WEBVTT 00:00:02.350 --> 00:00:05.610 I'm just so grateful for our worship team every 00:00:05.610 --> 00:00:11.750 week. What a great, what a great crew we have. 00:00:12.109 --> 00:00:13.769 If you have our Bibles, First John chapter four, 00:00:13.830 --> 00:00:16.129 so it will be. While you're turning to that text, 00:00:17.289 --> 00:00:19.530 I thought I'd tell you a story about a couple 00:00:19.530 --> 00:00:25.010 people that lived in our former town. So, you're 00:00:25.010 --> 00:00:27.710 not gonna know these people, so it's okay. There 00:00:27.710 --> 00:00:32.039 was this lady. And I never learned her name, 00:00:32.119 --> 00:00:35.740 but she pushed a cart around town, and she carried 00:00:35.740 --> 00:00:39.140 a golf club. Almost every single day, I would 00:00:39.140 --> 00:00:42.880 see her pushing her cart, and she would just 00:00:42.880 --> 00:00:44.939 have who knows what in that cart all around town 00:00:44.939 --> 00:00:48.560 with her golf club. And she would... There were 00:00:48.560 --> 00:00:50.140 several times that I would see her on town and 00:00:50.140 --> 00:00:53.219 I'd stop and I'd offer her some money And she 00:00:53.219 --> 00:00:57.259 always she always turned it down she would walk 00:00:57.259 --> 00:00:59.719 by my window the window of my office as I was 00:00:59.719 --> 00:01:02.320 sitting there working and She just always looked 00:01:02.320 --> 00:01:05.040 disheveled. She always looked a little rough. 00:01:05.040 --> 00:01:09.219 I guess One day she walked by my office and I 00:01:09.219 --> 00:01:12.620 ran outside and I had offered to give her some 00:01:12.620 --> 00:01:15.200 food and she once again Just declined didn't 00:01:15.200 --> 00:01:16.760 didn't want any she was real sweet, but didn't 00:01:16.760 --> 00:01:20.409 want anything Then there was this other guy who 00:01:20.409 --> 00:01:23.989 was completely opposite of her and he had a lot 00:01:23.989 --> 00:01:28.030 of money. He had really nice toys. He wanted 00:01:28.030 --> 00:01:30.849 everyone to know that he was a big deal. He ran 00:01:30.849 --> 00:01:34.250 a successful business in town. He'd go to all 00:01:34.250 --> 00:01:36.750 the fundraisers and community events and just 00:01:36.750 --> 00:01:39.090 make sure everybody knew that how much he donated 00:01:39.090 --> 00:01:43.870 to help these particular things and that's who 00:01:43.870 --> 00:01:47.200 he was. And that's really a good illustration 00:01:47.200 --> 00:01:49.319 of the predominant cultures that were in La Mesa. 00:01:49.579 --> 00:01:52.640 There was quite a bit of poverty, but there was 00:01:52.640 --> 00:01:54.760 also just at the same time there were a lot of 00:01:54.760 --> 00:01:57.239 people that just had like a ridiculous amount 00:01:57.239 --> 00:01:59.920 of money. But those two people in particular, 00:02:00.060 --> 00:02:02.599 the lady with the shopping cart and the golf 00:02:02.599 --> 00:02:07.159 club who looked homeless actually had a ton of 00:02:07.159 --> 00:02:11.819 money. And the guy who thought he was a big deal 00:02:11.819 --> 00:02:15.289 was actually running a Ponzi scheme and turned 00:02:15.289 --> 00:02:20.069 out to be broke and ended up in prison. Appearances 00:02:20.069 --> 00:02:23.849 are not always what they seem, right? With these 00:02:23.849 --> 00:02:26.449 two people, you would have had to have known 00:02:26.449 --> 00:02:29.689 them really well to be able to discern what they 00:02:29.689 --> 00:02:33.030 were really like. It's not like a bad facelift. 00:02:33.449 --> 00:02:35.689 Like you can spot that from a mile away, right? 00:02:35.909 --> 00:02:38.610 You can spot the big fake eyelashes that some 00:02:38.610 --> 00:02:41.590 ladies wear and realize those aren't legitimate 00:02:41.590 --> 00:02:43.490 eyelashes, right? Like those things are easy 00:02:43.490 --> 00:02:47.879 to spot. Our text this morning is John giving 00:02:47.879 --> 00:02:51.400 us some warnings that we need to look out for 00:02:51.400 --> 00:02:54.819 when it comes to false teachings. And a lot of 00:02:54.819 --> 00:02:58.180 times, those false teachings aren't real easy 00:02:58.180 --> 00:03:01.860 to spot. They might seem really good on the surface, 00:03:02.240 --> 00:03:04.520 but if you really look at them, they are dangerous 00:03:04.520 --> 00:03:07.719 and can lead you astray. So that's our text this 00:03:07.719 --> 00:03:09.199 morning. We're gonna read the first six verses 00:03:09.199 --> 00:03:11.139 of chapter four. If you're willing and able, 00:03:11.180 --> 00:03:12.800 we'd love for you to stand as we honor the Lord's 00:03:12.800 --> 00:03:18.469 word together. So John writes, excuse me, Beloved, 00:03:18.530 --> 00:03:21.610 do not believe every spirit, but test the spirits 00:03:21.610 --> 00:03:24.250 to see whether they are from God, for many false 00:03:24.250 --> 00:03:27.770 prophets have gone out into the world. By this 00:03:27.770 --> 00:03:30.409 you know the Spirit of God. Every spirit that 00:03:30.409 --> 00:03:33.129 confesses that Jesus Christ has come in the flesh 00:03:33.129 --> 00:03:36.650 is from God. And every spirit that does not confess 00:03:36.650 --> 00:03:40.990 Jesus is not from God. This is the spirit of 00:03:40.990 --> 00:03:43.870 the antichrist, which you heard was coming and 00:03:43.870 --> 00:03:46.250 now is in the world already. Little children, 00:03:46.409 --> 00:03:49.469 you are from God and have overcome them, for 00:03:49.469 --> 00:03:52.009 he who is in you is greater than he who is in 00:03:52.009 --> 00:03:54.509 the world. They are from the world, therefore 