Title: The Seducer
(Lecture 3) 2 John 1:7-8 The deceiver
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Many deceivers have gone out into the world, who deny that Jesus Christ has come in the flesh, which is the deceiver and the antichrist. )
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For an elder whose mind was all centered on the truth, the joy was to see the believer act on the truth. In dealing with these elders, we need to ask ourselves, ‘What joy do I get from my brother?’
As Galatians 6:6 says, “Those who are being taught should share all good things with those who teach the word”, the relationship of believers is a relationship of sharing and sharing good things. But, what is good here is not good in the worldly sense, but is it not the fruit of the Word? In other words, it means that the relationship of believers is to share and share all of God's love, mercy, and compassion in me through the Word. Isn't the joy of the elders in verse 4 also derived from this kind of relationship with believers?
As an elder who has all his heart on the truth, what could be more joy than having a brother who has heard the gospel abide in the truth? A chapel other than the truth, or an elder who cares about people, would be more than happy to donate a lot of money and serve the church diligently rather than living in the truth. And they will regard it as abiding in the truth. If you are an elder like this, your worries and concerns for believers will be in the fact that the church does not revive without diligently serving. But elders who care about the truth become anxious and anxious when believers deviate from truth and love.
Verse 7 says, “Many deceivers have gone out into the world, who deny that Jesus Christ has come in the flesh, and this is the deceiver and the antichrist.” Looking at this, the elders are worried that there have been many cases of misleading believers with things other than the truth in the church.
The deceivers were those who denied that Jesus Christ came in the flesh. So you can be lighthearted about this. Because you would consider yourself to never deny that Jesus came in the flesh. And you believe so. Except for you and pseudo-Christians, no one would deny that Jesus came in the flesh.
Then, if you confess that you believe in Jesus without denying that He came in the flesh, does that mean you believe that Jesus came in the flesh? In fact, we may be right, but we may be living with something completely different inside us. You can see what comes out of me. When it comes to grace, just as grace comes naturally, if you believe in the coming of Jesus in the flesh, you should see some fruit through that faith.
To believe that Jesus came in the flesh means to believe that Jesus died on the cross. Jesus died for our sins. Therefore, to believe in the cross means to see your own wickedness deeply. It also means believing that there is nothing that can be righteous for you. That is why we depend only on the grace of Jesus who died on the cross. All of this must be contained in your beliefs.
So, if you have this belief, what kind of action will it lead you to take? Will you let your own righteousness come out? Do you want to show off your pride? Will you compare your beliefs with others based on what you have done? Also, would there be any way to denigrate his faith just because he didn't work? Is there anything that ignores him because he is poor and needless? It can never be.
When a believer believes in the coming of Jesus, he believes that he came to lead me to blessings, who cannot dwell in blessings. This means that nothing but Jesus can be the source of blessing.
But what kind of blessing will Jesus lead us to? Isn't it heavenly blessing? However, if you claim to believe in Jesus and ask for the things of the world as blessings, that is the same as not believing in the coming of Jesus. In the end, it can be said that faith is not evidenced by his lips, but by the life he lives by faith.
Verse 8 says, “Be on your guard, not losing the work we have done, but getting the full reward.” What was the apostle's work? Isn't that telling the truth? Therefore, not to lose our work means to live and live in the truth and love preached by the apostle. If we live in the truth and love, we will not be disappointed and discouraged while looking at what the world has given us, but we will live as those whose hearts are filled with the infinite blessing of eternal life, which is enjoyed through the love and grace contained in the blood of Jesus. .
The church cannot put anything other than the truth ahead. Putting other things on the truth and pretending that it is the truth is just a group that deceives believers. We must keep in mind that the church is the one that helps believers to overflow with nothing but the gospel of Christ the truth, love, mercy, and grace.
The reality today is that there are indeed many deceived people. There are some who deceive people by saying that ‘Jesus did not come in the flesh’, but if you truly deceive the heart of a believer, you will see righteousness, not your own sin. By making us look at righteousness, pride and comparison come out. You should know that this is to trample the meaning of the blood that Jesus came in the flesh and died on the cross.
“Have a positive mindset,” “You can do it,” “If you work hard, you will be blessed,” and “The living church will revive.” These are all words that deceive believers. Verse 8 speaks of a ‘perfect reward’. Eternal life is the full reward of a believer as he abides in truth and love. Therefore, what the believer should hope for and hope for in truth and love is eternal life in heaven, not in the world. But teaching as if the things of the world are the perfect reward from God is only the temptation of deceitful people.
By knowing what kind of blessings come from the coming of Jesus, the believer will live as a person who is grateful for grace and love, and that grace and love will make the believer love his brother. The truth makes you hope for only heavenly things. That is the true truth. Therefore, I want you to think deeply that it is only the words of deceitful people that make people put hope in the visible world and pay attention to the visible church.