First John Day Five

The speaker is reflecting on the mystery of the Incarnation and the importance of remaining true to the teachings of Jesus. They emphasize the role of the Holy Spirit in guiding believers towards the truth and protecting them from deception. The passage from the first letter of John warns against those who deny Jesus and encourages believers to remain in Him. The speaker encourages listeners to be attentive to the movement of the Holy Spirit within them and to stay connected to the commands of Jesus. They conclude by praying for protection from deception and expressing joy in sharing the Gospel. Greetings, friends. What a joy to share the Gospel. Still in the Christmas season, we continue to prayerfully ponder together the mystery of the Incarnation, that radiant center of the Gospel, as we walk with St. John in his first letter. Let's pause together for a moment, preparing ourselves to encounter the Word living and present to us. If you will, take a deep breath, slowly in and slowly out. Come Lord Jesus, allow your Holy Spirit to bring your Word to life in me. May I hear your voice, Good Shepherd. Let's enter now into the Word. We read together from the first letter of John, chapter 2, verses 22 through 28. Who is the liar? Whoever denies that Jesus is the Christ. Whoever denies the Father and the Son, this is the Antichrist. Anyone who denies the Son does not have the Father, but whoever confesses the Son has the Father as well. Let what you heard from the beginning remain in you. If what you heard from the beginning remains in you, then you will remain in the Son and in the Father. And this is the promise that He made us, eternal life. I write you these things about those who would deceive you. As for you, the anointing that you received from Him remains in you, so that you do not need anyone to teach you. But His anointing teaches you about everything and is true and not false, just as it taught you, remain in Him. And now, children, remain in Him so that when He appears we may have confidence and not be put to shame by Him at His coming. This passage begins in a piercing, indeed foreboding way. Who is the liar? This is not incidental. In all of the Johannine literature, truth is a central theme. In fact, Fr. Ignace de la Poterie wrote a multiple-volume work entitled Truth in the Gospel of John. Truth, he points out there, is essentially connected throughout John to the work of the Holy Spirit, which is what he means here by speaking of the anointing, the anointing that teaches within. Listen to these remarkable words of Fr. de la Poterie. Here he describes what is being expressed in this passage. He says, "...the function of the Spirit, that anointing, is carried out mainly in relation to the truth of Christ, and consists in arousing faith in Christ and in His truth by rendering this truth present and active in the hearts of the faithful." The Holy Spirit, my friends, inclines our hearts, our affections, desires, curiosity toward Jesus. The Spirit works to make Jesus and His teaching, His commands, as we have already reflected on, attractive to us, desirable to us. The liar, in grave contrast, seeks to distract us from Jesus and His truth by false enticements, by keeping us busy through our greed and lustfulness, even just by dulling our emotions toward Christ. When confronted by the liar, seeking to lead us away from the truth of Jesus, the Spirit acts as a force within, giving us strength to persevere so that we have nothing to be ashamed of when Jesus returns. The Spirit keeps us attached to the commands of Jesus, quick to repent when we have failed, and always aflame with love for our brothers and sisters. In this way, the Spirit keeps us in fellowship, in communion with God. Once again, dear friends, let's open our hearts and minds to the Word as we read the passage a second time. Be attentive to the movement of that anointing within as it draws your mind and heart to a particular word or phrase or image in this passage. And so we read again from the first letter of John, chapter 2, verses 22 through 28. Who is the liar? Whoever denies that Jesus is the Christ. Whoever denies the Father and the Son, this is the Antichrist. Anyone who denies the Son does not have the Father, but whoever confesses the Son has the Father as well. Let what you heard from the beginning remain in you. If what you heard from the beginning remains in you, then you will remain in the Son and in the Father. And this is the promise that He made us, eternal life. I write you these things about those who would deceive you. As for you, the anointing that you received from Him remains in you, so that you do not need anyone to teach you. But His anointing teaches you about everything and is true and not false, just as it taught you, remain in Him. And now, children, remain in Him so that when He appears we may have confidence and not be put to shame by Him at His coming. Intentionally now, identify what is moving you in this passage. Be sensitive, once again, to the anointing within you that teaches you. It teaches us by inclining our hearts, our affections, our imagination towards this or that so that we might move more deeply into it, learning and discovering the truth of Jesus. Lord Jesus, by the faithful working of Your anointing, Your Holy Spirit within me, protect me from all deception of the evil one. In whatever way He seeks to draw me away from loving, serving, obeying Your commands, Your word of life to me, let Your anointing incline my affections, my desires, my longings toward You and the possession of Your love and life. And friends, what a joy it is to share the Gospel. Amen.