00:03:54.509 --> 00:03:56.949 they speak from the world, and the world listens 00:03:56.949 --> 00:04:00.830 to them. We are from God. Whoever knows God listens 00:04:00.830 --> 00:04:03.689 to us. Whoever is not from God does not listen 00:04:03.689 --> 00:04:07.020 to us. By this we know the spirit of truth, and 00:04:07.020 --> 00:04:09.080 the spirit of error. Let's pray. Father, I pray 00:04:09.080 --> 00:04:12.599 right now that as we look at your word, that 00:04:12.599 --> 00:04:15.240 you will enlighten us, you will reveal truth 00:04:15.240 --> 00:04:18.759 to us, that you will speak to us, and God, that 00:04:18.759 --> 00:04:23.180 we will walk out of here knowing that you sent 00:04:23.180 --> 00:04:27.600 your Son in the flesh to die for us so that we 00:04:27.600 --> 00:04:29.959 could be made whole with you. And so we pray 00:04:29.959 --> 00:04:38.000 all these things in Jesus' name. Amen. Now, I 00:04:38.000 --> 00:04:42.060 grew up in a Christian home. The saying is, I've 00:04:42.060 --> 00:04:44.259 been a Christian since nine months before I was 00:04:44.259 --> 00:04:48.839 born. That is the culture in which I lived. It's 00:04:48.839 --> 00:04:50.660 been a part of my life ever since the beginning. 00:04:50.740 --> 00:04:54.660 But I believe that if I wasn't a Christian, if 00:04:54.660 --> 00:04:56.839 I didn't grow up in a Christian home, I would 00:04:56.839 --> 00:05:01.180 still be a follower of Jesus because I am inquisitive. 00:05:01.459 --> 00:05:05.139 I question everything. and I want to know the 00:05:05.139 --> 00:05:07.519 reason behind it. Don't just take my word for 00:05:07.519 --> 00:05:10.160 it, but be inquisitive about it and ask questions 00:05:10.160 --> 00:05:13.720 about it. Do your own research. So John starts 00:05:13.720 --> 00:05:17.439 off this chapter by telling believers to not 00:05:17.439 --> 00:05:20.459 believe every spirit, but see if they are from 00:05:20.459 --> 00:05:25.420 God. So he too is saying, don't just take my 00:05:25.420 --> 00:05:28.790 word for it. Even though he has far more credibility 00:05:28.790 --> 00:05:31.670 than I do, he's saying the same thing. I walked 00:05:31.670 --> 00:05:34.769 with God. I saw the miracles. I got to experience 00:05:34.769 --> 00:05:37.870 these things. But even though he could say that, 00:05:37.889 --> 00:05:42.509 he's still saying test every spirit. And if anything 00:05:42.509 --> 00:05:45.730 can stand up to any sort of test, it's Christianity. 00:05:46.649 --> 00:05:49.670 He says that we need to do that. We need to test 00:05:49.670 --> 00:05:53.949 the spirits because there are many false prophets. 00:05:54.329 --> 00:05:58.569 Now, again, if that's true, if it was true back 00:05:58.569 --> 00:06:01.269 in the first century, it would absolutely be 00:06:01.269 --> 00:06:05.550 true today, correct? Not every idea that's labeled 00:06:05.550 --> 00:06:09.689 Christian is from Christ. What we're called to 00:06:09.689 --> 00:06:13.149 active discernment, not passive consumption. 00:06:14.329 --> 00:06:18.269 Blindly following trends or feelings leads to 00:06:18.269 --> 00:06:21.139 deception. Now a lot of times these aren't just 00:06:21.139 --> 00:06:24.060 obvious heretics. They can be smooth talking 00:06:24.060 --> 00:06:26.860 influencers. They can have a popular podcast. 00:06:27.259 --> 00:06:31.060 Even church leaders will twist the truth. The 00:06:31.060 --> 00:06:35.160 word spirit here refers to the motivating force 00:06:35.160 --> 00:06:38.180 behind the message. What is the motivating force 00:06:38.180 --> 00:06:41.879 behind the message? Is it God's spirit or is 00:06:41.879 --> 00:06:44.279 it a deceptive one? That's what John is telling 00:06:44.279 --> 00:06:47.839 us to test. Now the apostle Paul writes to us, 00:06:48.759 --> 00:06:52.259 writes to Timothy in 2 Timothy chapter 4, that 00:06:52.259 --> 00:06:55.439 there will be a group of people who do not want 00:06:55.439 --> 00:06:58.560 to hear sound doctrine, but will have itching 00:06:58.560 --> 00:07:01.800 ears that will accumulate teaching that suits 00:07:01.800 --> 00:07:06.240 their passion. So Paul understands this. Not 00:07:06.240 --> 00:07:09.459 everybody wants to hear it. In other words, churches 00:07:09.459 --> 00:07:12.680 will be filled with people who don't want to 00:07:12.680 --> 00:07:15.420 be challenged. They just want to be encouraged. 00:07:15.800 --> 00:07:18.819 They just want to be made to feel good about 00:07:18.819 --> 00:07:21.000 themselves. They don't want to hear about their 00:07:21.000 --> 00:07:22.699 sin. They don't want to be called out on their 00:07:22.699 --> 00:07:25.199 behavior. They don't want anyone to tell them 00:07:25.199 --> 00:07:27.319 that they are wrong. They just want to hear about 00:07:27.319 --> 00:07:29.920 how great they are and how much God loves them. 00:07:30.100 --> 00:07:32.980 That is their motivating factor in going to church. 00:07:33.339 --> 00:07:37.360 So in order to test the spirits, we have to pursue 00:07:37.360 --> 00:07:44.379 truth. Because God is truth. God's word is truth. 00:07:45.100 --> 00:07:47.620 And maybe you don't agree with that. Maybe you 00:07:47.620 --> 00:07:49.120 haven't come to that conclusion and maybe you 00:07:49.120 --> 00:07:52.199 think that Jesus was just a good teacher and 00:07:52.199 --> 00:07:55.639 the Bible is just some old book. Here are some 00:07:55.639 --> 00:07:58.459 facts that I want you to hear that helped me 00:07:58.459 --> 00:08:01.459 and it solidified me in my faith. When I began 00:08:01.459 --> 00:08:04.180 questioning if this is legitimate or not, these 00:08:04.180 --> 00:08:06.879 are the kinds of things that I was seeking out. 00:08:07.560 --> 00:08:10.639 Because again, I would say, because of my personality, 00:08:11.120 --> 00:08:14.379 I truly believe I would have come to faith even 00:08:14.379 --> 00:08:17.000 if I didn't grow up in a Christian home, because 00:08:17.000 --> 00:08:20.439 I like facts, and I like logic. So here's how 00:08:20.439 --> 00:08:22.980 I put this together, just maybe for your information. 