John is going to highlight a cosmic - spiritual tug-a-war that we all find ourselves involved in. It's a battle for our love - our affections, devotions and attention and we get to choose where we aim it.

One of the distinct features of John’s writing style was his habit of noting both sides of a conflict. He wrote to show the difference between real Christianity and anything else.
Contrast between:
Light and darkness 1:5
The new command and the old command 2:7–8
Loving the Father and loving the world. 2:15–16
Christ and Antichrist 2:18
Truth and lies. 2:20–21
Children of God and children of the devil 3:1–10
Eternal life and eternal death 3:14
Love and hatred 3:15–16
True teaching and false teaching 4:1–3
Love and fear 4:18–19
Having life and not having life 5:11–12

The Scriptures often positions the choice between loving the world and loving God.

—Joshua challenged the Israelites to choose between their old pagan gods and the Lord God (Joshua 24:15).

—Jesus gave his disciples a stark choice. He told them it is impossible to ‘serve both God and Money’ (Matthew 6:24). (They’re competitors and we must choose)

I John 2:15 tells us “Do not love the world or the things in the world. If anyone loves the world, the love of the Father is not in him.”

—James 4:4 says “Do you not know that friendship with the world is enmity with God? Therefore whoever wishes to be a friend of the world makes himself an enemy of God.”

Or stark words of Jesus in Mark 8:36 “For what does it profit a man to gain the whole world and forfeit his soul?”

John is stressing this so definitively. He's reminding us: this world and it’s ways are often deceptive.
The world can offer things that are GOOD… but they’re not necessarily from God. These “good” things can often become substitutes for that which is BETTER.

Our desires can hurt us just like they hurt Adam and Eve. And the only way to combat this is to get our eyes off being fixated on the things of this world and focus on God and His will for our lives.

Hebrews 12:1-2b
Therefore, since we are surrounded by such a great cloud of witnesses, let us throw off everything that hinders and the sin that so easily entangles. And let us run with perseverance the race marked out for us, 2 fixing our eyes on Jesus, the pioneer and perfecter of faith…

John is emphasizing that God wants us to focus on not loving the things of this world. WHY?

1) Because things of this world can deceive and us and trap us into accepting substitutes for God’s best and what God really wants for us.
2) If I get fixated on this world - I forget the bigger reality! This world is not our home … we’re just passing through.

This world is nice - we can enjoy - but IT’S TEMPORARY, we’re just passing through - give your love, your devotion to God and ETERNAL THINGS…

Love as devotion is what John is getting at…

Don’t let you devotion swing toward the ways of this world
Keep your devotion toward God and his ways - white hot

In this ‘last hour’ — that’s a term that reminds us that a new age has dawned on the world.

Since the death and resurrection of Jesus Christ — God is doing a ‘new thing’ in this world. All of the Old Testament history prepared the way for the work of Christ on the cross.

All history since that time is merely preparation for “the end”, - when Jesus will come back and establish his kingdom rule and reign.

Q) We may ask, But if it was the last hour’ in John’s day, 85 AD, why has Jesus not yet returned?

That’s an excellent question and Scripture points us toward the answer - God is not limited by time the way we, His creatures are - God works in human time, but He is above time - stands outside it.

2 Peter 3:8-9
8 But do not overlook this one fact, beloved, that with the Lord one day is as a thousand years, and a thousand years as one day. 9 The Lord is not slow to fulfill his promise as some count slowness, but is patient toward you, not wishing that any should perish, but that all should reach repentance.

The last times are described by Paul in 2 Timothy 3:1-4
But understand this, that in the last days there will come times of difficulty. For people will be lovers of self, lovers of money, proud, arrogant, abusive, disobedient to their parents, ungrateful, unholy, heartless, unappeasable, slanderous, without self-control, brutal, not loving good, treacherous, reckless, swollen with conceit, lovers of pleasure rather than lovers of God…

Q) Doesn’t that describe our reality?
We’re to live ready…that’s the call for Christians…

The spirit of the antichrist has been in the world and on the move ever since Satan declared war on God (Genesis 3)

Spirit of antichrist is behind every false doctrine, that spins lies, distorts the truth of God and detours people away from God; keeps them blinded from seeing God’s truth/grace

Anti — in greek means: both against and instead of

This passage explains that there are 2 forces at work in today’s world:
TRUTH is working through the Church by the Holy Spirit and EVIL is working by the energy of Satan.

We’re in a BATTLE — as Christians we need to remember we’re on a battleship, not a cruise ship

—We’re not at war with people (that just makes us jerks) we ARE at war with the ways the enemy is at work in the world, the lies of the world that war against God, his ways and his truth…

Ephesians 6:12
For we do not wrestle against flesh and blood, but against the rulers, against the authorities, against the cosmic powers over this present darkness, against the spiritual forces of evil in the heavenly places.

I love The message translation captures the wrap up of this section

1 John 2:24-25
"Stay with what you heard from the beginning, the original message. Let it sink into your life. If what you heard from the beginning lives deeply in you, you will live deeply in both Son and Father. This is exactly what Christ promised: eternal life, real life!"

John is writing that the false teachers will try to divide people - get them to depart from the fellowship of believers, detour them away from (the Son) Jesus, and try to deceive the faithful.

Jesus called Satan the father of lies (gospel John 8:44)

The Devil will try to lead Christians astray toward false doctrines (see 2 Cor. 11)
Tries to twist the Scripture to corrupt, confuse and create conflict…

Satan is never an originator; (only God is that) Satan is only a counterfeiter!

We NEED THE SON to find and see the Father! (see 1 John 2:23)

In the person of Jesus, God speaks directly, acts visibly, and shows publicly just how he feels about humanity.

Hebrews 1:3
The Son is the radiance of God’s glory and the exact representation of his being, sustaining all things by his powerful word. After he had provided purification for sins, he sat down at the right hand of the Majesty in heaven.

We can not separate The Father and The Son.
In every false religion - they will try to do that - try to deny Jesus’ deity…

Quote:
N. T. Wright
"Jesus provides exegesis of God.Dare to shape your vision of God around the person of Jesus."

CLOSING THOUGHT:
Keep focused on Jesus — even in a world that will try to divert your attention and devotion away from him…

Glance at the World — Stay laser focused on Jesus

WE’RE IN A TUG-A-WAR FOR OUR HEARTS AFFECTIONS/DEVOTIONS
There’s a tug-a-war for your LOVE…
You get to choose where your love goes.

Have a blessed week ahead friends and we'll see you in Egroups and back for next weekend's service as we continue to look into 1 John together.