Stay with your first teaching — the true light is already shining.
Pastor Roy Jones taught Wednesday night Bible study from the second chapter of 1 John — his topic, in his own words: let no one fool you; Jesus must be first.
Opening in prayer for understanding and revelation, he set the letter in its frame: the apostle John — the last living apostle who walked with Jesus, now an old man of eighty or ninety — writing not to one particular church but to the general body of believers, at a moment when deceivers were telling them that because the Spirit of God in them cannot sin, they could live any way they wanted. John writes, affectionately calling them "little children," to keep them from being fooled: the letter exists so that you will not sin — and if you do, you have an Advocate. (Note: Pastor Jones read from the New American Standard Bible tonight; all Scriptures below are quoted in the New King James Version, per house standard.)
1My little children, these things I write to you, so that you may not sin. And if anyone sins, we have an Advocate with the Father, Jesus Christ the righteous.
2And He Himself is the propitiation for our sins, and not for ours only but also for the whole world.
3Now by this we know that we know Him, if we keep His commandments.
4He who says, “I know Him,” and does not keep His commandments, is a liar, and the truth is not in him.
5But whoever keeps His word, truly the love of God is perfected in him. By this we know that we are in Him.
6He who says he abides in Him ought himself also to walk just as He walked.
1 John 2:1–6 (NKJV)
7Brethren, I write no new commandment to you, but an old commandment which you have had from the beginning. The old commandment is the word which you heard from the beginning.
8Again, a new commandment I write to you, which thing is true in Him and in you, because the darkness is passing away, and the true light is already shining.
9He who says he is in the light, and hates his brother, is in darkness until now.
10He who loves his brother abides in the light, and there is no cause for stumbling in him.
11But he who hates his brother is in darkness and walks in darkness, and does not know where he is going, because the darkness has blinded his eyes.
1 John 2:7–11 (NKJV)
12I write to you, little children, because your sins are forgiven you for His name’s sake.
13I write to you, fathers, because you have known Him who is from the beginning. I write to you, young men, because you have overcome the wicked one. I write to you, little children, because you have known the Father.
14I have written to you, fathers, because you have known Him who is from the beginning. I have written to you, young men, because you are strong, and the word of God abides in you, and you have overcome the wicked one.
1 John 2:12–14 (NKJV)
15Do not love the world or the things in the world. If anyone loves the world, the love of the Father is not in him.
16For all that is in the world — the lust of the flesh, the lust of the eyes, and the pride of life — is not of the Father but is of the world.
17And the world is passing away, and the lust of it; but he who does the will of God abides forever.
1 John 2:15–17 (NKJV)
18Little children, it is the last hour; and as you have heard that the Antichrist is coming, even now many antichrists have come, by which we know that it is the last hour.
19They went out from us, but they were not of us; for if they had been of us, they would have continued with us; but they went out that they might be made manifest, that none of them were of us.
20But you have an anointing from the Holy One, and you know all things.
21I have not written to you because you do not know the truth, but because you know it, and that no lie is of the truth.
22Who is a liar but he who denies that Jesus is the Christ? He is antichrist who denies the Father and the Son.
23Whoever denies the Son does not have the Father either; he who acknowledges the Son has the Father also.
1 John 2:18–23 (NKJV)
24Therefore let that abide in you which you heard from the beginning. If what you heard from the beginning abides in you, you also will abide in the Son and in the Father.
25And this is the promise that He has promised us — eternal life.
26These things I have written to you concerning those who try to deceive you.
27But the anointing which you have received from Him abides in you, and you do not need that anyone teach you; but as the same anointing teaches you concerning all things, and is true, and is not a lie, and just as it has taught you, you will abide in Him.
28And now, little children, abide in Him, that when He appears, we may have confidence and not be ashamed before Him at His coming.
29If you know that He is righteous, you know that everyone who practices righteousness is born of Him.
1 John 2:24–29 (NKJV)
In the beginning was the Word, and the Word was with God, and the Word was God.
John 1:1 (NKJV) — cited in the message
And the Word became flesh and dwelt among us, and we beheld His glory, the glory as of the only begotten of the Father, full of grace and truth.
John 1:14 (NKJV) — cited in the message
For the law was given through Moses, but grace and truth came through Jesus Christ.
John 1:17 (NKJV) — cited in the message
So when the woman saw that the tree was good for food, that it was pleasant to the eyes, and a tree desirable to make one wise, she took of its fruit and ate. She also gave to her husband with her, and he ate.
Genesis 3:6 (NKJV)
7Only be strong and very courageous, that you may observe to do according to all the law which Moses My servant commanded you; do not turn from it to the right hand or to the left, that you may prosper wherever you go. 8This Book of the Law shall not depart from your mouth, but you shall meditate in it day and night, that you may observe to do according to all that is written in it.
Joshua 1:7–8 (NKJV)
Deceivers were telling born-again believers that because the Spirit of God in them cannot sin, their flesh could do anything it wanted — so the old apostle John writes to keep them from being fooled. The letter exists so that you will not sin; and if you do, you have an Advocate with the Father, Jesus Christ the righteous, who is Himself the propitiation for our sins — plead guilty, let Him approach the bench, and hear the verdict: time served. The proof that you know Him is not a feeling but obedience — the one who says "I know Him" and does not keep His commandments is a liar — and whoever keeps His word has the love of God perfected in him and walks just as Jesus walked. The commandment is not new, so don't change the Word with the culture; don't love the world or its three lusts, because all of it is passing away; and when the little antichrists come denying the Son, the anointing abiding in you will teach you and expose the lie. Stay with your first teaching, abide in Him, and you will have confidence — not shame — when He appears.