00:08:23.660 --> 00:08:27.379 So the Bible, the one you have in your hands, 00:08:27.519 --> 00:08:30.639 the one you have on your phone, is a translation 00:08:30.639 --> 00:08:34.320 of the actual. Bible, actually God's Word. And 00:08:34.320 --> 00:08:37.600 that Bible was written over a period of 1 ,500 00:08:37.600 --> 00:08:42.919 years. It was written on three different continents. 00:08:43.740 --> 00:08:48.419 It has 40 different authors. There are historical 00:08:48.419 --> 00:08:50.840 books in the Bible. There are books of poetry 00:08:50.840 --> 00:08:53.220 in the Bible. There are prophetic books in the 00:08:53.220 --> 00:08:56.700 Bible which tell you what would happen in the 00:08:56.700 --> 00:08:59.789 future. There's letters to churches in the Bible. 00:09:00.049 --> 00:09:03.190 There's four distinct gospel accounts in the 00:09:03.190 --> 00:09:07.590 Bible. It is estimated that the Bible has over 00:09:07.590 --> 00:09:13.289 300 ,000 cross references, which means that within 00:09:13.289 --> 00:09:16.909 the 66 books of the Bible, they reference each 00:09:16.909 --> 00:09:22.129 other over 300 ,000 times. And within that 1500 00:09:22.129 --> 00:09:26.070 year span, written in three different geographical 00:09:26.070 --> 00:09:30.970 locations, there is one unifying message. And 00:09:30.970 --> 00:09:35.740 that message is Jesus. Not only that, But you 00:09:35.740 --> 00:09:39.980 have Jesus who fulfilled over 300 prophecies 00:09:39.980 --> 00:09:43.539 in his lifetime and will fulfill more when he 00:09:43.539 --> 00:09:46.659 returns. Of those many prophecies that he fulfilled, 00:09:47.059 --> 00:09:50.720 several of those refer to his life, I'm sorry, 00:09:50.820 --> 00:09:55.039 his death, burial, and resurrection. Every prophet 00:09:55.039 --> 00:09:58.940 or religious leader that you can think of with 00:09:58.940 --> 00:10:02.360 the exception of Jesus is still dead and you 00:10:02.360 --> 00:10:06.009 can visit their grave today. Once Jesus came 00:10:06.009 --> 00:10:10.070 back to life after his resurrection, he appeared 00:10:10.070 --> 00:10:15.789 to over 500 people. And those 500 people all 00:10:15.789 --> 00:10:19.789 told the same story. Think about that. I have 00:10:19.789 --> 00:10:22.490 four children. How did that thing get broken? 00:10:22.669 --> 00:10:25.230 Whatever. How did this get messed up? All four 00:10:25.230 --> 00:10:27.049 of them have different stories. They were all 00:10:27.049 --> 00:10:30.470 there, but nobody can figure out the story. I 00:10:30.470 --> 00:10:33.769 can't get four people to agree on a story. 500 00:10:33.769 --> 00:10:37.210 people. saw the resurrected Lord and all said 00:10:37.210 --> 00:10:40.690 the same story. And once they saw his resurrected 00:10:40.690 --> 00:10:44.710 body, those who were skeptical about him before 00:10:44.710 --> 00:10:47.990 then devoted their lives to him and spreading 00:10:47.990 --> 00:10:51.110 his message to the point that many were killed 00:10:51.110 --> 00:10:55.789 because of it. That's a lot of information. If 00:10:55.789 --> 00:11:01.480 that isn't enough, every single year, New archaeological 00:11:01.480 --> 00:11:05.919 discoveries that are made, they further prove 00:11:05.919 --> 00:11:09.799 that what the Bible says happened, happened. 00:11:10.740 --> 00:11:13.659 There are historic secular historical documents 00:11:13.659 --> 00:11:17.639 that prove that Jesus walked the earth. There 00:11:17.639 --> 00:11:21.340 are ancient scrolls that prove the word of God 00:11:21.340 --> 00:11:27.299 was unchanged from the time it was written. That's 00:11:27.299 --> 00:11:32.179 the Bible. The Quran took 23 years to write. 00:11:33.059 --> 00:11:36.419 Their prophet has a tomb in Saudi Arabia that 00:11:36.419 --> 00:11:39.919 you can visit. The Book of Mormon was written 00:11:39.919 --> 00:11:45.519 by one man in 65 days based off of some golden 00:11:45.519 --> 00:11:48.720 tablets that nobody has seen since. If you're 00:11:48.720 --> 00:11:50.820 up for a day trip, you can go visit his grave 00:11:50.820 --> 00:11:54.960 over there in Illinois. Buddha doesn't have a 00:11:54.960 --> 00:11:57.909 grave because he was cremated. And his remains 00:11:57.909 --> 00:12:01.090 were scattered around to eight different kingdoms. 00:12:02.070 --> 00:12:04.590 Hindus believe everything's a God. Everything's 00:12:04.590 --> 00:12:07.889 a God. But here's what you need to know. No other 00:12:07.889 --> 00:12:13.230 religious following has a God that came to serve 00:12:13.230 --> 00:12:16.330 and was willing to lay down his life for his 00:12:16.330 --> 00:12:19.370 people. That's what the Bible says about our 00:12:19.370 --> 00:12:23.490 God. So when it comes to truth, we need to look 00:12:23.490 --> 00:12:27.019 no further than the Bible. So when someone might 00:12:27.019 --> 00:12:29.879 say, well, the Bible isn't relevant anymore. 