scripture
and it's just to be interpreted however you really want to interpret
it so long as it gives you a good moral background for living and
the morality we'll define for ourselves. Anyone who's duped
by the Christ of liberalism is willfully ignorant. Willfully
ignorant. You're not likely to have a problem
with that. The Christ of Papist The Roman Catholics, they profess
that Jesus is Christ, that he is God, that he came into the
world as a man, that he suffered the wrath of God as a substitute
for sinners, that he died, was buried, and rose again the third
day, that he ascended back into heaven. All conservative papists
believe that. All of them do. All of them do.
But the Christ of Rome isn't a complete Savior. The Christ
of Rome can't save sinners without their good works, without the
intercession of priests, without sacraments of the church. The
Christ of Rome is no Christ at all. Doesn't even resemble the
Christ of the Bible. And the cults, they have a notion
concerning Jesus, that he's a good teacher, but you know, he's not
God. He's not God. He is maybe the best creature,
the highest creature, the noblest creature of God, but he's not
God. And nobody is duped by that except folks who want to be.
I'm not concerned about any of you giving way to Jehovah's Witnesses
or Mormons or any of those groups like that. But there is another
Jesus, another false Christ, more dangerous than all. And
he must be identified. The Christ of Arminian free will
works religion is presented to us as a Christ who loves everyone
in the universe and wants to save everyone. But that's not
the Christ of this book. The true Christ, he who is the
Christ of God, the saving Christ, loves his elect and saves them. The Christ of modern free will
works religion tries to save everybody. He does his best,
but he's really frustrated by the will of man, because man
won't let him have his way, and will even sing songs, let him
have his way with thee. Let go and let God. Who are you
to let God do so? That Christ that you can hinder,
that Christ that you can control, He's no Christ at all. The Christ
of God does not merely offer salvation, he performs it. He doesn't just present you with
an opportunity to be saved, he saves. He doesn't just make it
possible for you to be saved, he saves. The false Christ of
Arminianism can't regenerate or save anyone who doesn't first
choose to be saved by him. The Christ of God The Christ
of the Scriptures is not the imaginary Christ of free will
religion. This Christ does interfere with
you. This Christ does interfere with
man's will, does interfere with man's choices. He does interfere
with man's life. He graciously steps in and compels
sinners to come to him, giving them life by the sovereign power
of the Spirit. The false Christ of modern Arminian
free will works religion, man-centered religion, died on the cross for
everyone to make it possible for everyone to be redeemed.
He didn't redeem anybody. He didn't atone for anybody's
sins. He didn't put away any sins. He didn't justify anybody. He didn't sanctify anybody. He
didn't save anybody. He just made it possible. Not
the Christ of God. Do you see the difference? Do
you understand the difference? He who is the Christ is the redeemer. He is reconciliation. He is redemption. He is sanctification. He is righteousness. He is salvation. The false Christ,
the Arminian free will Christ, at last loses many who were once
saved by him. folks asked, do you believe once
saved always saved? Well, the answer to that question
is real simple, real simple. That depends on who does the
saving. That depends on who does the saving. If somehow salvation
somewhere depends on you, If somehow, salvation at some point
hinges on your will, your decision, your work, your feeling, your
praying, your doing, if something about it hangs on you, then you're
as sure for hell as the sun is to rise after the morning sun,
as the sun rises with the morning. Oh, no. But salvation is God's
work. If salvation is the work of Christ,
nothing depends on you. Not yesterday, or today, or tomorrow. If salvation is His work, then
those who are saved by Him are saved forever. Little children,
John says, keep yourselves from idols. Now look at the last word
of the text. Before we do, let's go back up
to verse 20. We know that the Son of God has come, and hath
given us an understanding, that we may know him that is true,
and we are in him that is true, even in his Son, Jesus Christ. This is the true God and eternal
life. Little children, keep yourselves
from idols. Amen. Amen. Christ is the amen. Christ is Jehovah's yay and amen. Faithful and true. He is John's
final word. We are to keep ourselves from
idols in the perfecting of holiness in the fear of God. Now let me
show you. 2 Corinthians chapter six. 2
Corinthians chapter six. Verse 14. Be ye not unequally yoked together
with unbelievers. For what fellowship hath righteousness
with unrighteousness? And what communion hath light
with darkness? And what concord hath Christ
with Belial, with Satan? Of what part hath he that believeth
with an infidel? And what agreement hath the temple
of God with idols? For you are the temple of the
living God. As God has said, I will dwell
in them and walk in them and I will be their God and they
shall be my people. Therefore, wherefore, come out
from among them. Who? Who? All these who oppose
God. Darkness and belittle, ungodliness,
filth, infidelity. Come out from among them. And be ye separate, saith the
Lord, and touch not the unclean thing. That's God's word by which
he describes all false religion. The unclean thing. Don't touch
it. Don't touch it. Now watch what
it says. And I will receive you. and will be a father unto you.
And you shall be my sons and daughters, saith the Lord Almighty. Having therefore these promises,
dearly beloved, let us cleanse ourselves from all filthiness
of the flesh and spirit. Well, let's talk about all the
filthiness of false religion. All the filthiness of flesh and
spirit. Perfecting holiness. in the fear
of God. One more text, and I'll be done.
Colossians chapter 3. Little children, keep yourselves
from idols. If ye then be risen with Christ,
seek those things which are above. where Christ sitteth on the right
hand of God. Set your affection, your heart,
on things above, not on things on the earth. For you, you're
dead, and your life is hid with Christ in God. Little children, little children,
keep yourselves. Keep yourselves from idols. God
help you to do so for Christ's sake. Amen.