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When you are in this world and you are given the opportunity from time to time to witness to people, the first thing that you are going to become aware of is that there are differences between what you believe and what other people believe. You won’t be able to express these differences without bringing upon yourself the disdain of the person you are talking to. It will happen. You are going to have to say that you see something that they don’t see. When you bring this to their attention, you are going to have to go to Mat 13. This chapter in God’s word is just about as concise an example of what I am talking about as there is in scripture. You have the whole of the Christian world saying that this gospel of Jesus Christ is something so simple a child can understand it. Yet, at the same time, you have the disciples asking Christ why do you speak in parables and He tells them:

Mat 13:10-15 And the disciples came, and said unto him, Why speakest thou unto them in parables? He answered and said unto them, Because it is given unto you to know the mysteries of the kingdom of heaven, but to them it is not given. For whosoever hath, to him shall be given, and he shall have more abundance: but whosoever hath not, from him shall be taken away even that he hath. Therefore speak I to them in parables: because they seeing see not; and hearing they hear not, neither do they understand. And in them is fulfilled the prophecy of Esaias, which saith, By hearing ye shall hear, and shall not understand; and seeing ye shall see, and shall not perceive: For this people’s heart is waxed gross, and their ears are dull of hearing, and their eyes they have closed; lest at any time they should see with their eyes and hear with their ears, and should understand with their heart, and should be converted, and I should heal them.

That statement is the exact opposite of what the entire Christian world believes. They have believed a lie and that lie is that Christ is trying to save the whole world. You believe the exact opposite of what they believe. You have to admit that you don’t believe that. When you do, you are going to be persecuted as someone who thinks they know it all. We’ve all experienced that if you have ever witnessed to the truth that we are talking about.

There are literally thousands of Christian denominations all saying something different. That fact in and of itself is a testimony that something is wrong somewhere.

Rom 12:16 Be of the same mind one toward another. Mind not high things, but condescend to men of low estate. Be not wise in your own conceits.

You know something that others don’t know, but you also know that it was not you that figured it out. If you don’t know that, you don’t know anything.

Rom 15:6 That ye may with one mind and one mouth glorify God, even the Father of our Lord Jesus Christ.
2Co 13:11 Finally, brethren, farewell. Be perfect, be of good comfort, be of one mind, live in peace; and the God of love and peace shall be with you.
Php 1:27 Only let your conversation be as it becometh the gospel of Christ: that whether I come and see you, or else be absent, I may hear of your affairs, that ye stand fast in one spirit, with one mind striving together for the faith of the gospel;
Php 2:1-2 If there be therefore any consolation in Christ, if any comfort of love, if any fellowship of the Spirit, if any bowels and mercies, Fulfil ye my joy, that ye be likeminded, having the same love, being of one accord, of one mind.

Christ is not a schizophrenic person. What we have got to do is to weed all of this other stuff out and get to know Jesus Christ because he is not all these things put together. The mantra in the Christian world is ‘no church has it all, every church has a little.’ They freely admit that. Not that there is any truth in that statement. They admit they don’t understand it all, they don’t have it all. They are striving for unity in the essentials and tolerance in the non- essentials. If that is your conviction, then you are a good protestant or catholic. They are about ‘as one’ as a pile of gravel.

1Pe3:8 Finally, be ye all of one mind, having compassion one of another, love as brethren, be pitiful, be courteous:

Six or seven times there, we have this statement, ‘be of one mind.’ It is really an important thing. We are all individuals, not all on the same point of growth. How can we be of one mind if one person is a baby and another person is an adult? There’s only one mind in Christ. The child has to grow up to be an adult, the adult does not despise the child and the child should not despise the adult. The child grows to be an adult, the adult does not lower himself down to messing his diaper just to fit in.

What it means to be in Christ, say Jesus is Lord and that he came in the flesh:

2Jn 1:8-11 Look to yourselves, that we lose not those things which we have wrought, but that we receive a full reward. Whosoever transgresseth, and abideth not in the doctrine of Christ, hath not God. He that abideth in the doctrine of Christ, he hath both the Father and the Son. If there come any unto you, and bring not this doctrine, receive him not into your house, neither bid him God speed: For he that biddeth him God speed is partaker of his evil deeds.

Evil deeds are defined as not abiding in the doctrine of Christ.

