Beloved radio friends, we greet you in the ever-precious and the worthy name of the Lord Jesus. We joy in the privilege that we are bringing to you the word of the living God. God has said, My word shall not return unto me void, but it will accomplish that whereunto I have sent it. And thus by faith we believe that God will honor his spoken word as we take the Bible and minister the truth of God to your hearts. We humbly pray that you will receive the blessing that God has for you in and through and by His Holy Word. Our subject continues to be considered as again we turn to the first epistle of John chapter two and recognize that by the Holy Spirit John is now writing to the little children the young infants that are in the family of God. We read, if we may, at verse twenty-three, and read through verse twenty-four. Whosoever denieth the Son, the sameeth not the Father, but he that acknowledges the Son have the Father also. 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, ye also shall continue in the Son and in the Father. May the Lord bless the reading and hearing of these words from the Epistle of John chapter two, the first letter, as we consider again further details regarding the little children. Let us repeat with emphasis. John is specifically writing words of admonition, words of warning, words of counsel, words of understanding that will help the young believer. He is more concerned about the little children in the family of God than even the young men, as well as the fathers whom we have referred to in preceding messages. But John recognizes there are dangers, preeminent dangers, facing every young Christian. I say again, Let it be clearly understood, dangers are abounding on every hand against the young believer in our Lord Jesus Christ within the world today. John writes to warn them. You say, what is the warning? What is the preeminent danger? We repeat it again. It is the danger of false teachers and the preeminence of false teaching. The danger of those who may even take a profession of Christianity, and named the name of Christ, but not being true to Christ, nor genuine believers in the Lord Jesus Christ. They propagate false doctrine in relation to that which they believe, and seek to teach, and lead, if they possibly can, and unfortunately, successfully, they often do lead. Young believers astray. We regret that fact that many young Christians are led astray from the truth of the Word of God because of the abundance of false teaching and false teachers prevailing upon every hand. Now we come to verse twenty-three where John specifically states that whenever there is a denial of the Son, the same hath not the Father, but he that acknowledges the Son hath the Father. Now may I repeat something that I believe would be of help regarding the test of false doctrine? We perhaps could say three things. First of all, when you come to listen and hear what is being propagated and wonder if it is the truth or not, put it to the test. Ask these people what they believe about the Bible. Do they believe the Bible is the Word of God? And my friend, listen, if they do not believe it is the word of God, leave them alone. Get away from them. Second, and this is what John mentions in his verse, twenty-three, ask them, what do you believe about Christ? Is he the Son of God? And may I say to you, you may find people who say he is a Son of God, but will you be reminded The Bible teaches that he is God the Son, and that he is the Son of God, the eternal Son of God. And then you might ask him a third question. What do you believe about the blood of Christ? For oh so many today refuse to accept. redemption upon the ground and through the merit of the blood of Christ that was shed on the cross as the only ground of salvation for the soul. Let me repeat. The Bible is the Word of God. It must be believed and confessed. Christ is the Son of God, the eternal Son of God who was made flesh and dwelt amongst us full of grace and truth, and is now in the glory with the body of humanity. the eternal Son of God. What think ye of Christ is indeed a great test. And then third, what do you believe about the blood of Christ? Now if these things are not believed, they deny the Son. And if they deny the Son, they do not even have the Father. But he that acknowledgeth the Son hath the Father also. And how important it is to realize. You cannot be in God's family without coming to the Father through the Son. And when you have the Son, you have the Father. Many years ago, I came as a young man, trusting the Savior and confessing him, putting my faith in his finished work of Calvary's cross. I came to the Lord for the forgiveness of my sins. I had heard the gospel of his grace being preached, the word of truth coming into my soul and convicting my conscience in heart. And ultimately, as I despaired of my sins taking me to eternal hell, I cast myself upon the Savior, unreservedly confessing my sinfulness and asking for the forgiveness of my sins. confessing by faith that I believed the Lord Jesus died for my sins. And I came to Christ. That's what I did. I came to Christ. I did not join the church. I got in the moment I took Christ. But I came to Christ. And the moment that I came to Christ, do you know that same moment, though I realized it not? I was not instructed to that end. Up to that moment, of course. but I came to the Father," said the Lord Jesus in John fourteen six. I am the way, the truth, the life. No man cometh unto the Father but by me. My beloved young Christian, you that have come to the Son, you that have acknowledged Christ the Son of God as your Savior. Believe what the word says. John writes, you have the Father also. May I say, hang on to what you know and enjoy it and rest your soul and your heart and your whole being upon it. And so you can recognize he that acknowledges the Son has a Father also. But anyone who denies the Son, they don't have the Father, get away from them when it comes to listening to their false teaching. Now known in verse twenty-four, We have another method or another principle of safety for the little children. Let that therefore abide in you which ye have heard from the beginning. From the beginning of what? From the beginning when you took Christ as your Savior. And it is a principle of abiding importance. Let that which ye have heard from the beginning abide in you. When you took Christ, lay hold of it what you did. Lay hold of what you received. what you received and what you learned when you took Christ and He gave you the forgiveness of sins, let it abide in you. Don't let it go. Let it grip your soul and let it indeed abide in your heart and in your life as an accomplished fact. You know, if you give something up, you'll regret it. You know, if you can only realize as a young Christian, Don't let go the truth you know. And if you say something you don't know, don't worry about it. Just enjoy and lay hold and grip the truth that you do know to be the truth. It will strengthen you. It will keep you. For John goes on to say, If that which ye have heard from the beginning shall remain in you, ye also shall continue in the sun. And if you're continuing the Son, you're continuing the Father. Oh, beloved, how we need to realize, we can only go on the way we began. And may I say a sad confession, there are too many young Christians who get off the track. Instead of going on the way they began, they listen to some false teaching and they get away from what they began with. And what troubles it brings. What difficulties it caused. what the complexities arise and what problems come into the path. Look, you began with Christ. You believe His Word that He saved you by His grace through faith in His everlasting, atoning death in His eternal value. Go on in that way. Enjoy Christ. Dig into His Word to know Him better and keep your heart, keep your mind. Keep your soul fixed on Christ. For if corruption comes into your life, if you get corrupted you'll get confused when false teaching comes along. And on every hand today there's much of it. And there's only one thing to do. Please let me say, if the chance there's a young Christian that's become confused and confounded and bewildered because you've been listening to what is not according to the word of God, please Go back where you started. You started with Christ. Go back to him and say, Lord Jesus, I'm sorry I got away from you. And repent and confess it. And start over again. Back to the beginning. If that which he had heard from the beginning shall abide in you, then he said, you'll continue in the Son. You'll go on knowing more of Christ. And the more you know of Christ, the more you're going to know the Father, too. Oh, my beloved, God help us to realize that the safety for all of us, whether fathers, whether young men, and whether little children, is to go on with Christ. Christ only Christ as on we tread, the gift on Christ, God's living bread. with staff in hand and feet, well shod, nothing but Christ the Christ of God. Shall we pray? Father, bless thy word to thy glory, in Jesus' name. Amen.