We do welcome the Lord Jesus
Christ into our meeting this morning. We believe that he gathers
with those that respect and reverence his holy word, and so we welcome
him as well as welcome you into this meeting this morning. I
invite you to turn in your Bibles, if you have a copy of the word
of God, to 1 John chapter 4. I would like to read the last part of verse 24 of
chapter 3 and read down through verse 6 of chapter 4. And hereby we know that he abideth
in us by the Spirit which he hath given us. Beloved, believe
not every spirit, but try the spirits whether they are of God,
because many false prophets are gone out into the world. Hereby know ye the Spirit of
God. Every spirit that confesseth
that Jesus Christ is come in the flesh is of God, and every
spirit that confesseth not that Jesus Christ is come in the flesh
is not of God. And this is that spirit of antichrist
wherever ye have heard that he should come, and even now already
is in the world. Ye are of God, little children,
and have overcome them, because greater is he that is in you
than he that is in the world. They are of the world, therefore
speak they of the world, and the world heareth them. We are
of God, He that knoweth God, heareth us. He that is not of
God, heareth not us. Hereby know we the spirit of
truth and the spirit of error. The Apostle John tells us in
the last part of the third chapter that he says, Hereby we know
that he abideth in us by the spirit which he hath given us.
We know the Bible says that His Spirit beareth witness with our
spirit that we are the sons of God. We know that the Holy Spirit
is being given to all those that have been called by the irresistible
work of that Spirit, and we have been sealed until the day of
redemption by the Holy Spirit. And so the Spirit of God abides
in those that are saved. The Spirit of God abides in those
that are redeemed of the Lord. And this Spirit has been given
unto us. We couldn't get it any other
way. It had to be given unto us. That is grace. God has given
us His Holy Spirit. And then in 1st verse of chapter
4, He says, Beloved, These people were beloved to John. He loved
them, first of all, because they knew the Lord as he knew the
Lord. They were beloved to John because they had tasted of the
good grace of God in Jesus Christ, and they were his people. They
had been begotten by the same Father, so they were beloved
to John. And he exhorts them, saying,
Believe not every spirit, Now, but try the spirits. Now what
John is exhorting them to do is not to try men and women around
them. But he says, you try the spirits. This is the work. This is the
labor. This is the mission that John
is calling these people to, to try the spirits, whether they
are of God or not. He says, because many false prophets
are going out into the world who are motivated and prompted
by a spirit. They're under the dominion of
a spirit. And this spirit motivates them
to make certain confessions in the world. Now, he goes on to
say here, every spirit that confesseth that Jesus Christ is come in
the flesh is of God. Now he says, and every spirit
that confesseth not that Jesus Christ is come in the flesh is
not of God, and this is that spirit of Antichrist wherever
you have heard that it should come. They had been preached
to and told that this spirit of Antichrist would be coming
into the world. And he said, and even now already
is in the world. Now, what John meant here, basically,
is that the spirit of Antichrist was in the world, in the Jews,
which Jesus, you remember, the Bible says in 1 John chapter
1, he came at his own, his own received him not. They rejected
the Lord Jesus Christ as being their Messiah. They rejected
him as being God's anointed one, God's Christ. They rejected him. They would not receive him. They
said he is an imposter. They said he is a fake. He is
not truly the Son of God. And so this was the spirit that
John was talking about that was in the world at that very time. Now the issue today is a great
deal more complicated than just simply the Jews saying, He's
not the Son of God, and those that were believers, true believers,
saying that He was the Son of God. The issue today is much
more complicated than this. And we want to try this morning,
God helping us, to deal with this issue. But let me give you
a little background, a little preface to my message. It has
always been the case, ever since that God sent out true prophets
into the world, that the devil has endeavored to imitate him
and send his prophets out also. It seems good in the sight of
God, but for wise purposes, there should be false prophets and
false teachers to try the faith of his own people. We have this
important work to do, beloved, believe not every spirit. We
must become educated that we might try the spirits, whether
they be of God or whether they are not of God. Now in 1st Corinthians
11 verse 18 through 19, Paul said, For first of all, when
ye come together in the church, I hear that there is divisions
among you, and I partly believe it. For there must be also heresies
among you, that they which are approved may be made manifest
among you. Now, beloved, this can be trying
work for flesh and blood, and it can be very painful work. But this is God's Word, and it
is God's method, and it becomes the people of God to look to
the Lord for wisdom and direction in their hearts for such an important
matter as this that is before us. Well, by what shall we try
the spirits? How are we going to try the spirits?