He opens in prayer for revelation, states the topic — let no one fool you; Jesus must be first — and frames the crisis: false teachers telling believers the Spirit can't sin, so the flesh is free to do whatever it wants.
Verse by verse through the chapter: the Advocate and the propitiation (with the courtroom — plead guilty, "He belongs to me," time served); commandment-keeping as the only proof of knowing Him; love perfected walking like Jesus walked while hatred walks in darkness — test every teacher against the Word; the three generations John commends; the warning not to love the world, traced through Eve's three lusts; and the antichrist test — deny the Son and you deny the Father — anchored in John 1:1 and 1:14.
He lands on the anointing: it abides in you, teaches you all things, and flags every lie — so nobody can move you off your first teaching. Abide in Him, and when He appears you will have confidence, not shame. Practice righteousness, because the righteous are born of Him.
God wrote this so you will not sin — the letter's purpose is prevention, not permission.
"My little children, these things I write to you, so that you may not sin." The deceivers said the Spirit can't sin, so do anything; John says don't make a practice of it — learn what you're doing, and if it's wrong, stop (1 John 2:1).
If you do sin, you have an Advocate — Jesus Christ the righteous pleads your case.
Picture the courtroom: you plead guilty — your Lawyer can't answer that for you — then He approaches the bench on your behalf: "He belongs to Me." The Judge releases you, because your sin has already been paid for. Time served (1 John 2:1).
He is the propitiation — for ours, and for the whole world — and it must be Jesus by name.
"Not for ours only but also for the whole world": whoever — not race, creed, or color. And John names Him precisely: Jesus Christ the righteous — not just "Christ," but Jesus come in the flesh (1 John 2:2).
The proof you know Him is obedience — claim Him without commandments and you're a liar.
"By this we know that we know Him, if we keep His commandments." When you're living the way you're supposed to live, no one has to tell you where you stand — you know it deep in your heart, soul, and spirit (1 John 2:3–4).
Love perfected walks like Jesus walked — no hatred, no hypocrisy.
Whoever keeps His word has the love of God perfected in him — and he who says he abides in Him ought to walk just as He walked. If you hate your brother, you're in darkness; if you can't let go of what was done to you, love isn't perfected in you yet, because love covers a multitude (1 John 2:5–11).
It's not a new commandment — don't change the Word with the culture.
God is the same yesterday, today, and forever; He never gave us anything new. If the Word keeps changing with the times, you won't know what to stand on — and that's exactly how people get deceived (1 John 2:7–8).
Don't love the world — its three lusts are passing away with it.
The lust of the flesh, the lust of the eyes, the pride of life: Eve saw the tree was good for food, pleasing to the eye, desirable to make one wise. Appreciate the car and the house — don't idolize them. Everything the enemy tempts you with is temporary; only the will of God is eternal (1 John 2:15–17).
The anointing in you teaches you — stay with your first teaching and abide with confidence.
Many antichrists have already come, and the test is simple: deny the Son and you deny the Father. But the anointing abides in you and teaches you all things — if you've truly been born again, nobody can teach you something different, because the Spirit flags the lie. Abide in Him, and when He appears you'll have confidence, not shame (1 John 2:18–29).
Let no one fool you. Jesus must be first.
Guess what? Time served.
Because if we change the word with the culture, if we change the word with the time, if we change, we don't know what to stand on.
You gotta know the word and know the word of truth.
nobody can come and teach you something different.
The courtroom. If you commit a crime and go to court, you need a lawyer — an advocate, somebody who represents you and speaks on your behalf. When you stand before God and He asks, "Are you guilty or not?" your Lawyer can't answer that for you — you have to plead guilty yourself. Then your Advocate approaches the bench: "He belongs to Me." And because your sin has already been paid for, the Judge releases you. Time served.
Eve in the garden. God told Adam and Eve they could eat from anywhere in the garden except one tree — and the serpent came through all three gates at once. The tree looked good to eat: the lust of the flesh. It was pleasing to her eye: the lust of the eyes. It was desirable to make one wise, to be like God: the pride of life. And Adam was standing right there with her — passive, saying nothing — and ate too. When you're wrong, every person answers for their own part.
Study — Read 1 John 2:1. In plain terms, why does John say he is writing this letter?
Observe — John commends little children, fathers, and young men (vv. 12–14). What does each group get praised for — and which group are you in right now?
Interpret — Why does John make keeping His commandments — not feelings, not experiences — the proof that we really know God?
Live — What is one "first teaching" you will stay with this week when a smoother-sounding voice shows up?
1. What would it cost someone in this room to fully obey this?
2. Where is the gap between what I believe and how I'm living?
3. John says the anointing in you teaches you and exposes deception — describe a time the Spirit checked you about a teaching before you could explain why. What did you do with it?
Name the one thing competing with Jesus for first place in your life, and put it second on purpose once a day this week — and test one teaching, post, or voice against the Word before you share it.
Father, we thank You for Jesus Christ the righteous — our Advocate, who already paid for our sins and stands for us before You.
Keep us from being fooled. When smoother voices come, let the anointing in us flag the lie and hold us to our first teaching. Teach us to walk as Jesus walked — in love and not hatred, in light and not darkness — and to put You first over the world and everything in it.
And when You appear, let us have confidence and not be ashamed. In Jesus' name, amen.