Tit 3:10 A man that is an heretick after the first and second admonition reject;

What do we do with that? What is an heretic? An heretic is someone who does not abide in the doctrine of Jesus Christ. You did not condemn that person, I did not condemn that person, the word of God condemned that person. Jesus Christ says ‘I don’t judge any man. Every man has one that judges him. The words that I have spoken, they will judge you on that day.’

You want to know what judgment day is? Here it is. You are standing before the bar right now. You are being shown, like all judgments do, what you are made of and what you have done and what you need to do. Judgment sets things right.

Luk 18:8 I tell you that he will avenge them speedily. Nevertheless when the Son of man cometh, shall he find faith on the earth?

There is no faith on the earth, because the earth is the church.

Jer 22:29 O earth, earth, earth, hear the word of the LORD.

That’s just one of many in the Old Testament that show that the earth is God’s people. There are many who have come in Christ’s name on the earth; there are many who say Lord, Lord on the earth; there are many who have many wonderful works on the earth, but God has never known them. According to 2Jn 1:9, they don’t have God.

2Pe 2:1 But there were false prophets also among the people, even as there shall be false teachers among you, who privily shall bring in damnable heresies, even denying the Lord that bought them, and bring upon themselves swift destruction.

Who do you know that denies the Lord that bought them? They all say that, but when you find out what Lord it was they think that bought them, he would have you killing your enemies, he would have you believing you are going to burn in hell for all eternity, that’s the Christ they think that bought them. They are denying the doctrine of Jesus Christ and they have not God.

What does he mean by swift destruction? The minute you buy in to these false doctrines, you are a dead person. Let the dead bury their dead. In Gal 5 we have some of the works of the flesh:

Gal 5:19-21 Now the works of the flesh are manifest, which are these; Adultery, fornication, uncleanness, lasciviousness, Idolatry, witchcraft, hatred, variance, emulations, wrath, strife, seditions, heresies, Envyings, murders, drunkenness, revellings, and such like: of the which I tell you before, as I have also told you in time past, that they which do such things shall not inherit the kingdom of God.

You need to be able to detect heresies and to know the voice of your shepherd.

1Co 11:19 For there must be also heresies among you, that they which are approved may be made manifest among you.

I want to give to you an appreciation for Babylon. We need to appreciate these churches that we have come out of. If we had not been in them, we would not be able to come out. God’s people only come from Babylon.

What’s the purpose for heresies? So that they that are approved can be made manifest. Are we talking about people or what those people believe? We are talking about what those people believe. Flesh is nothing, what’s inside of us is the treasure. We have this treasure in earthen vessels. Who has this treasure? The people who have the doctrine of Jesus Christ, the doctrine of Jesus Christ is his word.

Isa 28:9 Whom shall he teach knowledge? and whom shall he make to understand doctrine? them that are weaned from the milk, and drawn from the breasts.

How do you know somebody is weaned from the milk and drawn from the breast? Let’s leave the person out of it for a minute. How do you know what strong meat is as opposed to milk? We are told.

Heb 5:12-14 For when for the time ye ought to be teachers, ye have need that one teach you again which be the first principles of the oracles of God; and are become such as have need of milk, and not of strong meat. For every one that useth milk is unskilful in the word of righteousness: for he is a babe. But strong meat belongeth to them that are of full age, even those who by reason of use have their senses exercised to discern both good and evil.

You will fall away, you will lose your first love, you will become a victim of the Nicolaitans. You will listen to that woman Jezebel who causes my servants to commit fornication. The fornication is the false doctrines that you are familiar with and had to come out from under. Realize that the truth of God’s word is that the prodigal son is God’s elect, the woman at the well is God’s elect, the woman who was caught in the act of adultery, she is God’s elect.

We are about to find out what milk is:

Heb 6:1-2 Therefore leaving the principles of the doctrine of Christ, let us go on unto perfection; not laying again the foundation of repentance from dead works, and of faith toward God, Of the doctrine of baptisms, and of laying on of hands, and of resurrection of the dead, and of eternal judgment.

The word perfection in verse 1 of Chapter 6 is the exact same Greek word that is translated ‘full of age’ in the previous verse. The word is completion. Being complete in Christ is when sin, this flesh that you are still in, does not have dominion over you (Rom 6:14).

