No Other Place On the Earth Like It
Where the Great Plains Prairie & Grassland Meets the Rugged Badlands Wall
M Paulson
Kadoka, South Dakota
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Word-for-word transcription of the audio sermon - transcribed by Bob Harris |
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Part I Introduction I John 1,2 |
So let’s just look at 1 John, and let’s just kind of read it. Nothing deep and concentrated tonight, but it’s just — come on, there’s some clues in here that would help us talk to you people. And have you ever sat down and opened up the Book of 1 John to somebody and said, “Now, let’s go through this, and let me show you where this isn’t right today”?
Oh, here we go. Number one, verse 1. Chapter 1, verse 1: “That which was from the beginning, which we have heard, which we have seen with our eyes, which we have looked upon, and our hands have handled, of the Word of life;” Parenthesis: “(For the life was manifested, and we have seen it, and bear witness, and shew unto you that eternal life, which was with the Father, and was manifested unto us;).” OK, this John and these guys, they’re supposed to be the testimony, the witness, see. “That which we have seen and heard declare we unto you, that ye also ...” Here is what they say is the key to 1 John. “That ye also may have fellowship with us: and truly our fellowship is with the Father, and with his Son Jesus Christ.” So the rest of the stuff, if you don’t stick with the stuff, then you have not only got fellowship with the people, you haven’t got fellowship with God. And there’s the crux of 1 John to the modern Christian.
So, if we do some of these things that we’re not supposed to be doing, according to this, then we lose our fellowship.
" Oh, I see — OK, well..."
“And these things write we unto you, that your joy may be full.” Oh, OK, so if we read the rest of these things down here, this will help us with our joy today?
NO! Because we can’t do what’s coming up here. We can do it a little better; we can stop sinning a little bit. And we can stop, as we see in chapter 2 there, hating our brother — sort of. Maybe not. And if you do hate somebody, your brother, Christian, whatever, you’re done for?
So, how can this stuff coming up here, that our joy may be full? Right, we get into 1 John and we realize that the joy is based on their walk. So, yeah, we know that. If we’re doing something right, and it’s a Christian thing to do, it fits all the categories, you know, nobody’s going to stumble over it. Are you kidding? People stumble over us when we even do the right thing. So, there’s some wisdom applied to this stuff. The flesh, the whole deal.
So, if we’re doing the right thing, we’re going to have a great joy? My joy is not based on my walk. I might be happy; I might be feeling good; I might be not so sleepy. Hah hah! But my joy is not based on my walk. My joy actually is based on his walk, because he imputes his walk to my walk actually.
And he took care of sin so that my walk is not doing anything illegal as such — because, without the law, there is no sin. There is no transgression.
So, anyway, from that standpoint, my walk is fine.
So, this is not how we get our joy today. So, if anybody out there still grabs 1 John and things when he sees the verse, “Oh, there’s that verse! ‘And these things write we unto you that your joy may be full.’ Well, here we go! Let’s read these things, and I’ll have better joy.” Well, no you won’t.
Five, here we go: “This then is the message which we have heard of him, and declare unto you.” OK, now what is that message? I’m going to tell you: “That God is light, and in him is no darkness at all.” Well, that’s true. That’s good. That’s true, you know. He is light. And if you’re in him, then there’s no darkness because he’s light. Well, that’s a good thing.
Now, watch where they take this thing, though: “If we say that we have fellowship with him, and walk —” there’s our walk “— in darkness, we lie, and do not the truth.” Once again, King James: “We lie, and do not the truth. But if we walk in the light, as he is in the light, we have fellowship one with another, and the blood of Jesus Christ his Son cleanseth us from all sin.” See, here’s where this high-fallutin’, snotty-fallutin’ cliquey “we’re good Christian people” cliques come together here, because, see, we are all walking in the light, and if you do something wrong, we can’t hang around you.
Well, Paul doesn’t teach that at all. Comes to a point, but not just... you know.
So, here’s the spiritualizing thing. So, are you walking in the light? Well, I am, because I’m saved, and Christ, the Spirit and that stuff is what we’re talking about here. As we go on to this thing, we see what it is to walk.
OK, anyway: “If we say that we have no sin, we deceive ourselves, and the truth is not in us.” OK, so is he talking about what we’re saying about sin? Paul says no, because look at the next verse here: “If we confess our sins —” which means we have no sin. It’s the fact that you’re not sinning. Because, verse 9, he uses the word “sin” in plural. So they’re talking about sin'S'.
Do we tell people we don’t sin in an average conversation? We don’t say that. But if we have the time, we’ll try to show them how Christ took care of the law so that it’s not a sin, but it’s a 'bad' thing to do, and it’ll burn in the Judgment Seat of Christ — but I won’t.
And then you lose them right there.
But you just refresh them and show them about it.