Well, are we going to do so by our own experience? No, absolutely
not. The Bible says, let him that
thinketh he standeth take heed lest he fall. Your own experience
may be, I'm not saying that it is, but it may be delusive in
itself. The Bible teaches in 2 Thessalonians
chapter 2 that there is the spirit of delusion in the world, that
God has allowed that spirit of delusion to come upon those who
receive not the love of the truth that they might be saved. And
so the rule, my friend, is not our own experience. We are not
to judge spirits by our own experiences, but the rule is God's unerring
Word. We must bring our experience
to the standard of God's Word. Every one of us must bring our
experience in the things of God daily to the standard of God's
Word. And when we have a thus saith
the Lord, for what we do, for what we feel, and for what we
experience. Thus saith the Lord to comfort
our souls. Beloved, that is a nail that
all hell cannot extract out of our conscience if we have a thus
saith the Lord. It is a nail fastened in a sure
place. Thus saith the Lord is worth
a million. Thus saith this man, or that
man, or any other man. Thus saith the Lord is what we
must look for. Well, let us look at the rule
that is laid down in our text. Every spirit that confesseth.
Now John says this spirit of antichrist was already, as we
pointed out, it's in the world. And beloved, let me say that
it is in our day. The spirit of antichrist is all
around us. This world is permeated with
the spirit of Antichrist. This world is intoxicated, this
religious world, with the spirit of Antichrist. Every spirit that
confesseth not that Jesus Christ is come in the flesh is not of
God, but of Antichrist. But you say preacher, does not
almost every religionist in the country confess that Jesus Christ
is coming to flesh. And I say to you, this is true.
This is true, it's absolutely true, from the Jehovah's Witnesses
to the Mormons, every religionist in the country will tell you,
if they won't tell you, the other 11 months out of the year, when
you get to December, around December the 25th, they'll tell you that
Jesus Christ is coming to flesh. Well, I mentioned a little bit
earlier, that this issue is more complicated today than what it
was in the day of the Apostle John and in the day he gave this
exhortation to the people of God here. This is a matter which
needs to be looked into a great deal and I hope this morning
that we'll be able to do this. In Matthew 24 and 24, Jesus there
says, there shall arise false Christ and shall deceive many. There will be false Christs that
will rise and deceive many. Now, in the Word of God in 2
Corinthians chapter 11, if you have your Bible, if you want
to turn there, I would like for you to listen to the reading
of these verses. Paul says, For such are false apostles, deceitful
workers, transforming themselves into the apostles of Christ.
And no marvel, this is 2 Corinthians chapter 11, verse 13 through
15. And no marvel, no marvel, for Satan himself is transformed
into an angel of light. Therefore, it is no great thing
if his ministers also be transformed as the ministers of righteousness. Not ministers of evil and wickedness
and sin, but ministers of righteousness. I'm talking about those that
the devil has sent out. For Satan himself, he says, is
transformed into an angel of light. And so it's no marvel
if his ministers become ministers of righteousness whose end shall
be according to their works. Now, Paul said in his day there
were those who preached another Jesus, which is not the Christ,
the true Christ of God. They preached a Jesus, and I
would dare say that these that preached and the Jesus they preached,
they would tell you that he did come in the flesh, that he did
come down from heaven, that he did come in the flesh. So our
business will be to point out God's Christ that has come in
the flesh and the implications. What does it mean for God's Christ
to have come in the flesh? What does it mean? What are the
implications if a man truly by the Holy Ghost, calls Jesus Lord. If he truly knows the Christ
who came down from heaven, if he truly understands who Jesus
is, then what does it imply, what does it mean? Well, first
of all, I want you to turn with me to Colossians chapter 1. Turn
with me to Colossians chapter 1. I'd like to read here a verse
of scripture or two to you. First of all, this Jesus who
came down from heaven is the Creator. He is the Creator of
all things. I want you to listen to this.