There is something way beyond coming to see that God is the savior of all men. It is the milk of the word (eternal judgment; eonian life). The end of the ages have come upon us.

Mat 13:16 But blessed are your eyes, for they see: and your ears, for they hear. For verily I say unto you, That many prophets and righteous men have desired to see those things which ye see, and have not seen them; and to hear those things which ye hear, and have not heard them.

Heb 11 tells us, at the end of the chapter, that these people all died in the faith not having received the promise, because God has something better for us. Abraham did not have the Holy Spirit. If he did, Christ would not have had to die to give it to us and Christ said it is expedient that I go away because if I don’t go away, you will not have the Holy Spirit.

We have named the six things that are considered to be the milk of the word by the Holy Spirit. After he enumerates these doctrines of milk, he says this:

Heb 6:3 And this will we do, if God permit.

The writer of Hebrews knows that it is really all of God. Every writer in the Bible recognizes and admits to the sovereignty of God.

Heb 6:4-6 For it is impossible for those who were once enlightened, and have tasted of the heavenly gift, and were made partakers of the Holy Ghost, And have tasted the good word of God, and the powers of the world to come, If they shall fall away, to renew them again unto repentance; seeing they crucify to themselves the Son of God afresh, and put him to an open shame.

All of these things come under the six doctrines that he just enumerated. There is a difference between tasting of it and having Christ living in you. Verse 4 says ‘it is impossible for those who were once enlightened’ and have those 6 doctrines in their lives, if they don’t go beyond that, it is impossible to renew them to repentance.

What do you mean renew them to repentance? They have already repented. That’s true; you go through the Red Sea and you repent, but that’s not all there is to it. There is a second baptism, there is the River Jordan that you have got to cross over. You can’t avoid it.

What did we say the earth was? The earth is the church and the church is the people who are in it.

Heb 6:7-8 For the earth which drinketh in the rain that cometh oft upon it, and bringeth forth herbs meet for them by whom it is dressed, receiveth blessing from God: But that which beareth thorns and briers is rejected, and is nigh unto cursing; whose end is to be burned.

When I am talking about bringing for thorns and briars and continuing in sin, I am not talking about continuing on with your drug problem. I am talking about you being delivered from your drug problem. I am not talking about running around on your wife. You won’t do that any more. I am talking about not going beyond these six basic doctrines. Egypt is still in your heart, because you are believing all of the lies of the false prophets that are in this world.

You have got to believe the doctrine of Jesus Christ, and it is not a thousand different denominations doctrine. It is one mind and one thought. One that tolerates those that are in Babylon for what they are. Those that are on herbs, those that are on milk, you tolerate them and you love them, you don’t despise them. But you don’t bid them into your spiritual house. This is all spiritual. You don’t give their false doctrines Godspeed. You confront them and stand up to them.

Now we are getting into the application of knowing this:

Mat 10:36 And a man’s foes shall be they of his own household.

This, again, is a spiritual statement. Your enemy may indeed be your own wife or children. Your enemies may be your own physical household, but if they are not your physical household, they will definitely be your spiritual household. It is the church itself that persecutes and kills all of God’s prophets.

Luk 13:33 Nevertheless I must walk to day, and to morrow, and the day following: for it cannot be that a prophet perish out of Jerusalem.

There have been a lot of people who have died for the cause of Christ outside of physical Jerusalem. There has not yet been a person who died for the cause of Christ outside of spiritual Jerusalem. Christ holds his hands up and says:

Luk 13:34 O Jerusalem, Jerusalem, which killest the prophets, and stonest them that are sent unto thee; how often would I have gathered thy children together, as a hen doth gather her brood under her wings, and ye would not!

And that’s what they will do to you and to me, ‘you shall be hated of all men for my name’s sake.’ That’s not just because you believe in the name Jesus Christ, but it is because you are faithful to his doctrine.

Jas 4:4 Ye adulterers and adulteresses, know ye not that the friendship of the world is enmity with God? whosoever therefore will be a friend of the world is the enemy of God.

If you think you can dress like the world, walk like the world and talk like the world and claim to be Christ’s disciple, you kid no one but yourself. When you are in Christ, there is nothing you can do to hide it. What do you think that ‘a city built on a hill cannot be hid means?’ It means that you are sitting up here the light.’ That’s what it means. Christ says you are the light of the world. Are you willing to say I am the light of the world?

