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Fresh Road to Liberation

The Four Things That Plague the Redeemed in Dark Times

Well, let me tell you upfront the four things today that plague the redeemed in dark times. They are:

Deception
Guilt
Emptiness
Fear

And today the title of my message is called Fresh Road to Liberation. It's really the whole book of First John, but we're going to highlight verses 18 and 19 out of chapter 2 and verse three out of chapter 4. And that's where we're headed today because that is what I feel has been dogging many who are sinners redeemed by the blood of the lamb and are now walking the narrow path, you know, from the day of their salvation on.

But those four things I mentioned, they're strongly seeping into the lives of the redeemed. Many on that narrow path are looking to the end of the age. Why? Because of these things. And they are reading and studying the book of Revelation. Someone asked a Bible scholar what tool he would use to unlock some of the things in Revelation. And the answer was to know and understand First John. First John is like an appetizer to Revelation being the main dish. Follow?

Children, It Is the Last Hour

"Children, it is the last hour, and as you have heard that Antichrist is coming, even now many antichrists have come. By this we know that it is the last hour. They went out from us, but they did not belong to us. For if they had belonged to us, they would have remained with us. However, they went out so that it might be made clear that none of them belong to us." (1 John 2:18-19)

"But every spirit that does not confess Jesus is not from God. This is the spirit of the Antichrist, which you have heard is coming. Even now it is already in the world." (1 John 4:3)

So it's really all of the five chapters of First John, but we started with those verses. See, the message today is also because of this burden I have as I've watched the last 10 to 15 years unfold around us. See, our country has descended into madness. And I still believe that authentic Christians and good ground churches and good ground ministries could be and should be salt and light in this generation.

But what I have learned is that much of the Christian industry I was involved with showed itself to be completely inadequate to stand with real truth in the face of real lies. Turns out much of the Christian industry and big evangelism and all of that big evangelicism is nothing more than a significance climb for folks to crawl all over each other to grow their ministry or to increase their platform. Or it was an outright money grab and nothing more. Or my personal favorite: a ministry to honor Jesus that's actually just a family-owned business. And any hard truth that might limit the bottom line is massaged or sometimes outright rejected if it can't be manipulated.

The folks with big platforms who were supposed to be the salt and light in the USA to help stand for the truth and common sense through the love found in the authentic gospel message of Christ simply turn their backs on the hard things. "I'm okay, you're okay" Christianity at best, and at worst, denied the exclusivity and divinity of Jesus in an effort to be liked by the world.

The Depraved Mind

So let's talk about it today. But before we do get all up into First John, I want to stop for a minute and I want to go to Romans. Just one verse. I want to show you a verse from Romans chapter 1, verse 28:

"And just as they did not see fit to acknowledge God, God gave them up to a depraved mind to do those things that are not proper."

I encourage you to read those verses in your personal study. Start with verse 16 of Romans chapter 1 and then read to the end of the chapter and see if you find modern culture worldwide in those verses. I dare you.

So for a moment let's just focus on verse 28. When it says depraved mind, what do you think that means? Other translations call it debased or reprobate mind. What does that actually mean? Listen now. This is important.

The Greek word for depraved is adokimos. The word in its full translation into English means that the mind has become morally corrupt. Incapable, incapable of discerning or proving what is right, distorted at best and not able to process and or understand basic virtues at worst.

One scholar put it this way: It is a mind that is not able to care for itself nor others around it.

Matthew Henry in his commentary published in the 1700s said the following:

"They did not like to retain God in their knowledge. The blindness of their understanding was caused by the willful aversion to their wills and affection. They did not retain God in their knowledge because they did not like it. They would neither know nor do anything but what pleased themselves. There are many that have God in their knowledge because they can't help it. The light shines so fully in their faces, but they do not retain him there. They say to the Almighty, 'Depart.' And they therefore do not retain God in their knowledge because it thwarts and contradicts their lust. They do not like it."

The Dark Days of Deception Have Arrived

See, I believe that the dark days of deception have arrived. It's here. And more and more evidence piles up each and every week. The Bible clearly teaches that at the end of the world as it approaches, so does earth's darkest hours. And not just in America but worldwide.