Begin with verse 16. Colossians 1, for by Him were
all things created. That is, by Jesus Christ All
things were created that are in heaven and that are in earth,
visible and invisible, whether they be thrones or dominions
or principalities or powers, all things were created by Him
and for Him, and He is before all things, and by Him all things
consist. Now notice verse 18, and He is
the head of the body. He is the head of the body of
the church, who is the beginning, the firstborn from the dead,
that in all things he might have the preeminence. For it pleased
the Father that in him that is in Christ should all fullness
dwell. It pleased the Father that in
this one who created all things, things in heaven, things in earth,
All principalities and all things were created by this one and
he is to have the preeminence in all things. So the Lord Jesus
came that created all things. He came down to this earth and
received a body of flesh in the womb of the Virgin Mary. Now
the next thing that we learn from reading Colossians 1.18
is that God's Christ come in the flesh, second of all, to
be the elect head of an elect body. He came into the world
to be the head of the church. Now I want you to listen to what
Isaiah 42.1 says. Behold, God says, my servant
whom I uphold, mine elect in whom my soul delighteth, I have
put my spirit upon him, he shall bring forth judgment to the Gentiles."
Now, beloved, if we understand correctly who the Lord Jesus
Christ really is that came in the flesh, we know that he is
the elect representative of the body of Christ, the Church. Now we know the church is the
spiritual Israel of God, and we know that the church is that
body that was redeemed by the Lord Jesus Christ by the blood
of God on Calvary's cross. Now this church, the Bible says
in Ephesians 1, was chosen in Christ. They were chosen in Him. Therefore, Jesus Christ has become
the elect head of chosen body, and he is the representative
of that body. Now when the scripture says that
we were chosen in the Lord Jesus before the foundation of the
world, what that means is, is that you and I were saved, were
not there. We were not there. We were not
even thought of except in the mind of God at that time. But
we had a representative there. There was one there that represented
every member of the redeemed Church of God, and that one was
the elect head, the Lord Jesus Christ Himself. Now you say,
Preacher, is that important? Well, I'll tell you how important
it is, and how necessary it is, that if a man says, I believe
that Jesus Christ come in the flesh, then if he denies this
truth, then you know that he has a deceiving, a lying spirit,
and he is not confessing the truth out of his mouth. Now let
me say to you that we are in Christ. All believers are in
Christ by virtue of the fact that they were chosen in reference
to Him in old eternity. As we pointed out, we were not
there. But He, our representative, was
there. And He entered into covenant
with the Holy Father and with the Holy Spirit in order to redeem
and to save His church. Now, many do not believe in the
doctrine of election. They don't believe in it. Now,
beloved, let me say, and I don't want anyone to turn me off, please
give me a hearing until I'm finished. But if a man denies the doctrine
of elective grace, as far as I'm concerned, that is the spirit
of Antichrist. And you can mark it down. If
a man says, I don't believe in this election business, then
he's denying the fact that Jesus Christ that he was the representative
of all of the spiritual body before they were ever born and
before they come into this world. He's denying that Christ is the
elect of God, the elect head of the elect body of Christ. Now then, if you examine the
word of God upon this subject, we find clearly that the Lord
has spelled out the fact over and over that he has chosen his
people before the foundation of the world and that Christ
as the head of this people was set up from everlasting and his
delights were with the sons of men when the heavens were prepared
and the foundations of the earth were appointed. And Isaiah tells
us that when he came, his reward was with him and his work before
him. What is his reward? His reward
is his church. His reward is his pride. His
reward is His people that were given to Him in the love covenant
before the foundation of the world. Before He came in the
flesh, all the elect had been chosen in Him and were in spiritual
union to Him by the appointment of God the Father. And when He
came, He represented them in this life, in His life, and in
His sufferings, and death, and resurrection. Now this is so
important that you see this. He was my representative in his
life. When he lived, the elect lived.
