1John 2:18-24
Saved or Lost
John, in the first two chapters, is preaching many ideas. One is that Christians
don’t quit on God.
In these verses, John is giving a progressive statement of facts.
1. \\#18\\ It is the last times.
2. \\#18\\ There are many antichrists in the world.
3. \\#19\\ Because of that, many have quit on God.
4. \\#19\\ Those who quit, were not of us. That is, they were not Christians.
5. \\#24\\ His conclusion - Christians, don’t quit!
John was seeing a problem. People were claiming Christ but not abiding in Him.
John says that is evidence that they were never Christ’s to begin with.
I believe in eternal security, once saved always saved, or whatever cliché you
have that gets that truth across, but I also believe there are many people
talking about heaven that aren’t going there.
Walking the aisle of a church does not gain your salvation.
Praying the sinners’ prayer….
Crying a few tears….
Being baptized….
Even understanding what Jesus had done for you, none of these things alone is
salvation.
What is salvation? Two things.
1. It is believing who the Bible says Jesus is and what the Bible says Jesus
did.
a. That is believing that Jesus is the eternal God.
b. Believing that He came to earth.
c. Believing that He lived a sinless life.
d. Believing that He died on the cross for others.
e. Believing that He rose on the third day.
2. But it also surrendering yourself to Jesus.
Lu 6:46 And why call ye me, Lord, Lord, and do not the things which I say?
Lu 13:5 I tell you, Nay: but, except ye repent, ye shall all likewise perish.
Now, I can not tell if you are saved or lost. No one can, but if you did not do
these two things, you are not saved and your life is telling you whether you
really did these things or not.
What is needed are some simple tests to help us determine if we are in Christ or
not. A test that will expose our hearts and reveal our spiritual condition.
John, and the remainder of Bible, are going to give such a test to us.
Now, understand, this test is not to insult you. It is not me judging you. It is
us studying through the Bible together in an attempt to help non-believers in
determining their own hearts.
Jer 17:9 The heart is deceitful above all things, and desperately wicked: who can
know it?
I am not trying to scare anyone, but what we don’t want to happen to you is what
Jesus said is going to happen to a lot of people.
Matt 7:21 Not every one that saith unto me, Lord, Lord, shall enter into the
kingdom of heaven; but he that doeth the will of my Father which is in heaven.
22 Many will say to me in that day, Lord, Lord, have we not prophesied in thy
name? and in thy name have cast out devils? and in thy name done many wonderful
works?
23 And then will I profess unto them, I never knew you: depart from me, ye that
work iniquity.
Mt 7:13 Enter ye in at the strait gate: for wide is the gate, and broad is the
way, that leadeth to destruction, and many there be which go in thereat:
So, what kind of tests can we find to apply?
I. The most obvious test from John’s writing is the Abiding Test.
A. That is what John is saying in our text verse.
1. If you abide in the things of God, you are God’s.
2. If you do not abide in the things of God, you are not His.
B. The Abiding Test was spoken of by Christ Himself.
John 15:5 I am the vine, ye are the branches: He that abideth in me, and I in
him, the same bringeth forth much fruit: for without me ye can do nothing.
6 If a man abide not in me, he is cast forth as a branch, and is withered; and
men gather them, and cast them into the fire, and they are burned.
1. Jesus is speaking of some staying with Him and some not.
2. Those who do not are cast into the fire.
3. Fire in the Bible often represents some kind of judgment.
C. So a sign that I am saved is that I ABIDE in Christ. What does that
mean?
1. The word "abide" means "to continue, to stay, to dwell, to endure,
to be present."
2. I take it that there are two ways to abide.
a. Do you stay with Christ until the end?
(1) That is actually the most obvious meaning of the word to
abide, is it not?
(2) This is what lead John to this topic to begin with.
People inside the church were quitting.
(3) Today, there is a mass abandoning of the house of God.