But it isn’t — we’re not saying we have no sin. My body is full of sin. My flesh is full of sin. And I follow my flesh — quite often, as a matter of fact.
So, to Paul, I wouldn’t say quite often, but he did say when he tried to do the right thing, you know, it wouldn’t happen.
OK, “If we say that we have no sin, we deceive ourselves, and the truth is not in us. If we confess our sins, he is faithful and just to forgive us our sins, and to cleanse us from all unrighteousness.” And you know that I say to people, well, if that’s the case, then you go to confession, and you can be saved again. And they all say, “No, no, no.” Well, what’s it mean then?
They’ll never have an answer for you. So, if you just confess your sins, does that make you a Christian? Well, no. But it says right here that you’re forgiven. Doesn’t being forgiven make you a Christian? Well ...
They don’t have an answer. Nobody’s answered it yet.
OK, in verse 10: “If we say that we have not sinned, we make him a liar, and his word is not in us.” Have you sinned? Well, there you go. There is no law, so, no, I haven’t. That’s not what they’re talking about here. They’re talking about “that we have not sinned. We have no sin. If we confess our sins —” plural, that means things we’re doing. Verses 6 and 7, the word “walk” is in there.
And it gets more detailed in chapter 2. You with me? You know all this stuff already. But isn’t it nice that you can pick a book out of the Bible like this, and don’t get snookered by it? We still need to read this Book. Well, why is that? Well, because this is telling people what’s coming up. And this also explains — where is that in Acts where the Spirit of God is put upon their flesh — that’s in Acts chapter 2. In order for them to do this — what we’re talking about here in 1 John — they’re going to have to have the Spirit of God upon their flesh. We don’t have the Spirit of God upon our flesh; we have the Spirit of God inside us. We’re cut away from the flesh, but that sin is still in there; oh, is it ever!
OK, let’s detail this thing out some more. This isn’t to us today. “My little children, these things write I unto you, that ye sin not.” See, now here we go. Here’s their way out: “And if any man sin, we have an advocate with the Father, Jesus Christ the righteous.” So, if you don’t sin, then you don’t need Jesus Christ — is that what we’re saying here?
“If any man sin, we have an advocate with the Father.” Well, of course. But we’re not talking about today. And if you’ve got an advocate with the Father, Jesus Christ, then you better confess those sins, because he’s there to be your advocate.
“And he is the propitiation for our sins.” He’s the substitute; he’s the one who took the penalty for our sins.
“And not for ours only, but also for the sins of the whole world.” Oh, that sounds so good! That just sounds so today.
No, it’s not. Look at the next verse: “And hereby we do know that we know him, if —” what? “— we keep his commandments.”
OK, so, you show somebody. You say, “Are you keeping God’s commandments?”
“Well, yeah, I think I’ve done the Ten.”
“Oh, there’s a lot more than just the Ten. There’s a whole book of them — the Law.” And, let’s take it one step further. “Do you obey the Ten Commandments?”
“Well ...”
“You know, there’s one you’re not supposed to worry about?”
“No, I didn’t know that.”
“Well, ‘Remember to keep the sabbath day.’ That’s not even what we’re supposed to be doing. You know that Paul talks about his commandments? Paul has his own commandments? Yeah, those are the things he tells us we ought to be doing.”
But if don’t keep Paul’s commandments, are we no longer saved? ... kind of a thing? Well, here it says right here, if we keep his commandments, then we know him. “He that saith, I know him, and keepeth not his commandments —” Oh! It says here: “— is a liar, and the truth is not in him. But whoso keepeth his word, in him verily is the love of God perfected: hereby know we that we are in him.” Now, how do you know you’re “in him”? Is because you are keeping his word. That is, that you believe you are a Christian based on your walk?
And there are thousands of people who think that.
And talk about honorable? They’re holy and devout. That’s where they are coming from. You know that you are in him because you keep his word and keep his commandments. You make yourself a Christian? Aren’t you somebody special, or what!
Well, I’m sorry. I’m just not that good of a Christian. That’s just the way it is. Sorry. Even as your pastor, that’s probably disappointing to think that I just don’t say that I keep his word and keep his commandments all the time. So I don’t have the love of God perfected in me, and I might not be in him then.
No, I have the love of God perfected in me. How do you know that? Based on what the Scriptures tell me, he has cleansed my soul. He separated my soul from my flesh. He’s imputed his righteousness; he’s made me his righteousness. That’s pretty good perfected love, don’t you think?
Certainly it isn’t based on my walk or keeping his word.
Verse 6: “He that saith he abideth in him ought himself also so to walk.” OK, if if you say that you’re a Christian, look at the next phrase: “Even as he walked.” We shall walk in his footsteps then; we shall walk like he did?
Then everybody says, “Well, I just have eternal forgiveness and eternal love for everybody.” Oh, that’s so wonderful.