00:12:30.240 --> 00:12:32.940 The Bible isn't complete because it doesn't address 00:12:32.940 --> 00:12:35.740 this particular issue. It doesn't really get 00:12:35.740 --> 00:12:39.019 into this idea. Or it can't be trusted because 00:12:39.019 --> 00:12:42.600 it was written so long ago. When someone says 00:12:42.600 --> 00:12:45.220 those types of things, you need to know those 00:12:45.220 --> 00:12:48.789 things are not from God. That person is not speaking 00:12:48.789 --> 00:12:51.789 on behalf of God because the Bible says that 00:12:51.789 --> 00:12:55.669 every word is breathed out by God. Every word 00:12:55.669 --> 00:12:59.529 is useful for teaching and correcting and rebuking 00:12:59.529 --> 00:13:02.289 and training in righteousness. So if there is 00:13:02.289 --> 00:13:04.350 ever a teaching that says the Bible is good, 00:13:04.690 --> 00:13:07.769 it's a good thing to have, but we need the supplemental 00:13:07.769 --> 00:13:10.669 material so that we can get the full picture. 00:13:11.009 --> 00:13:15.250 That person is a false prophet. So here's some 00:13:15.250 --> 00:13:19.669 quick facts. that you need to know about the 00:13:19.669 --> 00:13:23.049 Bible in regards to truth. Because we have to 00:13:23.049 --> 00:13:25.370 follow truth. This is what the Bible says, just 00:13:25.370 --> 00:13:28.129 a few things. The Bible says that God created 00:13:28.129 --> 00:13:31.450 the world in the beginning. In the beginning, 00:13:31.549 --> 00:13:33.190 God created the world. It wasn't an accident, 00:13:33.909 --> 00:13:37.649 it wasn't a big bang, it is not a theory. God 00:13:37.649 --> 00:13:41.309 created the world. The Bible also says that sin 00:13:41.309 --> 00:13:45.779 separates us from a holy God. Not just some sins 00:13:45.779 --> 00:13:48.899 separate us from God, but all sins separate us 00:13:48.899 --> 00:13:51.299 from God. Now here's where it can get tricky. 00:13:52.720 --> 00:13:55.539 Now I don't have time to go over every single 00:13:55.539 --> 00:13:59.120 sin, but I will point out a few that seem to 00:13:59.120 --> 00:14:01.820 be culturally relevant in regards to this topic 00:14:01.820 --> 00:14:04.659 because there are churches and denominations 00:14:04.659 --> 00:14:07.480 that are promoting and accepting sin, and they're 00:14:07.480 --> 00:14:09.240 putting it under the banner of, oh, we just need 00:14:09.240 --> 00:14:12.429 to love everybody. So here's a few facts about 00:14:12.429 --> 00:14:15.389 sin regarding the Bible. All right, first thing 00:14:15.389 --> 00:14:20.009 is homosexuality is a sin. Promoting it and celebrating 00:14:20.009 --> 00:14:25.090 it is also a sin. Life begins at conception. 00:14:25.850 --> 00:14:29.169 God knit us together in our mother's womb. And 00:14:29.169 --> 00:14:31.889 so by taking a pill or having an abortion is 00:14:31.889 --> 00:14:35.169 a sin because all human life was created in God's 00:14:35.169 --> 00:14:40.840 image. Hook up culture. And going from one partner 00:14:40.840 --> 00:14:46.240 to another is a sin. It's not the best that God 00:14:46.240 --> 00:14:51.000 has to offer you. Wishing for the demise of another 00:14:51.000 --> 00:14:53.000 individual, wishing they were dead or wishing 00:14:53.000 --> 00:14:58.299 they were hurt because you don't agree with them 00:14:58.299 --> 00:15:02.440 is a sin. Now we can disagree and we can still 00:15:02.440 --> 00:15:04.879 be civil to one another. We have to understand 00:15:04.879 --> 00:15:07.059 that the hate in our culture needs to stop and 00:15:07.059 --> 00:15:10.860 it needs to stop with us. That's what the Bible 00:15:10.860 --> 00:15:14.899 has to say about sin. Now, the Bible says that 00:15:14.899 --> 00:15:18.440 in order for us to be righteous before a holy 00:15:18.440 --> 00:15:23.860 God, we have to believe and confess that his 00:15:23.860 --> 00:15:29.250 son Jesus is our savior. Finally, the Bible says 00:15:29.250 --> 00:15:31.929 that Jesus is going to come back again. He's 00:15:31.929 --> 00:15:34.269 not coming back as savior, he's gonna come back 00:15:34.269 --> 00:15:37.490 as judge. And anyone whose name is not written 00:15:37.490 --> 00:15:40.769 in his book of life will be condemned to eternal 00:15:40.769 --> 00:15:43.149 damnation. That's what we know to be true based 00:15:43.149 --> 00:15:47.230 on the Bible. So be careful of anyone that teaches 00:15:47.230 --> 00:15:50.809 anything different. There is a possibility they're 00:15:50.809 --> 00:15:54.159 just trying to appeal to the masses. to get followers 00:15:54.159 --> 00:15:57.159 to their podcast, to get people in their churches, 00:15:57.519 --> 00:15:59.919 to get money to flow into their ministries, and 00:15:59.919 --> 00:16:03.019 because the Bible's teachings can be offensive 00:16:03.019 --> 00:16:06.340 to our flesh, they will tend to tone down its 00:16:06.340 --> 00:16:08.960 message and tickle the ears of its followers. 00:16:09.279 --> 00:16:12.639 That's number one when it comes to spotting a 00:16:12.639 --> 00:16:14.539 false teacher. You need to be aware of that. 00:16:15.340 --> 00:16:18.679 Number two is found in verse two. Number two 00:16:18.679 --> 00:16:21.279 is acknowledging that Jesus came in the flesh. 00:16:21.679 --> 00:16:25.799 This isn't just agreeing that Jesus was a historical 00:16:25.799 --> 00:16:29.379 figure. It is confessing that he was fully God 00:16:29.379 --> 00:16:34.139 and fully man. The eternal son who took on flesh, 00:16:34.440 --> 00:16:37.840 he lived perfectly, he died for our sins, and 00:16:37.840 --> 00:16:41.759 he rose again. Any message that diminishes his 00:16:41.759 --> 00:16:46.379 deity or his humanity or his saving work is a 00:16:46.379 --> 00:16:49.340 spirit of the antichrist, according to verse 00:16:49.340 --> 00:16:55.740 three. So false teaching often sounds close to 00:16:55.740 --> 00:17:02.320 the truth, but it denies Jesus' identity or exclusivity. 