Now face it, beloved, God demands that every one of us, if we're
going to heaven, be as perfect as Christ. We must be as righteous
as he is. God, he said, my soul delighteth
in mine elect. My soul delights in him. Behold,
my servant, whom I uphold, my soul delights in him. And God
demands that everybody be as righteous as his son. Now when
he lived, I lived. That, you're to understand, that
is the life that makes you to be accepted with God, is the
life that Jesus lived when he was in this world. Now if a man
denies that and says, now it's up to us to live so as the Lord
would accept us, that man is Antichrist. He's Antichrist. That is the spirit of Antichrist. And in the sufferings, and in
the death of the Lord Jesus Christ, and in the resurrection of the
Lord Jesus Christ, it is said that God's people are crucified
with Christ. Well, when were they crucified
with Christ? They look very much like they're
alive now. I see no wounds where you've
been hung on a cross. I see no wounds where the nails
have been driven in your hands. No evidence of it. But my friend,
the Bible says we've been crucified with Christ. When did it happen?
It happened when He was crucified because we were in spiritual
union with Him from the foundation of the world. And a man who denies
that union is a man who believes not that Jesus Christ came in
the flesh regardless of what he mouths out from his lips. This man is denying that Jesus
Christ came in the flesh. Now it is said that we're crucified
with Christ and that if we suffer with Him that we'll be raised
up to be with Him. Well, the people of God have
been risen. They have been risen in Christ.
They have been raised in Christ. That's the word. We've been raised
in Him. Now do you feel like you've been
raised? My friend, if you have the resurrection power of the
Lord Jesus Christ in your life, you've been raised with Him.
Now you haven't even died a physical death yet. But you've already
been raised in the Lord Jesus Christ. You've been raised together
with Him. That's spiritual union. And my friend, this happened,
this union was formed between God the Father and His people
in Christ before the foundation of the world. Now, 99 out of
100 churches, they deny this union. They deny it. They might, once in a while,
mention it. Very few understand it. Very
few preachers talk about it, really. Jesus Christ in the flesh
never took a step with the whole elect not being in his heart. All the body of the elect were
in him every step he took in this world. But most people,
most religions deny this truth. This is antichrist. It does not
matter what they might say about other things if they deny the
spiritual union between Christ and His people than, my friend,
between the body and the head, than they're anti-Christ. God's Christ and His people are
one never to be separated. never to be separated, and never
will they be two. Never! They're one flesh. Two saith he shall be one. They
that are joined to the Lord are one spirit, and they'll always
be one spirit with the Lord. If God ever looks at a man outside
of this union, if he ever places his eyes upon a man outside of
Christ and this spiritual union, that man is a goner. That man
will go to hell. Only if you've been represented
by Christ in the eternal covenant will you ever be saved and miss
the judgment of God. It's only as we're in union,
a living union with the Lord Jesus Christ. My friend, it's
there that there's the place of safety. Now, how do I know
that? Because God Almighty raised up
Jesus from the dead and took Him to heaven and seated Him
at His right hand. And you know what Paul said?