“Because Jesus did” — he did? He got down on some people.
But don’t you be happening to think during that Tribulation, if you think you’re keeping his commandments, because if you are and you’re not, you’re in big trouble.
OK, I know, we’re been over this before. It’s just, I know, I look at 1 John, and I read it, and I think, “Oh, I should talk about that.” Well, (I) have about 50,000 times.
This is so obviously not today. Totally. Absolutely.
Not written to us.
The old commandment is the word which ye have heard from the beginning. 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.” You shine the true light when you’re walking the right walk.
OK, here we go: “He that saith he is in the light, and hateth his brother, is in darkness even until now.” There you go. Now, let’s see if I can find this thing here. Hang on a minute here. Chapter 3, verse 14, says: “We know that we have passed from death unto life, because we love the brethren.” That’s it. Your salvation is actually based on the fact of whether you love the brethren or not. Well, isn’t that an amazing thing?
Also, if you don’t love the brethren, then you can’t possibly be saved. That’s what he’s saying here. That’s exactly what’s being said here.
Does Paul teach that? Paul doesn’t teach that. He tells us all sorts of reasons to be there for the brethren, but your salvation certainly isn’t dependent upon it.
Oh, see, this is why I wish we had a whole string of those people listening in here.
Well, we’ll just give you some ammo. You can mark your Bible if you haven’t already done so, and maybe, if you get a chance, show somebody. Just take them to 1 John. Take them nicely. Just say, “Well, let me show you some stuff here that just so conflicts with what Paul teaches.” And always tell them Galatians chapter 1; this is where Paul says we’re to follow Paul only.
Anyway, where are we at here? Let’s go to 10 probably: “He that loveth his brother abideth in the light, and there is none occasion of stumbling in him.” Boy, wouldn’t that be something? If all was, we just love the brethren, and we quit stumbling like all are! Ahem!
So you stumble. I wonder who it is you don’t like? Who you mad at?
“But he that hateth his brother is in darkness.” That could be spiritual; he’s “in darkness.” But he also “walketh in darkness.” That’s a physical thing.
“And knoweth not whither he goeth, because that darkness hath blinded his eyes.” So, he’s walking a dirty walk.
Paul talks about that in Ephesians chapter
4 somewhat, but he said because you haven’t been taught from
the real Christ, the real risen Saviour, then your understanding is darkened.
But that has nothing to do with hating your brother; that’s like a Gentile;
that’s thinking like a lost person, is what that’s all about in Ephesians
4.
See, that’s what those kid cartoons are all about — the vegetables that talk, and the bunnies and the bees, you know — they’re trying to get the kids to do the right thing. And that means they’ll love God then.
This stuff is full of that stuff. Haven’t you heard the cucumber
talk to you? What’s the matter with you?
Now, they put this on you: “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.” Uh-oh. So you can’t any, you know, enjoyment out there? Because if you do, you don’t have the love of the Father in you.
“For all that is in the world, the lust of the flesh, and the lust of the eyes, and the pride of life —” boy, isn’t that true? I mean, that is a true statement there. That’s what it’s after. The lust of the flesh and the lust of the eyes and the pride of life. That’s so much what’s out there.
“Is not of the Father —” well, of course not “— but is of the world.” True.
And in 2 Peter chapter 2, verse 12, I think it is, where they will have to escape the pollutions of the world — they’ll have to stay away from that world. They’ll have to. Well, that’s going to be pretty tough. Well, they have to. The Spirit of God is upon their flesh; they will be able to do it. We sure certainly can’t.
So, verse 17: “And the world passeth away, and the lust thereof.” And it does. “He that doeth the will of God.” There it is again; there’s that “doeth.” There’s that doing. “The will of God abideth for ever.” It’s all based on your walk and your works.
“Little children, it is the last time —” well, that’s a clue “— and as ye have heard that antichrist shall come, even now are there many antichrists; whereby we know that it is the last time. 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.” Now, that’s Tribulational stuff right there, verse 19, the point — don’t you see that happening more and more?
Out from Christianity comes these modern teachers that are wrong. More and more, the Great Commission gets started by that missionary, William Carey, from amongst the Baptists, you know. So, “they went out from us, but they were not of us.” You got church members who are going to leave and going to get something else started.
And it says, “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.” They want to have their own
little glory out there. They do that, too.
“But ye have an unction from the Holy One, and ye know all things.” Right there. Ask this guy, and these people: Do you know all things? And then tie that in to verse 27. Ask them, “Are you anointed?” They all say they are.
“But the anointing which ye have received of him abideth in you, and ye need not that any man teach you.” So, between the unction and the anointing, you know everything?
