For goodness and truth and rightness are what men live and die for.”
              –J.V. James  (Frye)

    For I know this, that after my departure savage wolves will come in among you, not sparing the flock.”
              –Acts 20:29 (NKJV)
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How to Live in a Pagan, Apostate, and Foolish World

Key Verse:  “We know that we are children of God and that the world around us is under the control of the evil one.”  –1 John 5:19 (NLT)

I want to be sure you read 1 John 2:18-23 (NKJV).  There are several important aspects in these verses to help us understand our confused world.

         18 Little 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. 19 They 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.
         20 But you have an anointing from the Holy One, and you know all things. 21 I 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.
         22 Who is a liar but he who denies that Jesus is the Christ? He is antichrist who denies the Father and the Son. 23 Whoever denies the Son does not have the Father either; he who acknowledges the Son has the Father also.

This is the atmosphere in which we live.  Add to that which we have already studied, especially that of fear, and the world could be a frightful place if not for the fact that we are Christians.  Notice that John states that, “this is the last hour.”  Now that does not mean this moment, but the times in which we are living.  William Barclay writes, “Men have the choice of allying themselves with the old world, which is doomed to dissolution, or of allying themselves with Christ and entering the new world, the very world of God.”  This is done continually–men making choices for the devil or for God.
    The danger is all around us and we need to realize that we live in a danger zone.  It may be terror on the streets, drugs, the virus, hostile environment which is to include the liberal ideology that is contrary to the Word of God.  Christians need to realize that this is a spiritual conflict!  Oh, the devil may use thoughts and sickness, but underlying it all is spiritual warfare.
    John is warning us and telling us how to confront the issues.  We are indeed in the last days, therefore, we must be sure and recognize from whence the fight is coming.  Take a minute and look at the term “Antichrist/antichrist.”  Do not confuse them.  There will be a man of lawlessness, as Paul puts it; a man known as the Antichrist who will arise.  With that being said, there is also those who are “antichrist.”  They are antichrist in their thinking, in their actions, in their beliefs, in their agenda.  They are those who oppose Christ and Truth.
    William Barclay puts it this way, “The simplest way to think of it is that Christ is the incarnation of God and goodness, and Antichrist is the incarnation of the devil and evil.”  Do not be confused by the term “incarnation.”  I do not believe that Antichrist is born supernaturally, but he will be filled with the devil.  He is not “incarnated” in the sense that Jesus was born of the virgin Mary and the seed was planted by the Holy Spirit.
    There is much clamor about a progressive way–progressive democracy, cancel culture, woke are all terms and some of them have worked their way into the Church.  John points out that they are not of Christ, but have separated themselves from the Truth, from the real Church.  Lloyd-Jones says that these, “claimed to delight in the true religion and yet they destroyed it.”  The Church has always been confronted by a seducing power (see Acts 20).  Early the Gnostics came on the seen with their heresies and was face by the Truth of the real Church, of those opposing the ideas that were antichrist.
    One thing you can be sure of is that the Church will stand.  It will not be stained, nor will there be any wrinkle in the robes of white.  Another sure thing is that we realize that the power of iniquity is working, the ideologies of the antichrist are involved in the activities of this world.  Be strong, stay in God’s Word, let the Holy Spirit guide you in these trying and difficult times.  Do not be swayed by the power of the antichrists around you.

I made a mental note right there that, come hell or high water, from then on I would do nothing else until my duties were completed.”
              –Loren D. Estleman (The Hider)

    “For which of you, intending to build a tower, does not sit down first and count the cost, whether he has enough to finish it—lest, after he has laid the foundation, and is not able to finish, all who see it begin to mock him.”
              –Luke 14:28-29 (NKJV)
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There is a great little humorous poem, recited by Waddie Mitchell, titled “Purt-Near Perkins.  (I think it was written by S. Omar Barker).  The gist of the story is that there’s an old cowboy that’s done purt’near everything.  He purt’near lost his life a few times.  He purt’near starved once, and purt’near froze to death.  He purt’near broke his horses, and once he was purt’near bitten by a rattlesnake.  He purt’near was shot and he purt’near got sick.  Well, you get the picture.
    How many times have you purt’near done something or not to finish.  Some folks purt-near finish college.  Some purt’near are good workers.  Perhaps you were in a wreck and purt’near lost your life.  Maybe you purt’near had a wreck.  Purt’near can be good, depending upon the situation.  I remember students crying and whining because they purt’near turned their papers in on time, but didn’t and paid the consequences.  I remember a time when two cars were racing and they purt’near ran over us–that’s a good time something purt’near didn’t happen.
    Purt’near folk can be an aggravation.  They get their work purt’near finished.  They may have wondrous and grand ideas but they only purt’near finish the job.  They build a house, but they are only purt’near done.  They go to school, and purt’near graduate.  They were purt’near close to getting a promotion at work, but because of their purt’near work someone else received it.
    One thing for sure, as Christians we are completely saved, not just purt’near.  God doesn’t do a purt’near job on us.  Christ didn’t purt’near defeat Satan on the cross, the victory was final, complete.  He is not a purt’near God.  He is One who finished what He has started, in the world, and in your life.  As Paul writes in Philippians 1:6, “being confident of this very thing, that He who has begun a good work in you will complete it until the day of Jesus Christ.” (NKJV)  You are not purt’near saved, nor purt’near ready to meet the Lord.  It is done, it is completed for we have the promise of God.
    So don’t live your life in a purt’near way.  Oh, there may be things that are purt’near done.  For example, Annie and I purt’near drove to Alaska one year, but it didn’t come about.  But to live half-hearted, to live in despair and not in expectacy is to live a purt’near life.  Live in the fullness of Christ.  Don’t purt’near trust Him, but trust Him completely for He cares for you.