00:17:03.159 --> 00:17:04.700 Now, some red flags that you should be aware 00:17:04.700 --> 00:17:08.480 of when it comes to this is when somebody says, 00:17:08.480 --> 00:17:13.720 well, Jesus was a good teacher. Well, he was, 00:17:13.859 --> 00:17:18.089 but we cannot diminish his deity. Or you might 00:17:18.089 --> 00:17:20.849 hear someone say when they're discussing another 00:17:20.849 --> 00:17:25.509 devout follower of a religion, you might hear 00:17:25.509 --> 00:17:27.990 them say, well, they're just on a different path 00:17:27.990 --> 00:17:32.269 to God. But because of their faith and because 00:17:32.269 --> 00:17:35.329 of their devotion, they will be in heaven as 00:17:35.329 --> 00:17:39.150 well. Now, the problem with those types of sayings 00:17:39.150 --> 00:17:43.250 is Jesus himself, right? In John 14, he says, 00:17:43.369 --> 00:17:47.420 I am the way, I am the truth. I am the life, 00:17:48.200 --> 00:17:51.359 nobody comes to the Father except through me. 00:17:52.359 --> 00:17:58.640 So if that devout Muslim doesn't confess that 00:17:58.640 --> 00:18:01.420 Jesus is Lord, he's not getting into heaven. 00:18:02.519 --> 00:18:05.980 If that leader in the Mormon church, who does 00:18:05.980 --> 00:18:08.920 all kinds of great things, who avoids sin at 00:18:08.920 --> 00:18:13.460 all cost, if he doesn't confess that Jesus is 00:18:13.460 --> 00:18:16.420 his savior because of what he did for us on the 00:18:16.420 --> 00:18:21.019 cross, he's not going to be in heaven. If that 00:18:21.019 --> 00:18:23.380 Christian who has been attending church their 00:18:23.380 --> 00:18:26.240 whole life, serving the church, giving to the 00:18:26.240 --> 00:18:29.960 church, inviting people to the church, If they've 00:18:29.960 --> 00:18:32.599 never surrendered their life to the Lord and 00:18:32.599 --> 00:18:35.839 declared Him to be Savior of the world, they 00:18:35.839 --> 00:18:40.180 are not going to be in heaven. The only way to 00:18:40.180 --> 00:18:42.839 get to heaven is not multiple paths. We're not 00:18:42.839 --> 00:18:44.420 all trying to get to the top of the mountain. 00:18:44.799 --> 00:18:49.299 We have to proclaim faith in Jesus as our Savior. 00:18:49.720 --> 00:18:53.789 What all those other people learned, is a form 00:18:53.789 --> 00:18:56.390 of religious behavior and thought that their 00:18:56.390 --> 00:18:58.509 good works, thought that their attitudes would 00:18:58.509 --> 00:19:01.750 be good enough to please God and what's gonna 00:19:01.750 --> 00:19:04.650 end up happening is they're gonna stand before 00:19:04.650 --> 00:19:07.210 him and he's gonna say, depart from me, I never 00:19:07.210 --> 00:19:10.150 knew you. That's heartbreaking to think about. 00:19:11.529 --> 00:19:12.930 Several years ago, there was this guy in our 00:19:12.930 --> 00:19:17.789 church that got cancer, he got cancer and he 00:19:17.789 --> 00:19:20.750 was still young, he was in his 40s, I consider 00:19:20.750 --> 00:19:23.819 that young. All right? I still consider that 00:19:23.819 --> 00:19:27.299 very young. He'd been in church his whole life. 00:19:27.980 --> 00:19:30.339 He'd raised his kids in the church. He got married 00:19:30.339 --> 00:19:33.119 in the church. And on the outside, you would 00:19:33.119 --> 00:19:35.920 think and believe that he was a God -fearing 00:19:35.920 --> 00:19:40.680 man. As the cancer progressed, and he realized 00:19:40.680 --> 00:19:43.380 he was not gonna make it out, he asked me to 00:19:43.380 --> 00:19:47.480 come see him. So we were sitting in his hospital 00:19:47.480 --> 00:19:49.220 room, and it was just him and I. and we were 00:19:49.220 --> 00:19:51.859 having a discussion and everything I knew about 00:19:51.859 --> 00:19:54.700 him up until this point would have made me feel 00:19:54.700 --> 00:19:58.680 comfortable telling everyone at his funeral that 00:19:58.680 --> 00:20:01.640 he was in heaven and was completely healed. Everything 00:20:01.640 --> 00:20:05.720 I knew about him until this conversation. So 00:20:05.720 --> 00:20:07.680 I'm sitting next to his bed and he confesses 00:20:07.680 --> 00:20:11.759 to me that he isn't quite sure if he was actually 00:20:11.759 --> 00:20:16.160 ever saved. He learned the lingo of Christianity 00:20:16.160 --> 00:20:20.599 but because of pride, He could never admit that 00:20:20.599 --> 00:20:25.559 he had serious doubts about God. He was a cultural 00:20:25.559 --> 00:20:27.920 Christian. Now when you grow up in the Bible 00:20:27.920 --> 00:20:31.460 Belt, you better learn how to act the part, or 00:20:31.460 --> 00:20:33.980 you will stand out like a sore thumb. The beauty 00:20:33.980 --> 00:20:37.160 of that story is that we were able to spend over 00:20:37.160 --> 00:20:41.000 an hour together looking at scripture. Scripture 00:20:41.000 --> 00:20:44.329 that I thought that he knew, but he didn't. And 00:20:44.329 --> 00:20:47.130 for the first time in that room, he repented 00:20:47.130 --> 00:20:50.130 of his sin, he professed Christ as his savior, 00:20:50.430 --> 00:20:53.710 and he died two weeks later. I'm so grateful 00:20:53.710 --> 00:20:56.529 to the Lord that that's how his story ended. 00:20:58.009 --> 00:21:02.349 But my fear is that there are so many people 00:21:02.349 --> 00:21:06.769 who won't get that time in a hospital bed on 00:21:06.769 --> 00:21:09.150 the verge of death to come to that conclusion. 00:21:10.109 --> 00:21:15.039 Because tragedies happen. Time ends abruptly. 