So if that is true, how should we be? How should we roll for real? Jesus said, "Such as it was in the days of Noah, so shall it be in the coming of the Son of Man." So the easy question is: what was happening in Noah's day? Well, in a nutshell, advanced demonism was the mark of Noah's day. And it is becoming increasingly evident that this characteristic describes the age in which we live.

For time purposes, let me give you one example from this past week. People want to legalize mutilating children while at the same time simultaneously pushing legislation to rescind parental rights over their children. Those two pieces of legislation were introduced by a state senator in North Carolina last week. What level of public mental sickness is that, I ask? Forget about the paid protesters. Just look at the other demonic insane people who go from bad to worse with basic common sense being a thing of the past.

You realize that we're living in a time where people in one breath say climate change is the biggest threat to civilization and on the other hand say let's burn electric cars. Depraved mind madness. It's not a coincidence that the people described in the rest of Romans chapter 1 are the same ones burning the electric cars—same lot.

The Coming Invasion from the Pit

See, listen now. The Bible teaches that in Revelation that hell is actually going to open up and the pit will spit out demon hordes to run wild through humanity. Other beasts from the abyss will wreck death and destruction globally. And Satan himself invades the earth and conquers it all at last.

Did you know that? Yes, we win big in the end, but not till after Satan overcomes the saints. That's what it says in your Bible. Ever wonder what that actually looks like when Satan overcomes the saints? We are on the verge of that right now. I believe that we're right there. I don't know how long God's going to tarry, but soon there will be the visible leader of all of this unleashed on the world. The long-awaited man promised of sin, the lawless one, the beast known as the antichrist—33 titles for this individual in the Old Testament and 13 in the New.

But behind him, the real power will be the God of this world, the dragon, Lucifer, the lying serpent in Eden. See, the Bible teaches in our text today and clearly throughout the rest of scripture that we can expect this invasion from the pit in the last days. Everybody wants to say, "Oh, we're in the last days. We're in the last days." Do you realize what that means if that is true? During the final days, listen now, during the final days most or many people will be led astray by evil spirits and occult teachings. Not some, but most or many. Broad road, narrow road.

Do you see it? Do you see the shadows of the times are here? We're already witnessing the darkening of the world, and nobody wants to talk about it. Nothing but the restraining presence of God the Holy Spirit is holding back the floodgates of evil in this time.

Finding the Fresh Road to Liberation

So for you and I, it would be good for us to know how to stand, how to hold tight to the liberation from death, hell, and the grave that Jesus has given us. You know, find and then stay on the fresh road to liberation. Liberation from emptiness, from guilt, deceptions, and fear.

Because the ultimate security against Satan's Antichrist is—you ready?—the ultimate security against Satan's Antichrist is confessing the true Christ. Jesus said, "I am the way, the truth, and the life. No human comes to God except through me." When you confess that in your heart, that Jesus is the only way, you took a step on the fresh road to redemption.

So let's break it down to the most basic. What this means is that those of us who really want to know, who really want to follow a path to true liberation from the bondage of sin and the trappings of life and all that is here, we want to escape it, to rise above it—we must look to a power that is higher than ourselves. Even the 12 steps to sobriety requires a higher power, right?

John's focus, in the entire focus of the New Testament for that matter, is this: The deity of Jesus Christ is at the heart of the gospel. Jesus is God. And I'm here to give testimony to the fact that he is the only higher power worth serving and pursuing.

Understanding Jesus as our God and King can give you a true fresh encounter (pun intended). It can also protect you from the sinful trappings and commune with you and talk with you and work with you and how to avoid powerful deceptions of our enemy.

John's Last Messages to the Church

So that's quite the introduction, huh? Before we get to the highlights of First John today, let's take a quick summary of the last Apostle John. I want you to see how the value of John increases as we realize these are the last messages Jesus gave to his church.

John is the last disciple and he is the last apostle. In AD 90-95, he wrote the last epistle letter to the church. In AD 80-90, he had already written the last of the four gospels. Do you realize that the synoptic gospels—Matthew, Mark, and Luke—had already been out for 20 plus years before John penned his? That's why John's is different.

He's soon to be imprisoned on Patmos by Domitian in AD 95. Then he wrote the last book of the Bible, Revelation, in AD 96. Then he was welcomed into heaven after that, sometime between 96 and 98 according to research.

So that means that what John is telling us is Jesus's last hurrah to us, and we should take a closer look, right?