Most know our church is looking for a new piano. Last week, we heard of a piano
just like what we needed being auctioned. **** Baptist Church, formally
Gateway Baptist Church, in Fultondale was being auctioned, land, building, and
all of its possessions. So we went to see if we might could purchase the
piano. The building was massive. 60,000 square ft under roof, as high as five
floors in some spaces, sitting on 18 acres of land just on the outskirts of
Fultondale. As Kathy and I walked through the building, looking at what they
had and knowing a little about the church’s past ministries, we both grieved
that a Baptist church could come to such an end. When we got home, Kathy
searched on the internet to find what had happened. **** had joined with
another Baptist church in Fultondale because both of churches had shrunk to a size
that they were not able to sustain themselves. The pastor was quoted as saying,
"People just don’t go to church like they once did."
(4) Now, I am not going to say that everybody who quits going
to church is lost because that just isn’t so.
(5) However, the Bible says that if they quit abiding, they
are not Christ’s.
(6) The problem with that thought is that you are here. If
you are here, chances are you have not quit attending.
(7) So how else might we interpret the abiding test?
b. Do you stay in the things of Christ until the end?
(1) Going to church is one thing. Staying in the things that
are Christian is another.
(2) It is sad, but many that are in churches today are not
participating in "Christian" things.
(a) Many churches, and individual Christians, have
abandoned the Bible.
i. I am not speaking of reading an inferior Bible
translation now. I mean they just don’t use
the Bible at all.
ii. Sunday sermons in those churches are merely
philosophical speeches designed to bring out
the best in man.
(b) Many have given up praying.
(c) Many no longer have any expectation in God.
(d) Many no longer believe in God as the Creator.
At work, a lobby television is kept on MSNBC. One morning, the hosts of Morning
Joe were discussing the Republican debates. Apparently, something was said about
global warming in the debates and that lead the hosts and their guests to discuss
those irrational flakes (my description not theirs) who don’t accept what science
has so clearly proven. One made a comment to the other in jest, "You do believe in
evolution, don’t you?" The way the question was asked, it was like they were
saying, "You are not one of those stupid people who does not believe in evolution,
are you?" Well, I am one.
(3) Now, you can call yourself a Christian, you can sit in a
church with either a steeple or a cross, you can have a
form of religion, but if you are not abiding in the things
of Christ, John says that you are not Christ’s.
(4) That is the Abiding Test.
II. A second spiritual test of salvation is the Sinning Test.
1John 3:6 Whosoever abideth in him sinneth not: whosoever sinneth hath not seen
him, neither known him.
A. Please understand that John is not saying that Christians do not sin.
1. We do.
2. In fact, John had already addressed that issue.
1John 1:8 If we say that we have no sin, we deceive ourselves, and the truth is
not in us.
B. What John is saying is that Christians do not get into sin and just stay
there.
1. It is one thing to stumble and fall into the mud. It is an
entirely different thing to sit down in the mud and live there.
2. Christians, true Christians, have been reprogrammed so that they can
not continually live in sin.
C. I worry about some folk.
1. They say they are Christ’s but they are living in deliberate sin.
2. They lay claim to a salvation experience when they were small or
years ago, but there is no conviction about what they are doing
now.
3. Friend, if you have been out of church longer than you were in it,
if you have been living years in activities that you know are
sinful, something is wrong.
4. You are failing the Sinning Test!
5. Why is it not possible for a Christian to live permanently in sin?
6. That thought actually takes us over into a third spiritual test of
salvation.
D. We might call that the Conviction Test.
1Jo 3:9 Whosoever is born of God doth not commit sin; for his seed remaineth in
him: and he cannot sin, because he is born of God.
1. The Bible says that God has put His seed into us and so we cannot
continually sin.
(a) What is God’s seed that has been planted within us?
(b) I believe it is the Holy Ghost.
(c) Jesus described the ministry of the Holy Ghost in the
believer.
John 16:7 Nevertheless I tell you the truth; It is expedient for you that I go
away: for if I go not away, the Comforter will not come unto you; but if I depart,
I will send him unto you.
13 Howbeit when he, the Spirit of truth, is come, he will guide you into all
truth: for he shall not speak of himself; but whatsoever he shall hear, that shall
he speak: and he will shew you things to come.
14 He shall glorify me: for he shall receive of mine, and shall shew it unto you.
15 All things that the Father hath are mine: therefore said I, that he shall take
of mine, and shall shew it unto you.
2. So it appears that God has implanted Himself within us.
(a) So whether we like it or not, we are different.
(b) God has put a power in us that is repelled by sin.
