The Anointing You Received
1 John 2:28-3:3
October 20, 2024
John’s concern: Be aware and discerning that intentional efforts to draw you away from Christ are prevalent and can be difficult to spot.
Among the more deceptive is Gnosticism.
Which says:
1. God is pure bliss, an idea, a concept. We can connect with God in a number of different ways.
2. God is not personal. God as pure bliss would never stoop down as flesh and live among us.
3. Jesus is divine but only appeared to be in human form. He did not come in the flesh and live in the created world.
4. You are an essence of the divine but trapped in an evil physical body.
5. The fall is from the immaterial world not into a physical world.
6. You are ignorant of your condition and must be awakened to the presence of the divine in you.
Gnosticism denies salvation as the rescue from original and personal sin.
It says salvation is the eradication of ignorance of the light imprisoned within you.
It says authority speaks from the voice of the spirit inside you.
It says darkness is only an illusion.
It says sin has no substantive meaning because it is linked to the body and not to the divine light in you.
The purpose of Christ’s coming to earth was to impart this to people and help them to their true divine nature that had been covered over by the material world and forgotten.
This required a kind of “anointing”
“The Anointing” we received: response and action
1. We’re trusting in the Lord looking ahead to his appearing with confidence.
2. We are able to see the great love of the Father who has given us
a. A new name
b. A bright future
c. A purifying hope
How does it look in action to abide in Christ?
1. It looks like coming clean and admitting we have sinned
2. It looks like not calling God a liar by not owing up to your sin
3. It looks like fighting our sin and falling upon Jesus Christ our advocate when we do
4. It looks like learning to walk like Jesus walked.
5. It looks like learning to walk like Jesus walked
6. It looks like complete commitment to Christ more than you sin and worldly comfort
7. It looks like sticking to the text of Scripture
8. It looks like believing Christ is the only light you need
9. It looks like not hating your brother or sister- labeling them out of their new identity in Christ.
Here at Anchor Point Church in Duluth, we practice expository preaching. Expository preaching is a style of preaching that involves explaining and interpreting a specific passage of Scripture in a detailed and systematic manner. Our pastors endeavor to be faithful in drawing out the meaning of the text, often going verse by verse, and then applying its principles to the lives of the listeners. The goal is to faithfully communicate the original intent of the biblical authors, ensuring that the congregation understands the message within its proper context. Please join us on Sunday morning!