The only reason you are the light of the world is because you do remain faithful to the doctrine of Jesus Christ.

2Co 2:11 Lest Satan should get an advantage of us: for we are not ignorant of his devices.

We have got to know our enemy’s strategy, we have got to have intelligence. Without intelligence, the enemy’s plans and devices, you are going to lose this war. His most effective device is to convince you that you could not possibly be as good as the Bible says you should be.

Nicodemus wanted to know this prophet of God.

Joh 3:1-2 There was a man of the Pharisees, named Nicodemus, a ruler of the Jews: The same came to Jesus by night, and said unto him, Rabbi, miracles that thou doest, except God be with him.

I can’t go back over to Ezekiel 2 and 3 and spend time there, but I think most of you are familiar with that by now. Those are the two chapters that show you what Rev 10 and 11 are all about. They show you what is in that ‘little book’ that you are supposed to eat and live. What’s in that little book is lamentations, mourning and woe for Judah and Jerusalem, God’s people. That’s what you have to testify to. When you do, you are putting yourself on a lamp stand, on a hill and you are saying listen to what I am saying, thus saith the Lord. You are sent to the house of Israel.

Peter came to see that ‘go not in the way of the Gentiles’ is a true statement to this day. Don’t take God’s word and cast it before pigs and dogs. When it comes time for a pig or a dog to come to you and ask you a question, then you be ready to give it, because God is going to send them to you.

Joh 3:3 Jesus answered and said unto him, Verily, verily, I say unto thee, Except a man be born again, he cannot see the kingdom of God.

What kind of answer is that to a statement that we know you are a teacher sent from God? That is Christ telling Nicodemus, yes, I am sent from God. I am the representative of the kingdom of God. I am on the candle on the candlestick, I am the city on the hill. He is acknowledging what Nicodemus has already said that he knew.

Joh 3:4-5 Nicodemus saith unto him, How can a man be born when he is old? can he enter the second time into his mother’s womb, and be born? Jesus answered, Verily, verily, I say unto thee, Except a man be born of water and of the Spirit, he cannot enter into the kingdom of God.

What is the water? The water is what you are, the unstable water of the sea. The water is the tree of the knowledge of good and evil, you have got to eat that. Then you are born of the spirit. If you don’t know the first Adam, you will never know the second. You

Joh 3:6-7 That which is born of the flesh is flesh; and that which is born of the Spirit is spirit. Marvel not that I said unto thee, Ye must be born again.

Don’t be mystified by these things, spiritual eyes. Jesus is going to tell us: you see nothing physically, you see everything spiritually.

Joh 3:8 The wind bloweth where it listeth, and thou hearest the sound thereof, but canst not tell whence it cometh, and whither it goeth: so is every one that is born of the Spirit.

When you are resurrected, you are resurrected invisible, with the ability to appear, but in reality, you will be invisible. Spiritual bodies are invisible bodies, so is everyone that is born of the spirit.

Joh 3:9-11 Nicodemus answered and said unto him, How can these things be? Jesus answered and said unto him, Art thou a master of Israel, and knowest not these things? Verily, verily, I say unto thee, We speak that we do seen; and ye receive not our witness.

What of the people around him, all the teachers and rabbis around him? He spoke with authority and not as the scribes. Do you see these things? Do you know them? If you see them, you know them. They are invisible things. You are not going to get it reading these letters. You are going to get it when the Spirit your eyes to put these letters together with other letters.

Joh 3:12 If I have told you earthly things, and ye believe not, how shall ye believe, if I tell you of heavenly things?

Nicodemus did not probably understand a word that he had heard there, at that time. He certainly did prophet, he said that. That’s what is going to be true of you.

I am going to give you some verses to show that there is only one truth.