(c) So when we get too close to sin, the Holy Spirit "reproves" or
convicts us so much, that we must get away from it.
Joseph has a big, black dog named Toby. Toby, like all dogs, wants to wonder the
community and just come home to eat. In order to stop that, Joseph has tried
several training or shock collars. The idea is that you put a small battery-powered
collar around the dog’s neck and when he gets too close to the boundary, the collar
starts beeping. If the dog continues, the collar sends a small voltage of
electricity to the dog in an attempt to turn him around.
(d) The Holy Ghost is our collar.
i. When we get too close to sin, He starts beeping.
ii. That conviction keeps us away from sin or at the least it
makes it too uncomfortable for us to dwell in sin for long.
3. If the Holy Ghost does not beep when we get too close to sin, it is
a strong indication it is because He is not in us.
4. If the Holy Spirit is not in us, we are not saved.
E. So we have two tests in this one thought.
1. The Sin Test says that if we can sin and stay there, we are not
Christ’s.
2. The Conviction Test says if the Holy Ghost does not convict us about
our sin, we are not Christ’s.
III. A third spiritual test of salvation is the Understanding Test.
1John 1:8 If we say that we have no sin, we deceive ourselves, and the truth is
not in us.
9 If we confess our sins, he is faithful and just to forgive us our sins, and to
cleanse us from all unrighteousness.
10 If we say that we have not sinned, we make him a liar, and his word is not in
us.
A. John is addressing the notion that some who profess Christ have.
1. That is, that once they are saved, they never sin again.
a. As I have already noted, that is not true.
b. Christians do sin.
2. Notice, John specifically states that error twice \\#8,10\\.
3. Both times, he says that if that is what is believed, they are
missing something.
a. \\#8\\ The truth in not in them.
b. \\#10\\ The Word, which is where one gets the truth, is not in
them.
4. If the truth is not in you, three things are missing.
a. Understanding is missing.
(1) You cannot understand the things of God without the Word
of Truth being in you.
2Ti 2:15 Study to shew thyself approved unto God, a workman that needeth not to
be ashamed, rightly dividing the word of truth.
(2) And if understanding and truth are missing from you….
b. If understanding is missing, the Holy Ghost is missing.
1Co 2:11 For what man knoweth the things of a man, save the spirit of man which
is in him? even so the things of God knoweth no man, but the Spirit of God.
c. If the Holy Ghost is missing, salvation is missing.
Ro 8:9 …Now if any man have not the Spirit of Christ, he is none of his.
B. The bottom line here is that Christians, true Christians, have some
measure of understanding because the Holy Ghost is inside of them.
1. That does not mean that Christians can’t get somethings wrong.
2. The fact that there are so many different Christian religions
clearly demonstrates that not all Christians believe everything
just alike.
C. However, somethings just can’t be missed if the Holy Ghost is inside of
us.
1. One must understand who Jesus is.
2. One must understand what Jesus has done.
3. One must have some understanding of sin and its ravishes.
4. One must have some understanding of repentance.
IV. A fourth spiritual test of salvation is the Loving Test.
1John 2:15 Love not the world, neither the things that are in the world. If any
man love the world, the love of the Father is not in him.
A. John says if anyone loves this world, the love of the Father is not
in him.
1. That’s blunt and plain.
2. Do Christians sometimes stray and sin in the world? Sure.
3. Do they get comfortable and abide in it? No.
4. As we have already seen, they cannot for God’s seed is in them.
B. Some who profess to be saved are just too much in love with this world.
1. I know that what constitutes "loving the world" is a subjective
call.
2. I am not another’s judge or jury, but God is.
a. Some are so far out into the world that they can’t even see the
shoreline.
b. And some have always been like that.
c. There was never a point in their life where their love for the
world ever waned at all.
3.Christians won’t have that kind of love for the world. Their great
love is for the things of God.
I close with one more Bible verse.
2 Corinthians 13:5 Examine yourselves, whether ye be in the faith; prove your
own selves. Know ye not your own selves, how that Jesus Christ is in you, except
ye be reprobates?
This thing of being saved or lost is important. It is the whole question of
life. Make sure today that you are not just coasting. Examine yourself. Apply
this Biblical tests. Your soul may depend upon it.
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