It is the last hour

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 It is the Last Hour  .  I John 2:18-21

   2 Peter 3 we spoke of last week , and today John echoes the same theme.  " The day of the Lord will come as a thief in the night; in which the heavens shall pass away with a great noise...."  I John 2:18 " It is the last hour"

We have heard of the last days...Hebrews 1:1-  " He has spoken to us by His Son in these last days..."  " He was manifested in these last times for you."  1 Peter 1:20   The last days are from the birth of Jesus to His Second Coming in glory.

These last days have their stages.  Moral decadence- 2 Peter 3:3 " there shall come scoffers, walking after their own lusts, saying ,' Where is the promise of His coming?'   Final last day- 2 Peter 3:10 we started off with it.

But John says it is the last hour.  " No more remained but for Christ to appear for the redemption of the world." Calvin

We too should not be surprised but be prepared for the return of Christ.  Mt 24:44...." be ready too for the Son of Man is coming at an hour when you do not think He will."  Don't be like the women in the parable. Mt 25: 11-13 " And the door was shut.."

You ask, why is it the last hour?

1.  Even now many antichrists have arisen.  2:18 I John

antichrist= against Christ 

4:1  false prophets.  " Beloved believe not every spirit, but try the spirits whether they are of God: because many false prophets are gone out into the world."

They are human teachers who are teaching error.  They are not bringing glory to Jesus.

Mark 13:22 " for false Christs and false prophets will arise"

It is the last hour! 

2.  They went out from us.   Evidently they had failed to win the people over to their false ideas, and they left.

" but ,( John says), they were not of us for if they had been of us they would have remained with us"

   ---2 ideas illustrated here.  a. Perseverance of the saints  Hebrews 3:14 " For we become partakers of Christ, if we hold fast the beginning of our assurance firm until the end"

Churchill said , "Never give in! Never give in!  Never , never, never---in nothing great or small, large or petty---never give in except to convictions of honor and good sense"

These people had a slight and passing knowlege of Christ/ not thorough.

                                     b. Why did they go out?  hina - not of us

Not all in the visible church are united to Jesus by faith.  Only those who have been effectually called by God- Invisible Church

This section is beginning the belief test, to tell apart the true and false.

John shows that is what they have heard and believed that makes the difference.

3.  Lastly John shows that believers have an anointing from the Holy One vs. 20 of ch. 2

Every believer has received this.

"chrisma" from the Holy Spirit at conversion  2 Cor 1:21-22 " Now He who establishes us with you in Christ and anointed us is God, who also sealed us and gave us the Spirit in our hearts as a pledge"

The question is if we know Jesus you have crisma but are you and I going to use it?

---the Holy Spirit illumines our way 2:27 Walk in the Spirit. His anointing teaches you about all things. It is true and not a lie.

Conclusion------

Do we believe?  Which group do we fall into?  The antichrist or the for Christ?  It is the last hour.  It matters whether we have taken these truths not only to our heads and filled ourselves with knowledge.  ( Remember the false prophets had gnosis)  

Have we had our hearts gripped with these facts?  Have they gripped us? Or are we like a late Cinderella who when the clock strikes at the last hour of twelve we are still in the ball room and change back into the old clothes?  

One day it may be sooner than you and I think, we will be exposed before the light, Holiness and majesty and awesome power of Almighty God.  We cannot stand before Him in our filthy rags of our own " good deeds."

Are you of the Church?  Not necessarily a Presbyterian?   Do we know Jesus as our Lord and Saviour? 

vs 21 " I have not written to you because you do not know the truth, but because you do know it, and because no lie is of the truth."

May God fill our hearts with His truth always!  amen.


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