As we look over First John, we see the apostle gives us a little phrase multiple times in chapters 1-5. And if you see something in scripture repeated, you pay attention to it. Yeah? So we should pay attention to the purpose behind "written to you." The words "written to you" are in this multiple times in this little book.

I'm going to point a few of them out to you, but let's go through the benefits you have once you are on the fresh road to freedom in Christ, particularly in light of the antichrist and the dark demonic days easily identified.

The Four Liberations on the Fresh Road

1. Liberation from Deceptions: Security in Jesus

Another way to put that is security in Jesus from deceptions. 1 John 2:26-27 says this:

"I have written these things to you concerning those who are trying to deceive you."

That's verse 26. Pretty straight up, right? Concerning those who are trying to deceive you. It's really good to look into the things written by the last apostle. It makes things easier to understand.

Verse 27 says:

"As for you, the anointing you receive from him remains in you, and you don't need anyone to teach you. Instead, his anointing teaches you about all things and is true and is not a lie, just as it has taught you. Remain in him."

How do you remain in him? By his word, the Bible, the scriptures, and by prayer, which is speaking to the Lord in intentional ways. At the moment of salvation, the spirit of Jesus, the spirit of truth enters us. And that spirit of God now lives within us. Verse 27 tells us about the anointing we receive. Tells us that we remain in him, and we will get the protection from being deceived.

See, Satan is a liar, and he's trying to lie to all of us every day. John 8:44 says in the last half of that verse:

"Satan does not stand in truth because there is no truth in him. Whenever he tells a lie, he speaks from his own nature because he is a liar and the father of lies."

The first part of John 10:10 says:

"The thief comes only to kill, steal, and destroy."

This is why when false teachers led by Satan try to twist God's word for their own selfishness, their own selfish gain, whether that be money or platform climbing or whatever they're doing for significance, the Bible tells us when we spot them, we're to mark and avoid them. Mark and avoid them. I don't know if I should judge. Yes, judge correctly. Mark and avoid them.

2. Liberation from Guilt: Security in Jesus

Security in Jesus from guilt. Let's go to the start of chapter 2 of 1 John, verses 1 and 2. It says:

"My little children, I am writing you these things so that you may not sin. But if anyone does sin, we have an advocate with the father—Jesus Christ the righteous one. He himself is the atoning sacrifice for our sins, and not only for ours, but also for those of the whole world."

You can be free from it. You can be free from all of it. You can experience and walk in true freedom from all of these things just listed. Now, will you be sunshine and smiles all day every day? No. We still live in a fallen world. We still have these flesh sinful bodies. So expect a wobble here and there. It's going to happen.

But you never have to fall back into the guilt sucker trap Satan puts out for you. Authentic regrets can become benign. The guilt washes away. Jesus washes it away.

But I can't forget what I've done. My regret is too large. Why?

Look, in Christ true healing can happen. And although you and I wish some of the stuff we did, we didn't do, reality tells us it actually happened. So we feel stuck.

So know this: we can give it over to Jesus. He can take it, and the sting of that regret is gone, and the guilt lifts and it washes away. The past doesn't change because it doesn't have to change. New life in Jesus has changed our future, and that is where our focus goes.

Does that make sense? Remember Jesus said in John 8:10-11:

"Neither do I condemn you. Go, and from now on do not sin anymore."

Right after that in the next verse, in verse 12, he says:

"Jesus spoke to them again: 'I am the light of the world. Anyone who follows me will never walk in the darkness but will have the light of life.'"

Do you see it? That light, my friends, shines the darkness of guilt away.

3. Liberation from Emptiness: Security in Jesus

Security in Jesus from emptiness. Remember, Jesus already said our lives are to overflow in John chapter 7. And we are to have an abundant life in John chapter 10. So let's look at 1 John 1:3-4. It says:

"We have seen and heard. We also declare to you so that you may also have fellowship with us. And indeed our fellowship is with the Father and with his Son Jesus Christ. We are writing these things so that our joy may be complete."

Do you see it here? Going from emptiness to joy. And not just any joy, but joy complete. When your joy is in Jesus and he completes it, there's no room left for emptiness.