Paul said, we're seated there in Him. Well, you haven't been
up there yet, have you? No, you haven't. But you're in
Him and therefore you're seated already at the right hand of
God if you're saved, if you're a child of God. My friend, this
world is full of people that deny this union. They're working
on their salvation. They're trying to accomplish
something that's going to attract God toward their souls. The whole
religious world is going to hell because they are their antichrist. They will not submit themselves
to the truth. that when Jesus Christ came into
this world, He was the elect head of an elect body. And all
of those who were chosen in Him, they're justified, sanctified,
redeemed, just as the Lord Jesus Christ did it on their behalf. Now this is to be understood. This is what we're talking about
this morning. Observe. that the Christ who
has come in the flesh is not only come to represent his people
who are in union to him, but he has come to accomplish a complete
salvation for them. He has come to accomplish and
work out a complete salvation for them, not come to make it
possible for them to save themselves. Now there's people that are working,
there's people that I dare say that there are people right here
in this congregation this morning that's trying to save themselves. You are trying to do something
to make you feel a little better about your chances when you die,
about being received into everlasting blissful habitation. You're trying
to do something. And I'm telling you my friend,
The Lord Jesus Christ came not to make it possible that you
could save yourself, not to come to open a way whereby through
your exertions that you may secure your own salvation. A Christ
of that nature is of the devil's invention, of the devil's invention. These work mongers that are out
here in this world, and these free willers, and these people
who are trying to get you to trust in human merit and human
works, these people are of Antichrist. They're of the Antichrist. A
Christ of that nature is not the one who came in the flesh.
The Christ of God has come to put away sin. It was said of
Him, Thou shalt call His name Jesus, Matthew 121, for He shall,
He shall, no question about it, save His people from their sin. He came to finish transgression
and to make an end of sin, and to bring in everlasting righteousness,
and to redeem from all iniquity, and to redeem unto God, unto
God, to save us unto God. Now Christ loved the church,
the Bible says, and gave himself for it. He gave himself for it. Why did God hang his son on a
cross to die? Was he not dying for it? Who's
that talking about? Look at that little word, it.
The church, and that is that body that Jesus Christ has formed
an eternal union with from the foundation of the world. And
he did not give himself indefinitely for all the sins of all men? Absolutely not. Is your Christ
one who gives all men a chance of being saved? Well, has the
man that's done the best he can to save himself, has Jesus just
done the best he can to save you? Has he made it possible
for you to accomplish the conditions of salvation and to so save yourselves? Absolutely not. That is antichrist. It is said, Israel shall be saved
in the Lord. That is spiritual Israel. Israel
shall be saved in the Lord. in the Lord, not have a chance
of being saved. Salvation is not left to chance,
choice, or your decision. Chance? No! It doesn't enter
into it. Listen to me carefully. The declarative
glory of the eternal Trinity hangs not upon a chance, my friend. The honor of God the Father,
the honor and the effect of the work of God the Son, the honor
of God the Spirit in His quickening and enlightening sanctifying
power does not hang on a chance. And that so-called chance to
be accomplished by a man, a poor crawling reptile if you please. No, no, no. It is Antichrist. It is insulting to the God who
came in the flesh for a man to imply that salvation is left
up to a chance. We were in Him from eternity,
every step, all of His dedication, all of His sacrifice. It was
all to the end that the sheep of Christ would be brought, they
would be saved, they would be given eternal life. And Jesus
was given all power over all flesh to the end that He would
save everybody that the Father had given Him in that eternal
covenant. And my friend, anyone that denies
this is Antichrist! And you might as well believe
it. You might as well come to it. You will down the road if
the Spirit of God is leading you in your study. Now beloved,
the Christ of God that has come in the flesh has accomplished
the blessed work, the God-glorifying work. of the salvation of his
people. Any other Christ is not the Christ
of God, but is Antichrist, another Jesus, one of those false Christs
that the Lord said should arise and should deceive many. God
knows there are many who are deceived in our world today.