00:21:17.539 --> 00:21:20.660 And so we need to avoid books and podcasts and 00:21:20.660 --> 00:21:24.180 teachers and churches that will not tell you 00:21:24.180 --> 00:21:28.039 that Jesus is the only way to eternal life. And 00:21:28.039 --> 00:21:33.700 he offers you salvation as a free gift. Finally, 00:21:33.759 --> 00:21:37.759 here's the hope we see in verse four. Little 00:21:37.759 --> 00:21:39.660 children, you are from God and have overcome 00:21:39.660 --> 00:21:42.490 them. For he who is in you is greater than he 00:21:42.490 --> 00:21:45.150 who is in the world They are from this world 00:21:45.150 --> 00:21:47.069 therefore they speak from this world and the 00:21:47.069 --> 00:21:50.490 world listens to them So here's what I need you 00:21:50.490 --> 00:21:52.650 to know if you're fearful of I'm never going 00:21:52.650 --> 00:21:54.109 to be able to discern truth Here's what you need 00:21:54.109 --> 00:21:58.349 to know the Holy Spirit in you is stronger than 00:21:58.349 --> 00:22:01.630 any lie The Holy Spirit in you is stronger than 00:22:01.630 --> 00:22:05.710 any lie worldly voices speak from a worldly point 00:22:05.710 --> 00:22:08.589 of view And they gain a big audience according 00:22:08.589 --> 00:22:13.589 to verse 5 But God's children recognize his truth 00:22:13.589 --> 00:22:16.130 because we listen to the apostles' teachings. 00:22:16.329 --> 00:22:18.710 We listen to the scripture according to verse 00:22:18.710 --> 00:22:22.609 six. So I want you to have confidence in the 00:22:22.609 --> 00:22:27.130 Lord and not yourself to be able to spot false 00:22:27.130 --> 00:22:31.529 doctrine. This is why I prefer to study the Bible 00:22:31.529 --> 00:22:35.609 and see what it says and not rely on somebody 00:22:35.609 --> 00:22:39.099 else to tell me what it says. There's a place 00:22:39.099 --> 00:22:42.400 for that, but it cannot be the primary way that 00:22:42.400 --> 00:22:46.440 you consume the scripture. The Holy Spirit will 00:22:46.440 --> 00:22:49.579 enlighten you. They will enlighten the scriptures 00:22:49.579 --> 00:22:53.259 to you as you study. He will help you understand. 00:22:53.420 --> 00:22:56.759 Trust Him in it. Now if you need help navigating 00:22:56.759 --> 00:23:01.000 on where to start, we can help you with that. 00:23:01.740 --> 00:23:04.539 But if you just want to pick a random book, here's 00:23:04.539 --> 00:23:06.420 the only way I'm going to discourage you. Maybe 00:23:06.420 --> 00:23:11.079 not start in Leviticus. It's a good book. A lot 00:23:11.079 --> 00:23:13.680 of great truth in that book. But let's not start 00:23:13.680 --> 00:23:17.579 in Leviticus. Let us help you with that. Because 00:23:17.579 --> 00:23:19.240 here's what you need to know. Discernment is 00:23:19.240 --> 00:23:24.579 not about fear. It's about confidence. You're 00:23:24.579 --> 00:23:28.940 not fighting for victory. You are fighting from 00:23:28.940 --> 00:23:33.740 victory. That is a major differential. when it 00:23:33.740 --> 00:23:37.180 comes to reading the scriptures and being taught 00:23:37.180 --> 00:23:41.779 from the scripture, is that you read it from 00:23:41.779 --> 00:23:45.059 a place of victory in Christ. Now, I was listening 00:23:45.059 --> 00:23:50.039 to a sermon the other day. The speaker was great, 00:23:51.680 --> 00:23:54.319 easy to follow. There was a lot of great passion. 00:23:54.880 --> 00:23:56.400 You could tell they had done their homework, 00:23:56.559 --> 00:23:58.180 that you could tell that they were well prepared. 00:23:58.900 --> 00:24:01.259 They didn't just wing this thing. It was great. 00:24:01.519 --> 00:24:04.400 but they did not teach the scripture correctly. 00:24:05.579 --> 00:24:07.619 And there are many ways that someone can preach 00:24:07.619 --> 00:24:10.539 the scripture, but I'm gonna point out two of 00:24:10.539 --> 00:24:11.720 them to you. There's many ways, but I'm gonna 00:24:11.720 --> 00:24:13.240 point out two, because I don't wanna bore you. 00:24:14.700 --> 00:24:19.079 The first one is there's this method called exegetical. 00:24:20.720 --> 00:24:25.660 What exegetical means is the teacher pulls out 00:24:25.660 --> 00:24:29.529 the meaning from the text. based on the history, 00:24:29.730 --> 00:24:33.470 the cultural context. We are trying to understand 00:24:33.470 --> 00:24:36.109 what was being said, who it was being said to, 00:24:36.410 --> 00:24:39.410 where was it said, what is going on in the culture 00:24:39.410 --> 00:24:42.910 at that time for it needing to be said. Like 00:24:42.910 --> 00:24:47.190 that is what it means. That's exegetical. We're 00:24:47.190 --> 00:24:50.450 pulling out the meaning from the text. Exegetical. 00:24:55.119 --> 00:25:00.259 E -G -E -T -I -C -A -L, exegetical. I got another 00:25:00.259 --> 00:25:09.619 one for you in a second. I lost my place. I was 00:25:09.619 --> 00:25:19.019 trying to watch you. Exegetical. There's also 00:25:19.019 --> 00:25:26.460 another method called eisegetical. E -I -E or 00:25:26.460 --> 00:25:32.880 E -I -S -E -G -E -T -I -C -A -L. Isogetical. 