There was no use meeting trouble half-way, because if it wanted you, it found you anyway, whether you ran from it, sat waiting for it, or went out to meet it.”
              –Luke Short  (Vengeance Valley)

    “The wicked is ensnared by the transgression of his lips, But the righteous will come through trouble.”
              –Proverbs 12:13 (NKJV)
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Do you ever get weary from the constant attack?  It may be on your physical body, or your emotional state.  The attack may be on your mind.  However, all these combine with an attack on your spiritual welfare.  Satan will use many tools, weapons, and tactics to attack you.  Do not be frustrated; remember that there is a God in heaven, your Father, who is looking out for you.
    David was facing a severe attack from enemies.  They were after him in myriad ways.  They were looking at him, waiting for him to make a move, and no matter what he did they twisted what he said.  Psalm 56 shows his plight and turmoil.

         1 – Be merciful to me, O God, for man would swallow me up; Fighting all day he oppresses me.
         2 – My enemies would hound me all day, For there are many who fight against me, O Most High.
         3 – Whenever I am afraid, I will trust in You.
         4 – In God (I will praise His word), In God I have put my trust; I will not fear.  What can flesh do to me?
         5 – All day they twist my words; All their thoughts are against me for evil.
         6 – They gather together, They hide, they mark my steps, When they lie in wait for my life.
         7 – Shall they escape by iniquity?  In anger cast down the peoples, O God!  (NKJV)

Charles H. Spurgeon said, “It is possible for fear and faith to occupy the mind at the same moment (verse 3).  To be reliant upon God when occasions for alarm are abundant–is the conquering faith of God’s elect.”  Sometimes Psalm 56 is called “The Blunderer’s Prayer.”  David found himself in a situation that he did not rightly recognize.  Perhaps you have blundered into such a situation–found yourself in the wrong part of town at the wrong part of the night.  Have you ever made a stupid mistake?  If you happen to find yourself in such a situation remember God is there with you.
    Trust God!  Did you read that right?  Did you hear it?  Did you get it down into your soul?  TRUST GOD!  Life may be unpleasant and painful and our enemies can make it even more so, but God is there.  Nothing can happen to you without His knowledge or allowance.  He will let them go only so far.  We may hurt physically, we may be down emotionally, our mind may be burdened, but in our spirit we have that confidence that God is there.

         “When I’m afraid, I’ll trust in thee;
          In God I’ll praise His Word,
          I will not fear what flesh can do,
          My trust is in the Lord.”
                 –Old Scottish Psalter

The world is out of joint or maybe I just don’t fit in.”
              –Zane Grey  (Wyoming)

    “Come out from among them and be separate, says the Lord.  Do not touch what is unclean, and I will receive you.”
              –2 Corinthians 6:17 (NKJV)
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How to Live in a Pagan, Apostate, and Foolish World

Key Verse:  “We know that we are of God, and that the whole world lies in the power of the evil one.”  –1 John 5:19 (NASB)

Go back and contemplate verses 2:15-27 of 1 John.  There are a few key phrases there that we need to identify if we are to survive in this wicked world.
    First, “Do not love the world…”  The world is not the natural or physical world.  It does not mean the life of the world in general–family relationships.  It is not the state nor is it a career or engaging in business.  What does John then mean when he speaks of “the world”?  
    The “world” in this phrase means the organization and mind and the outlook of mankind as it ignores God and does not recognize Him.  It can be broken down into four parts:  1) man thinking he is independent upon God; 2) life based upon the world system (i.e., woke, cancel culture, globalism, etc.); 3) man give little or no thought to God only of self; and 4) the person who thinks in the terms of time.
    Second, there are three categories of sin.  They have to do with lust, and lust defined here is an inordinate affection or desire; the abuse of something which is natural and legitimate.  Those in the world will lust after things that were made proper and right and attempt to abuse them.
    The first of these is the “lust of the flesh.”  The flesh is that which comes from nature, from our physical bodies.  The person who lusts after the flesh lives only for sensual gratification (i.e., food, drink, sex, etc.)  The abuse of natural things and they find themselves being controlled by them.
    The second of these is the “lust of the eyes.”  This person lives by false values.  They judge on appearances–seeing, imagining, thinking.  They are full of vanity and love the pomp and appearance; the outward show of things.  Interesting how much entertainment has entered the church–false values, the outward show.  The lust of the eyes causes a person to covet “things.”
    Finally there is the “pride of life.”  This can start out very subtly but then will magnify as time goes on unless there is real repentance.  The “pride of life” consists of self-glorification.  They are ambitious to the expense of hurting others and in fact will find real contempt of others and their success.  The love the pride of influence based on wealth, power, position, appearance, etc.  They have the attitude “I belong to …” (fill in the blank: such and such a family, such a special club, such a fraternity…)  There is a subtle danger of those who denounce the sins of the flesh becoming guilty of the pride of life; a “I’m so proud I’m humble” attitude.  Notice how this was present in the fall of Lucifer.
    John finishes this portion saying that, “the love of the Father is not in him.”  He is incompatible with the things of God.  What he wants and wishes are contrary to the serving of a holy God.  The person who loves the world does not understand the principles of sin.  He does not realize that sin, and this world, will be destroyed–they are not part of eternity.  It is the person who does the will of God that “will live forever.”
    Yet, often, far too often we find ourselves following after the world.  We need to take inventory of our lives.  Why do we do the things we do?  Are we becoming part of the world system, or are we serving a righteous God and following His will?
Do not wander back to the darkness, but walk in the light following the Holy Spirit as He guides by the Word of God.