Joh 17:19-20 And for their sakes I sanctify myself, that they also might be sanctified through the truth. Neither pray I for these alone, but for them also which shall believe on me through their word;

There’s Christ. He knew that his word is (on those that he is talking to), but he also knew that it would be on those that are yet to come. Here’s why he is praying this:

Joh 17:21-22 That they all may be one; as thou, Father, art in me, and I in thee, that they also may be one in us: that the world may believe that thou hast sent me. And the glory which thou gavest me I have given that they may be one, even as we are one:

We are right back to this oneness. Jesus Christ and his Father don’t have a schizophrenic relationship. They really do think alike, they are on the same page. I am not saying there are not babes among us. We have babes, I, myself, am growing. But, we need to be striving for one thing and that is the doctrine of Jesus Christ. We will be growing in it all of our lives, but it will be the same goal and that is the mind of Jesus Christ. ‘Let this mind be in you which is also in Christ Jesus.’ The mind that is in you of Christ Jesus is a growing mind. It says of Jesus Christ himself, he learned by the things that he suffered. If you cannot conceive of Jesus Christ learning, you need to know that Jesus Christ did learn. Jesus Christ grew up as a child, just like you and I grow up. He was growing into the mind of his Father. There is one thing that separates Jesus Christ from all of his children and that is that he did not have a physical father from birth. That’s the only thing. Jesus Christ was born of the Spirit from birth. You and I are born of the Holy Spirit from birth, spiritually. We, just like him, grow in our Father’s mind as we mature to become complete in him.

Joh 18:38 Pilate saith unto him, What is truth? And when he had said this, he went out again unto the Jews, and saith unto them, I find in him no fault at all.

Pilate did not know what truth was, but he did know, as far as he could see, there was nothing wrong with this guy.

1Pe 2:2 As newborn babes, desire the sincere milk of the word, that ye may grow thereby:

So that you can stay there with those six doctrines? No, ‘That you may grow thereby.’

1Pe 2:3-6 If so be ye have tasted that the Lord is gracious. To whom coming, as unto a living stone, disallowed indeed of men, but chosen of God, and precious, Ye also, as lively stones, are built up a spiritual house, an holy priesthood, to offer up spiritual sacrifices, acceptable to God by Jesus Christ. Wherefore also it is contained in the scripture, Behold, I lay in Sion a chief corner stone, elect, precious: and he that believeth on him shall not be confounded.

Do you identify with any of this or are you thinking that’s Jesus Christ? Are you saying, ‘That’s got nothing to do with me, I’m sure not the chief cornerstone?’ Christ is the head, there is no denying that. You are in Christ and as he is so are you in this world. You are a cornerstone and a foundation of God’s word.

1Pe 2:7-8 Unto you therefore which believe he is precious: but unto them which be disobedient, the stone which the builders disallowed, the same is made the head of the corner, And a stone of stumbling, and a rock of offence, even to them which stumble at the word, being disobedient: whereunto also they were appointed.

The world is appointed to be the world and the elect are appointed to be the elect. It is not the world chooses any more than you choose. This is all of God. Yet, it is world. ‘Love not the world, neither the things of the world.’ We’ve always been taught that that was talking about cars and houses, physical things. It is not. It is talking about not being willing to be separated from your brothers in Christ. ‘He that loves the world, the love of the Father is not in him.’ It is only the love of the Father that gives you the ability to cling to the doctrine of Jesus Christ.

Joh 12:42 Nevertheless among the chief rulers also many believed on him; but because of the Pharisees they did not confess him, lest they should be put out of the synagogue:

If you are any good in Christ at all, that’s what they are going to do to you. That’s what you are looking forward to is being put out of the synagogue. But, here’s what it says:

Joh 12:43 For they loved the praise of men more than the praise of God.

What means the most to you? To be able to fellowship and say, ‘hey, we are all brothers in Christ, and anyone that admits that Christ is the savior of the world, he is God’s son, my brother in Christ, we are all one in Christ and everything that we are saying and doing is one with Christ.’ No. You have got to be willing to separate yourself from these your brothers, who are indeed your brothers in Christ. But, you are not one with them, no you are not. You have to come out from among them, spiritually.

In the fourth chapter of John, this is going to be the hardest scripture in these next few verses. The hardest verses in the whole of this talk today that I am going to have to read and after I read them, I am going to give you a little basis for taking them as they read.

1Jn 4:1-8 Beloved, believe not every spirit, but try the spirits whether they are of God: because many false prophets are gone out into confesseth that Jesus Christ is come in the flesh is of God: And every spirit that confesseth not that Jesus Christ is come in the flesh is not of God: and this is that heard that it should come; and even now already is it in the world. Ye are of God, little children, and have overcome them: because greater is he that is in you, than he that is in the world. They heareth them. We are of God: he that knoweth God heareth us; he that is not of God heareth not us. Hereby know we the spirit of truth, and the spirit of error. Beloved, let us love one another: for love is of God; and every one that loveth is born of God, and knoweth God. He that loveth not knoweth not God; for God is love.