And, by the way, speaking of hating their brother, who is it that gets mad at who over this stuff? Do we get mad at them because they’re following the Jesus gospel, and Matthew-Mark-Luke-John, and Peter-James, you know. Do we get mad at them about that stuff? No. We don’t get mad. We get kind of sarcastic and critical. How can they miss that kind of stuff? But they get mad at us. They’re the ones that walk away from most conversations. They’re the ones that hate their brother more than we do.
Anyway, how we doing? Ahh, we get time here. Let’s see here. Twenty-one. See, now that you got the unction, see, you know all things. “I have not written unto you because ye know not the truth, but because ye know it —” oh, OK “— and that no lie is of the truth. Who is a liar but he that denieth that Jesus is the Christ?” Now there we go. Sure, people deny that Jesus is the Christ; they deny that he’s the Saviour. Sure, that’s fine. But is that the issue for our salvation? You see, if you’re a liar, then you’re walking in darkness, and you can’t be a Christian if you’re a liar.
Jesus is the Christ — that’s the issue. Remember, it goes back to John. During the Gospel days and during the Tribulation, the issue is, "Is Jesus the Christ?" That is the issue.
Acts chapter 8, that Ethiopian eunuch. What did he have to say he believed? He believed that Jesus Christ was the Son of God. Does that make you a Christian today? Ask these people that.
In fact, there are a lot of Christians out there who don’t believe that Jesus was the Son of God in that clean fashion. Really!
OK. “Whosoever denieth the Son, the same hath not the Father.” Well, they can talk about, “Well, see, when you deny salvation, you’re denying the Son.” OK, yeah, if you want to say that, go ahead, I guess. But it doesn’t make you fit these verses right here.
“The same hath not the Father: but he that acknowledgeth the Son hath the Father also.” Acknowledge the Son? What? That he’s the Christ. OK.
“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 —” ah, there’s that eternal security. No! Not eternal security, because that whole sentence starts off with the word “if.” “If ... that which ye have heard from the beginning shall remain in you, ...“ye also shall continue in the Son, and in the Father.” Which definitely means also that if you don’t keep that stuff, then you won’t continue in the Son and in the Father. And in that day that’s the way it’ll be.
“And this is the promise that he hath promised us, even eternal life.” So that one sentence, right there, that people bring the whole 1 John into your life today. Not at all.
“These things have I written unto you concerning them that seduce you.” So the devil’s still seducing, we can accept that one.
“But the anointing which ye have received of him abideth in you —” wow, isn’t that exciting? “— and ye need not that any man teach you.” I think that’s what a lot of people who don’t go to church believe anymore. We still need to be taught this Bible. But, after awhile, people just give up, and they just open it up anymore.
“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.”
See, it takes that anointing to abide in him.
“We may have confidence, and not be ashamed before him at his coming.” And I’ve told you this story I’m sure a thousand times. You know, people are so concerned what they’re going to be raptured out of — “I don’t want to be raptured out of a casino, or a bar, or something.”
Why?
“Well, I don’t want to be ashamed when he comes.”
He’s not coming! You’re going — he’s not coming. Different, different, different.
I have confidence that when the Rapture comes, I’ll be clean, because he cleansed me. Doesn’t matter what I’m doing. He’s got it handled.
So, here’s the concluding sentence: “If ye know that he is righteous, ye know that every one that doeth —” there’s your walk “— doeth righteousness is born of him.” Oh, see, there’s that “born of him” stuff. Yeah, “born again,” John chapter 3.
No, John chapter 3 is talking about the nation of Israel needs to be born again. “Ye” — back to Genesis 12 — same thing here in 1 John. He talks about this in chapter 3 there, verse 9: “Whosoever is born of God doth not commit sin,” so if you say you’re born of God, what are you doing out? You can’t commit any sins. What are you doing? It says you can’t sin because you’re born of God in verse 9.
Well, I can’t sin? I just did.
Well, then, you’re not born of God.
They think that God’s going to prevent you from doing wrong, from 'sinning'. I think people find out that, no, he’s not going to stop you. And so the young people think that God’s not alive, because God doesn’t whack Mom and Dad who are doing things they shouldn’t be doing.
“Well, we’re going to go to the movies tonight, and it’s an R, or it’s a —” even a PG, even a G anymore has got innuendos and stuff in it. Well, is that going to mean you’re no longer born again? Because you could do it; God’s not going to stop you.
OK, let’s see here, what’s the time of day here? And I know you
know this stuff here, you know.
And in the Tribulation crowd, the Gospel crowd, they really don’t think they’re sinning today. They think their walk is that clean and holy. It just amazes me, how standards have fallen, and they just think everything is fine.
So, we’ll just park it there. And you go through 1 John 3, 4, and 5, and just see if you can come up with the stuff that you need to show people that, man, this isn’t what Paul teaches at all. And where is it at? Galatians chapter 1; that’s Paul only. Sorry, folks, that says “Paul only.” “King James only” - Rightly divided!