The road to liberation from emptiness. You know that emptiness, that affliction that many humans are struggling with? The shine wears off of what used to shine in our hearts. We feel empty in our work. We feel empty in whatever we used to like to do, like hobbies and other pursuits, whatever they may be. Many of us just feel emotionally empty. I don't know, a word—stale—and we don't want to be empty.

Didn't Jesus promise us overflowing life, abundant life? We must hold on to that promise. People want to be free from an empty life. That feeling of being unfulfilled, unsatisfied, restless, aimless, empty. The fresh road to liberation from emptiness is one of the reasons God used John to write this letter. I'm convinced of it.

Listen, take this prescription for emptiness: Read First John every day until it lifts and is replaced with the purpose of serving the living Christ who took away your sins. You will grow a heart of gratitude. And when you're overflowing with gratefulness, there's no time or space left to feel empty. That's how that works.

4. Liberation from Fear: Security in Jesus

Security in Jesus from fear. First John chapter 5 verse 13 says this:

"I have written these things to you who believe in the name of the Son of God so that you may know that you have eternal life."

Who's he writing to? All of mankind? No. No. "I am writing these things to you who believe in the name of the Son of God so that you may know that you have eternal life."

Think about it now. When the assurance of your salvation wraps you up tight in your subconscious, what is one of the first things that flees from you? Fear. Of course fear departs. Why? Because at the core of our salvation is the love of God that becomes more and more real as we become more and more secure in him. Not in ourselves. We know if it's left up to us, we're probably toast. But in him.

John is writing to us so that we may know we have eternal life. This will drive fear away.

1 John 4:15-18 (first part of 18) says the following:

"Whoever confesses that Jesus is the Son of God—God remains in him and he in God. And we have come to know and to believe the love that God has for us. God is love, and the one who remains in love remains in God, and God remains in him. In this, love is made complete with us so that we have confidence in the day of judgment, because as he is, so also are we in this world. There is no fear in love. Instead, perfect love drives out fear because fear involves punishment."

Do you see it? It drives out the fear. Liberation from fear. Fresh road to freedom from fear. Not caught up in all my anxieties anymore. Secure in Jesus from fear. And now the only thing that remains is a healthy fear of the Lord. All other fear is gone. And that's an awesome place to be.

The Eternal Gospel

So I want to close today with a brief reading from Revelation chapter 14. Did you know that God actually preaches the gospel through an angel in the book of Revelation in chapter 14? He's actually preaching a global gospel message for all the world to receive, straight from God our Father through this angel. It's right there in your Bible. Revelation 14:6-7 says:

"And I saw another angel flying in midheaven with an eternal gospel to preach to those who live on the earth and to every nation, tribe, language, and people. And he said with a loud voice, 'Fear God and give him glory because the hour of his judgment has come. Worship him who made the heaven and the earth and the sea and the springs of waters.'"

So yes, fear God and give him glory. And through the power of Jesus Christ in our life, we will continue to live out his purposes for us.

"Lord, I want to find my purpose." Wrong question. "Lord, I want to live your purpose for me, even if it doesn't look great sometimes."

"But Lord, I need you to keep me from deception, to have my guilt wash away that keeps coming back. The liar keeps telling me about it. And I know that what I did was real. I need you to make that benign. I need you to wash that guilt away because you've forgiven me of that."

"And Lord, I can't stand having emptiness in everything I do. Everything feels so stale. I need you to breathe life into me." And he does that through gratitude. Thank you, Lord.

Fighting Satan with Jesus's Protection

And walking around afraid as a child of God is stupid. It's dumb. Why do we do it? Because we allow ourselves to be influenced by the one who Jesus can block for us.

Remember, the Bible says one thing when it comes to Satan. It says to resist him. That's it. There's nothing else. You're not even supposed to talk to Satan. You know a phrase like "Well, get behind me Satan." That's cool. That's fine. That's part of it because you're telling him that Jesus needs to take it from you.

Understand this: When it comes to fighting Satan, you are like a three-year-old and the enemy is coming across the field. Do we want to put a rifle in a three-year-old's hand and say "Fight"? No, we fight for the three-year-old. That's what Jesus does for us. We run to Jesus, and he takes care of it for us.

So that's my prayer for you—that in victory together, we would stand firm in these dark times because as the darkness washes across our land, we can stand firm together because we have Jesus as our Savior. We have him as our protector, and we have him as our King.

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