00:25:33.500 --> 00:25:42.579 Which is the opposite of exegetical. It is reading 00:25:42.579 --> 00:25:46.299 into the text. It's reading into the text based 00:25:46.299 --> 00:25:50.599 on what we think it says. Isogetical. I'll give 00:25:50.599 --> 00:25:52.220 you a couple of examples, and I'm gonna give 00:25:52.220 --> 00:25:53.779 you this example because it's almost Christmas 00:25:53.779 --> 00:25:57.039 time, and I want to ruin your nativity scene, 00:25:57.220 --> 00:26:01.819 all right? In Matthew chapter two, it reads, 00:26:02.000 --> 00:26:06.220 verse one, in the time of King Herod, after Jesus 00:26:06.220 --> 00:26:09.740 was born in Bethlehem of Judea, wise men from 00:26:09.740 --> 00:26:14.539 the east came to Jerusalem. It does not give 00:26:14.539 --> 00:26:18.240 a number of how many came, but we would all say 00:26:18.240 --> 00:26:25.769 there were Three wise men. Why? Because three 00:26:25.769 --> 00:26:28.390 gifts were given, right? Three gifts were given, 00:26:28.569 --> 00:26:31.430 and our tradition says that there were three 00:26:31.430 --> 00:26:34.769 wise men. That's Isa Jesus. That's reading into 00:26:34.769 --> 00:26:37.509 the text. It doesn't say there are three wise 00:26:37.509 --> 00:26:40.690 men. I'll give you another example. Using the 00:26:40.690 --> 00:26:42.690 story of David and Goliath. Now I've heard this 00:26:42.690 --> 00:26:45.069 taught so many times, and I've heard it taught 00:26:45.069 --> 00:26:47.329 so many times incorrectly that it gives a complete 00:26:47.329 --> 00:26:50.890 wrong, application of the text. Because in that 00:26:50.890 --> 00:26:56.450 story, David kills the giant Goliath with a rock 00:26:56.450 --> 00:27:00.230 in a slingshot. In the times I've heard teachers 00:27:00.230 --> 00:27:04.849 teach this text, they will say things like, you 00:27:04.849 --> 00:27:10.390 too can slay the giants in your life. You just 00:27:10.390 --> 00:27:12.609 have to use the right tools that God has given 00:27:12.609 --> 00:27:17.309 you. We read ourselves into the text. In reality, 00:27:17.470 --> 00:27:20.490 That story is not about us at all. It's really 00:27:20.490 --> 00:27:23.210 not even about David's accomplishments. That 00:27:23.210 --> 00:27:27.750 story is about a God who uses flawed individuals 00:27:27.750 --> 00:27:34.089 to carry out his purposes. David trusted in the 00:27:34.089 --> 00:27:36.789 victory that God was going to give him before 00:27:36.789 --> 00:27:40.220 he even picked up a rock. He had faith in God 00:27:40.220 --> 00:27:44.779 that strong. So the danger with eisegetical preaching 00:27:44.779 --> 00:27:47.759 is that it can make the listener believe that 00:27:47.759 --> 00:27:50.940 they have the power to victory if they become 00:27:50.940 --> 00:27:54.779 more disciplined or they follow three easy steps. 00:27:56.500 --> 00:28:00.440 The Bible says that he who is greater in you 00:28:00.440 --> 00:28:03.839 is greater than the enemy that's in this world. 00:28:04.750 --> 00:28:07.710 Paul says in Ephesians that according to the 00:28:07.710 --> 00:28:11.569 riches of his glory He may grant you to be strengthened 00:28:11.569 --> 00:28:15.170 with power through his spirit in your inner being 00:28:15.170 --> 00:28:19.250 Therefore we can have victory not because of 00:28:19.250 --> 00:28:23.210 our strength But because of him who has already 00:28:23.210 --> 00:28:27.089 conquered death our trust cannot be in us It 00:28:27.089 --> 00:28:30.089 cannot be in our own abilities. It has to be 00:28:30.089 --> 00:28:35.319 in him So if you want to overcome any sort of 00:28:35.319 --> 00:28:39.940 addiction. It is not about what you do to overcome 00:28:39.940 --> 00:28:45.099 it. It's about what he can do in you. And so 00:28:45.099 --> 00:28:48.779 I used to have a pretty bad temper. I used to 00:28:48.779 --> 00:28:54.059 throw things, hit things, slam things. I could 00:28:54.059 --> 00:28:57.500 make anybody, if I was mad at you enough, I could 00:28:57.500 --> 00:29:02.019 make anybody feel about that big. I am still 00:29:02.019 --> 00:29:06.039 dealing with the scars that I have caused on 00:29:06.039 --> 00:29:08.779 others because of the words that I have said. 00:29:10.960 --> 00:29:14.039 Now, I would justify my actions and just say 00:29:14.039 --> 00:29:15.680 things like, well, that's just how God made me, 00:29:15.799 --> 00:29:21.140 deal with it. He made me high strung. God wired 00:29:21.140 --> 00:29:25.839 me to be that way. It's just who I am. But here's 00:29:25.839 --> 00:29:28.140 what I'm gonna tell you. I didn't get better 00:29:28.140 --> 00:29:30.740 because I learned how to take three deep breaths 00:29:30.740 --> 00:29:35.339 when I got mad. I didn't start behaving correctly 00:29:35.339 --> 00:29:39.940 because I learned a new set of behaviors. God 00:29:39.940 --> 00:29:44.240 has changed my heart so dramatically over the 00:29:44.240 --> 00:29:47.180 years that there are times I don't even recognize 00:29:47.180 --> 00:29:50.279 myself sometimes because I know how I used to 00:29:50.279 --> 00:29:54.980 be. There have been times over the recent years 00:29:54.980 --> 00:29:59.339 where I am blown away by the peace that God has 00:29:59.339 --> 00:30:01.640 given me in the midst of difficult circumstances. 00:30:02.880 --> 00:30:06.400 He changed me. You know, that's not to say I 00:30:06.400 --> 00:30:08.920 still don't have my old, my moments where my 00:30:08.920 --> 00:30:13.380 old habits come out. But I've realized that when 00:30:13.380 --> 00:30:17.359 those moments do come out, it's because I'm in 00:30:17.359 --> 00:30:19.619 a season where I'm not pursuing the Lord the 00:30:19.619 --> 00:30:27.140 way I should. The closer I am when I'm walking 00:30:27.140 --> 00:30:31.740 with the Lord, the more His Spirit leads me in 00:30:31.740 --> 00:30:36.130 ways that honor Him. The further I am from Him, 00:30:36.829 --> 00:30:40.109 the more I have been tempted to walk in my flesh. 00:30:41.130 --> 00:30:45.910 I am completely changed. And the victory is His, 00:30:46.029 --> 00:30:51.369 not mine. Because if I thought it was mine, if 00:30:51.369 --> 00:30:53.569 I thought, hey, look at me, I've changed my behavior. 