If there is any pride of self at all in you, then you are not ‘us,’ because we know that we are nothing. understand the doctrine of Jesus Christ. Who will he cause to understand the doctrine? ‘Them that are drawn from the breast.’ It was Pharaoh (in the story of Joseph) who is a figure of the Father. It was his power vested in Joseph, that made Joseph’s brothers bow down. It will be God in you and in me that will one day bring that to pass, but not in the flesh. In this life, it will be nothing but persecution. Expect that and count the cost.

Rom 16:17 Now I beseech you, brethren, mark them which cause divisions and offences contrary to the doctrine which ye have learned; and avoid them.

Are we to put that into effect? Should we be saying so- and- so, that person, is not with us? I think we we read. If he is an heretic, he is going to bring in seditions and heresies. Seditions means that he is going to try to split us and make us not of one mind. Do you love that person that you are talking about? I didn’t talk to you first. I talked to him first. I went to him, once and then twice, just exactly like Mat 18 says to do it and I talked to him, didn’t hear me. What am I supposed to do next? Go to the church.

These things have got to be done. You can’t just be a hearer of the word and not a doer. ‘Be ye doers ofthe word.’

1Jn 2:3-4 And hereby we do know that we know him, if we keep his commandments. He that saith, I know him, and keepeth not his commandments, is a liar, and the truth is not in him.

What the Holy Spirit, through John, through me, just told you is that the whole Christian world is a lying Christian world. Because they cannot bring themselves to accept the doctrine of Jesus Christ that you should love your enemies, turn the other cheek, not resist evil.

1Jn 2:5 But whoso keepeth his word, in him verily is the love of God perfected: hereby know we that we are in him.

It doesn’t say that he who ‘says’ he keeps his word, he that keeps it, he that does love his enemies.

1Jn 2:6-7 He that saith he abideth in him ought himself also so to walk, even as he walked. Brethren, I write no new commandment unto you, but an old commandment which ye had from the beginning. The old commandment is the word which ye have heard from the beginning.

He’s not talking about the law of Moses here, he’s talking about Jesus Christ. Jesus Christ is the beginning, not Moses. Moses was a shadow of the beginning. The law had a shadow of good things to come. Those good things began at Jesus Christ. Jesus Christ died for the sins that are past and those who are not in Jesus Christ are not at the beginning.

1Jn 2:8 Again, a new commandment I write unto you, which thing is true in him and in you: because the darkness is past, and the true light now shineth.

It is new compared to what Moses was. This is not a contradiction. There are so many statements like this in scripture. The bread that Christ gave was not the bread that Moses gave, it was a new bread and, yet, Jesus Christ is the same yesterday, today and forever, and there is no contradiction.

You know truth now because you know Jesus Christ. From now, on out, everything you see and hear in God’s word will be cast in a light that you have never seen before. You will understand things that you never understood before.

1Jn 2:9 He that saith he is in the light, and hateth his brother, is in darkness even until now.

Who is that? It is the whole Christian world.

1Jn 2:10 He that loveth his brother abideth in the light, and there is none occasion of stumbling in him.

How can you stumble when you love everybody? How can you be wrong when you are right? But you have to know what right is and you have to be willing to say, ‘I know.’ ‘We speak that which we know.’ Those are Jesus’ words can you repeat them?

1Jn 2:11 But he that hateth his brother is in darkness, and walketh in darkness, and knoweth not whither he goeth, because that darkness hath blinded his eyes.

This is spiritual stuff. The false doctrines of the church keep you from seeing the truth and, as them out, each little chink of darkness is replaced by a bright beam of light. The more you weed out, the more light you are going to see. The way this is depicted in scripture is as we see him in a mirror, we are changed into that same image. The clearer you see Christ, the more you are going to become like him; because, God does not reveal doctrine to those who are babes. He reveals it to those who are drawn from the breast, to those who want to go on to completion. He gives you more and more.

2Co 3:18 But we all, with open face beholding as in a glass the glory of the Lord, are changed into the same image from glory to glory, even as by the Spirit of the Lord.

