28/05/2026
We’ve been working through 1 John in church on Sundays. And we’ve seen John, this fatherly older believer, write words of assurance, clarification and encouragement to a number of Christians who would have been living in the place we now call Türkiye. But as we reach the back half of chapter 2, we see words of warning come into the mix.
Do we take what it means to be a Christian for granted? Many of us have grown up around the faith, and certainly in Northern Ireland, the lines between faith and culture have been blurred. John’s warning is against antichrists (v.18)—powers and people that have emerged from the midst of the true church (v.19), look like the real thing, but deny the reality of who Jesus is and what he’s done (v.22). The lines are blurry indeed. So how can we find clarity?
John's advice is this:
STAY ON MESSAGE.
"As for you, see that what you have heard from the beginning remains in you. If it does, you also will remain in the Son and in the Father." (v.24)
Like the Earth orbits the sun, so should your life orbit the Son of God. Look at believers in the New Testament; Jesus is on the tip of their tongues, at the front of their minds, and the bottom of their hearts. The true gospel of creation, sin, salvation in Jesus and redemption on that last day is to be the beating drum that regulates the rhythm of our life.
John gives us four guarantees to make that happen.
First, we have the Spirit (v.20) so we might share in Christ and know what it means to have God’s security deposit on us from now until the end. We have the Truth (v.20-21) of God recorded in the Bible and training us to see the difference between what feels right and what is right. We Abide in Christ by centring our lives on him each day in prayer, Scripture and fellowship together (v.24-25). And finally, we set our eyes forward, on what is Yet To Come (v.28). Even as Jesus assuredly rose from the dead, he will assuredly return. It isn’t a gamble, but a fact. You’re anchored firmly in place between the resurrection and the return of Christ; don’t let your hand fall from that guiding line.
Where are you today in the midst of this all? Who is Christ to you, or the people around you? Is it an allegiance you hold in name only, or have you known his life-changing, shame-destroying forgiveness upon the cross? Are you walking every day more in his footsteps, and do you love his truth? Whatever the case, going forward, John would tell you: STAY ON MESSAGE.
(Thoughts from Sunday's sermon - 1 John 2:18-29)