00:30:53.769 --> 00:30:56.930 I've conquered this thing. I've overcome this 00:30:56.930 --> 00:30:59.809 addiction. I've beat this circumstance. If I 00:30:59.809 --> 00:31:04.099 ever thought it was me, Paul says that that would 00:31:04.099 --> 00:31:06.220 give me a reason to boast and we can't boast 00:31:06.220 --> 00:31:09.099 in anything because it is his work in our lives 00:31:09.099 --> 00:31:15.680 that changes us We have to keep in mind that 00:31:15.680 --> 00:31:20.740 the victory we have is in Christ You can spot 00:31:20.740 --> 00:31:23.259 a false teacher. You can spot a false teacher 00:31:23.259 --> 00:31:29.339 not by being smarter But because the spirit in 00:31:29.339 --> 00:31:33.819 you will reveal it Don't walk in fear of false 00:31:33.819 --> 00:31:36.839 teachings, but be aware that it's all around 00:31:36.839 --> 00:31:39.900 you and you need to be careful. Now, we can help 00:31:39.900 --> 00:31:42.279 you discern false teachers. You know, I probably 00:31:42.279 --> 00:31:44.299 have a list of people that you might listen to 00:31:44.299 --> 00:31:45.799 that are pretty popular that I would caution 00:31:45.799 --> 00:31:47.960 you on. I'm not gonna do that right now, but 00:31:47.960 --> 00:31:49.599 if you have questions about people you listen 00:31:49.599 --> 00:31:52.059 to, just let me know. We'll help you out. And 00:31:52.059 --> 00:31:55.160 again, I'm saying test me on this. Don't just 00:31:55.160 --> 00:31:58.319 take my word for it. But the truth is, you can 00:31:58.319 --> 00:32:02.599 do it on your own as you pursue Christ. But here's 00:32:02.599 --> 00:32:05.619 how I want to close this morning. Where are you 00:32:05.619 --> 00:32:08.779 struggling in your life? And you have tried everything 00:32:08.779 --> 00:32:11.480 in your power to be better, and it hasn't helped. 00:32:12.799 --> 00:32:15.460 It's been years, decades, and you're still struggling 00:32:15.460 --> 00:32:18.319 with the same thing. Where have you not believed 00:32:18.319 --> 00:32:22.559 that you have victory in Christ? That he who 00:32:22.559 --> 00:32:27.359 is in you is greater than he that is in the world. 00:32:27.759 --> 00:32:30.519 Is there a part of you that wonders? If you've 00:32:30.519 --> 00:32:33.700 just learned a religious behavior, but you've 00:32:33.700 --> 00:32:35.660 not submitted your life to Christ as savior, 00:32:36.779 --> 00:32:41.420 as the word of God is preached over you, what 00:32:41.420 --> 00:32:43.099 truth has been revealed to you this morning? 00:32:46.019 --> 00:32:51.680 So as we close our service this morning, maybe 00:32:51.680 --> 00:32:54.839 that'd be your prayer. God, always reveal truth 00:32:54.839 --> 00:32:58.930 to me. Reveal where I am struggling to do things 00:32:58.930 --> 00:33:01.549 on my own. Remind me that I already have victory 00:33:01.549 --> 00:33:05.789 because of what you've done. That the giants 00:33:05.789 --> 00:33:08.490 get slayed not because you have a rock, the giants 00:33:08.490 --> 00:33:13.349 get slayed because of the God who's in you. And 00:33:13.349 --> 00:33:17.049 so we're gonna close our service, we're gonna 00:33:17.049 --> 00:33:21.930 have time to respond. I wanna remind you that 00:33:21.930 --> 00:33:27.450 I strongly desire cornerstone. to be a church 00:33:27.450 --> 00:33:31.529 that's devoted to the breaking of bread. And 00:33:31.529 --> 00:33:35.589 so we have provided communion for you. And what 00:33:35.589 --> 00:33:38.990 devotion to the breaking of bread means is that 00:33:38.990 --> 00:33:42.150 Cornerstone is a group of people that are fully 00:33:42.150 --> 00:33:45.369 aware of their sin. And we're confessing and 00:33:45.369 --> 00:33:49.009 repenting of our sin and remembering the sacrifice 00:33:49.009 --> 00:33:52.450 that Jesus has for us. And so as you feel led, 00:33:52.609 --> 00:33:55.859 as we sing. that I'm gonna encourage you to partake 00:33:55.859 --> 00:33:58.640 in communion, if you will. But let me pray over 00:33:58.640 --> 00:34:00.819 us, and I'm just gonna pray that God would speak 00:34:00.819 --> 00:34:02.579 directly to your heart so you know how to respond, 00:34:02.660 --> 00:34:04.799 and I'm not gonna try and force anything on you. 00:34:04.839 --> 00:34:07.359 Let's pray. Father, I pray that as we close out 00:34:07.359 --> 00:34:12.400 this service, as we close out our time this morning, 00:34:14.400 --> 00:34:17.699 that truth will always be revealed in this place, 00:34:19.380 --> 00:34:22.260 that we will be reminded of who we are in you. 00:34:26.949 --> 00:34:29.929 So Father, as we sing, speak to our hearts. Freeze 00:34:29.929 --> 00:34:35.170 from distraction. Help us walk in obedience as 00:34:35.170 --> 00:34:38.190 we confess and repent of the sins that so easily 00:34:38.190 --> 00:34:41.630 entangle us. And let's continue to move forward 00:34:41.630 --> 00:34:45.409 with endurance. The race that you've marked out 00:34:45.409 --> 00:34:51.610 for us. So Father, lead us on that path as your 00:34:51.610 --> 00:34:54.489 spirit is greater than any lie we've ever believed. 00:35:04.869 --> 00:35:08.469 Thank you for listening today to 563 Church, 00:35:08.650 --> 00:35:10.789 a production of Cornerstone Church, Eldridge, 00:35:11.050 --> 00:35:13.369 Iowa. For more information about our church or 00:35:13.369 --> 00:35:15.670 just getting right with God, please visit us 00:35:15.670 --> 00:35:19.429 at 563church .com. You can also find us on Facebook 00:35:19.429 --> 00:35:21.630 and Instagram. Have a great week.