Sermon Outline 3 Aug, 2008 Evening Service

Topic: Beware Of Antichrists!  

Text:      1 John 2:18-27  

Introduction

I.        With a favorite term of endearment, “little children”, John warns of a problem that was very real in his day: “Antichrist is coming”!

II.       John is the only New Testament writer to use the word, “antichrist”.

III.      Many in the religious world today believe the term refers to one individual.

IV.      John understood there to be many “antichrists”, and that some were already present.

Text

I.        Identifying The “Antichrists”.

A.       They refuse to follow apostolic authority (vs. 19).

1.       In John’s day:

a.       They had actually associated with the apostles.

b.       But they had gone out on their own.

c.       Thus it became manifest that they were not “of us”.

d.       Later, he describes “the spirit of the antichrist” as that which “does not hear us” (the apostles) (1 John 4:3-6).

2.       In our day:

a.       Many “antichrists” are behaving the same way.

1)      They may appear to respect apostolic authority.

2)      But eventually their true nature comes out.

b.       Those who reject the apostles reject Christ (John 13:20).

B.       They deny Jesus is the Christ (vs. 22-23).

1.       In John’s day:

a.       They denied that Jesus is the Christ (1 John 2:22b).

b.       They denied the Father and the Son (1 John 2:22b-23).

2.       Today, an “antichrist” would be one:

a.       Who denies Jesus to be the Messiah.

b.       Who denies that He was fully God and fully man.

C.      With these understandings, how can we guard against being misled?

II.      Guarding Against The “Antichrists”

A.       John’s initial readers:

1.       Were reminded of their “anointing” (1 John 2:20-21, 27).

2.       Were encouraged to continue in what they had learned (1 John 2:24-25).

B.       Christians today:

1.       Don’t have the “anointing” like many of John’s readers did.

2.       Do have the “sword of the Spirit” (Ephesians 6:17).

3.       Do have “the faith once delivered unto the saints” (Jude 3).

3.       Do need to be encouraged to continue in what we have learned.

Conclusion

I.        “Antichrists” are as real today as they were for the early church.

II.       Remember what John said was the significance of these “antichrists”; “...by which we know it is the last hour”.

A.       John knew that Jesus could return at any time!

B.       The fact that it has been 1900 years since John penned these words does not detract from their truthfulness.

C.      We are living in “the last hour”, and Christ may come at any time!