Alert and Abiding: Recognizing Antichrists in Our Day

Church, when it comes to identifying our enemy, if we're gonna be engaged, if we're gonna be alert to the battle, we need to know this is a present threat both for John and for us. This isn't a future event. This is right now. He says many have come. Now, yes, for sure, there are things in Revelation and in Daniel seven and in second Thessalonians that there is political pressure and things that will happen towards the end. But what John is talking about here is a danger to the church that is subtle, and it is scary. [00:22:09] (32 seconds)  #AlertAgainstDeception

Actually, I would be honest. I will say it is far more terrifying than some political oppressor who publicly opposes Jesus. This is somebody that's in your small group. Like, this might be you sitting in the chair where you're at. It is subtle. This is not a political attack. It is theological. He tells us it's those who deny that Jesus is the Christ. This isn't one world government. This is redefining the gospel. That's what John is talking about. This is a subtle, real attack on the name and work of Jesus, and we need to be alert. [00:22:41] (40 seconds)  #WatchForFalseGospels

Now let's just clear a couple of things up. Since Jesus walked out of the grave, he went to the grave for your sin and mine's my sin. He lived the life we couldn't live. He died the death we should have died. Went to the tomb, spent three days dead, not mostly dead, dead. Walked out of the grave in victory. From that moment to right now, everybody's debated and discussed and divided and been frustrated and angry and made all sorts of wackadoodle prophecies about when is the last day. Well, we're always in the last days. Until Jesus returns, we are in the last days. [00:15:40] (37 seconds)  #LivingInTheLastDays

John here is saying, guys, it's the last days. In other words, that doesn't last forever. It's not an eternal battle. It's not an eternal struggle. That doesn't mean it's not hard. That doesn't mean it doesn't hurt. That doesn't mean you don't need Jesus to help you battle. We're gonna see that clearly here in just a moment. But these are the last days. You are forty five minutes closer to glory than when we first started. Let that fuel your faith and also your courage [00:17:11] (32 seconds)  #CloserToGlory

Let that fuel your faith and also your courage to love those the Lord has put you where you live, work, shop, eat, play. He has you there on purpose for a purpose, and time is running out. He wants us to know to be engaged that, guys, we are on the clock. We woke up in a battle. We are in the last days, but he also wants us to be clear that we have an enemy. There is a very real adversary. He tells us that the antichrist is coming, so now many antichrists have come. [00:17:38] (42 seconds)  #LoveWhereGodPlacedYou

The battle is real. He says he comes to steal, kill, and destroy. He's not gonna fight fair. He's gonna be like, oh, I should give them their morning devo time. I'll wait till they've had their cup of coffee to start a conflict in their marriage. That's not how he's gonna work. He's going to steal, kill, and destroy. But Jesus, we're told, wants us to have abundant life. Or in the words that John says at the beginning of his of first John, complete joy. [00:35:19] (29 seconds)  #AbundantLifeInChrist

Just like Adam and Eve, just like you and I and what John is writing to, he faces the desires of flesh, the desires of the eyes, and the pride of life. What's different from Genesis three and different from you and I is where we fall short, Jesus is victorious. Every time he is faced with these temptations, Jesus comes back with, it is written. It is written. Begone, Satan. It is written. Jesus brings his bible to the battle. [00:08:35] (28 seconds)  #JesusFightsWithScripture

And the danger, what makes this so so awful is there is strands of truth in all of these. Does Jesus care about your mental and emotional health? Absolutely. Does digging into your past and your story matter? A 100%. But in light of his story. Does Jesus care about the things that we vote for? Yes. And amen. That is a freedom men and women have died for. We should use that and use that wisely as ambassadors for the king, not for a party. Does Jesus care about blessing us? Yes. But in the kingdom that has come, he's not come to promise you more commas in your bank account or a bigger boat. [00:25:31] (37 seconds)  #KingdomOverCulture