12-06-24 part 1: Biblical Love, Truth, and Deception: Lessons from Second John on Commandments, Christ’s Ministry, and the Antichrist

A) Get ready and hold onto your hats, because we’re in Second John, picking it up at verse 6. This is what the Great Apostle John says: "This is love, that we walk according to His commandments." Wow. Doesn’t the world teach that love is just accepting everybody the way they are? Yes, they do, and they are mistaken. Love is walking according to the commandments of Christ. Only people who follow the teachings of Jesus Christ operate in biblical love. Love is not just love.

B) John mentions that this is the commandment we’ve heard from the beginning—from the beginning of John, chapter 13, verses 34 and 35: "A new commandment I give you, that you love one another as I have loved you." How did Jesus love His disciples? He taught them, corrected them, rebuked them, guided them, encouraged them, and sacrificed Himself for them.

C) Then John goes on to something that people often miss. He makes it clear that many deceivers have gone out into the world, refusing to confess that Jesus Christ has come in the flesh. Well, what does that mean? It means that they deny that Jesus Christ ever came. They don’t believe any of the historical records, of which there is more historical evidence for Jesus Christ than for any other human being. Each one is accepted in a court of law.

D) But then he surprises us. Any person who denies that Jesus came is a deceiver and the Antichrist. That means that any person who denies the ministry of Jesus Christ is a deceiver. Additionally, John calls him the Antichrist. So, people who deny the ministry of Jesus are anti-Christ. If that’s the case, then the man of lawlessness, who is understood to be THE Antichrist, will make the strongest possible case that the ministry of Jesus is not true. That’s the one we have to watch out for. That’s why we need to keep our eyes and ears open.