1Jn 2:12-13 I write unto you, little children, because your sins are forgiven you for his name’s sake. I write unto you, fathers, because ye have known him that is from the beginning. I write unto you, young men, because ye have overcome the wicked one. I write unto you, little children, because ye have known the Father.

Overcomers are what are in the first resurrection. They overcome the wicked one. There is no wicked one in the millennium and there are no overcomers in the millennium.

1Jn 2:14 I have written unto you, fathers, because ye have known him that is from the beginning. I have written unto you, young men, because ye are strong, and the word of God abideth in you, and ye have overcome the wicked one.

It all sounds a little redundant, but it is very important to read it because there is always another little bit. You have got to abide in the word of Christ. 1Jn 2:14 is a whole lot like 1Jn 2:13 except he stuck that word ‘abide’ in there. It made all the difference in the world.

1Jn 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.

If the doctrines of the world appeal to you, you have some growing to do.

1Jn 2:16 For all that is in the world, the lust of the flesh, and the lust of the eyes, and the pride of life, is not of the Father, but is of the world.

That’s all the sins that are in the world and they are all within you, in your heart.

1Jn 2:17-18 And the world passeth away, and the lust thereof: but he that doeth the will of God abideth for ever. Little children, it is the last time: and as ye have heard that antichrist shall come, even now are there many antichrists; whereby we know that it is the last time.

He’s (antichrist is) here. This was true then, it is true now. Christ is the truth. From the beginning we were told to love our enemies, to turn the other cheek and resist not evil. These things are not possible for the world and the lusts of the world.

1Jn 2:19-20 They went out from us, but they were not of us; for if they had been of us, they would no doubt have continued with us: but they went out, that they might be made manifest that they were not all of us. But ye have an unction from the Holy One, and ye know all things.

Who is ‘us’? Are you ‘us’ or are you ‘them’? What John is trying to tell us is that you don’t have to settle for ninety percent. Ninety percent does not cut it.

1Jn 2:21-25 I have not written unto you because ye know not the truth, but because ye know it, and that no lie is of the truth. Who is a liar but he that denieth that Jesus is the Christ? He is antichrist, that denieth the Father and the Son. Whosoever denieth the Son, the same hath not the Father: he that acknowledgeth the Son hath the Father also. Let that therefore abide in you, which ye have heard from the beginning. If that which ye have heard from the beginning shall remain in you, ye also shall continue in the Son, and in the Father. And this is the promise that he hath promised us, even eternal life.

Here’s the reason for writing all of this:

1Jn 2:26 These things have I written unto you concerning them that seduce you.

In other words the whole orthodox Christian world.

1Jn 2:27 But the anointing which ye have received of him abideth in you, and ye need not that any man teach you: but as the same anointing teacheth you of all things, and is truth, and is no lie, and even as it hath taught you, ye shall abide in him.

The word ‘man’ in scripture, and ‘men’ is contrasted with those who are in God. Paul says to the Corinthians, ‘you act like men’ when he is correcting them. You have need that Jesus Christ teach you.

1Jn 2:28 And now, little children, abide in him; that, when he shall appear, we may have confidence, and not be ashamed before him at his coming.

The more you try to blend into the world, the more you are going to be ashamed of Jesus Christ when he comes.

1Jn 2:29 If ye know that he is righteous, ye know that every one that doeth righteousness is born of him.

You can tell, because you have Jesus Christ in you, whether someone is born of God or not. All you have to do is listen for a while and you will know whether you are hearing the voice of Christ, the voice of an immature child, or the voice of a person who is going on to completion. You will detect it and you will know.

Paul says in Rom 14:

Rom 14:1-2 Him that is weak in the faith receive ye, but not to doubtful disputations. For one believeth that he may eat all things: another, who is weak, eateth herbs.

‘Herbs’ is just another way of saying ‘milk’. He says these people are weak in the faith who are that way. Don’t despise them. Receive them as a brother, but, if you have shown them God’s truth and they confront you with heresy, you need to avoid any attempt to bring you ‘out of’ the doctrine that Christ had from the beginning. (Nowhere in scripture did anyone ever speak in an unintelligible language, they all spoke in the language from which they had come and they understood the mighty works of God in their own language.) Don’t bid them God speed in your spiritual house, don’t give them an inch in your spiritual house. Keep that thing spotless and don’t touch the unclean thing.