And if you get asked to seek, you know it's the case. And it's
right on these matters that we've been talking about that the religious
world is deceived. Now, the Lord's Christ has wrought
out a complete righteousness for the justification of his
people, not only atoned for their sins, but wrought out a righteousness
to present them just and perfect and righteous in his blessed
and pure obedience as he lived out his life. Now, we mentioned
just briefly a few minutes ago that we had to be as righteous
as Christ. The Bible says he was without
sin. I don't know what that means to you, but I'll tell you what
it means to me. It means that he'd make a mighty
good substitute for this poor sinner. He was without sin. He
had no sin. He never committed a sin. And
I'm glad this morning to be in him. I'm glad God's not looking
at me apart from him. I'm glad God's not glancing around
him looking at me, aren't you? Oh, hallelujah. God's looking
at me in Him as I stand in His own perfect, blessed Son. And
He imputes the righteousness of Christ to me. Christ is emphatically
called in the Word of God. And I emphasize emphatically
called the Lord our righteousness. And we're told plainly that it
is not through but in the Lord that all the seed of Israel shall
be justified. Remember that. Somebody said,
well, it's through the Lord Jesus. No, my friend, it's in the Lord
Jesus that you will be justified. Are you in Him? Are you in Him? That's the question. This is
why Paul was anxiously concerned to be found in Christ not having
his own righteousness. To be found where? In Christ. Not having your own righteousness,
Paul? Well, let's get the straight
of this. What are you talking about, Paul, not having your
own righteousness? Paul, you were a zealous, you
were a pious, you were obedient, you was a suffering man. Look
at all you went through, shipwrecks, prisons, stripes, perils, labors,
and after all of that, he cannot wear his own righteousness. He
can't wear his own. No, says Paul, I don't want to
wear these filthy garments. What will you wear then, Paul?
What will you wear? Not having mine own righteousness
which is of the law, but that which is through the faith of
Christ, the righteousness which is of God by faith. Paul said
that's the righteousness I'm going to wear. That's what I'm
going to wear. A man clothed and in his right
mind is complete in the Lord Jesus Christ. Nothing can be
added, nothing can be taken away from his standing in the person
of the Lord Jesus Christ. I know Antichrist mocks at the
idea of imputed righteousness or depending upon an imputed
righteousness. We say, upon a death I did not
die, upon a life I did not live, hangs our whole eternity. That's what we say. And the Antichrist
says, no, no, that'll never do. That's imputed nonsense. Imputed nonsense. You'd be surprised
how many preachers this morning, if you ask them about, hey preacher,
what about imputed righteousness? They'd say, that's nonsense. It's nonsense. Well, let me say
this to you, and I am charitable. My charitableness might be questioned
at times, but I am charitable. A man who lives and dies, hear
me out, A man who lives and dies saying that the imputed righteousness
of Christ is nonsense, he dies to be damned as sure as God is
in heaven. Now you hear what I'm saying?
Hear what I'm saying? If he says that the imputed righteousness
of Christ, that doctrine, is nonsense, That man will die and
go to hell if he keeps believing that. There isn't one way in
the world you will ever get past the judgment unless you got on
that white garment of the perfect righteousness of the Lord Jesus
Christ. You go to hell, as sure as I'm
a foot and a half high, unless you be in Christ and you have
His righteousness to be your righteousness. Now this is a
very serious matter. I do not care who he is, or who
he is, or what he's about. If he denies the imputed righteousness
of Christ, he is Antichrist. God's Christ is Christ, our righteousness. Christ is the end of the law
for righteousness to everyone that believeth. Paul said in
Romans 1, 16 and 17, I am not ashamed of the gospel of Christ,
for it is the power of God unto salvation to everyone that believes.
unto the Jew first and also unto the Greek for therein is the
righteousness of God revealed from faith to faith as it is
written the just shall live by faith the righteousness of God
is revealed in the gospel the righteousness of God men go to
hell stumbling over the righteousness of God and Jesus Christ has provided
that righteousness. Now when the Spirit of God brings
this truth, this gospel truth into the conscience of a poor,
burdened, dejected sinner, there is glory born in the soul. Glory born in the soul. Has it
ever dawned on you? Has it ever gladdened your soul? Has it ever rejoiced your heart?
Maybe that most of us here are dead to the word of God and dead
to the truth and most of us here have a lying spirit in us that
we don't, we say Jesus come into flesh, but we're not going to
admit all of this. We're not going to admit it.
Well, my friend, if you ever get around to admitting it, let
me know and I'll rejoice with you. Glory is in the soul of
a man who believes these special blessed truths that we're talking
about, to be led in faith and feeling, to see that we stand
before God in the spotless, pure, perfect obedience of Christ,
His righteousness justifying His elect so fully and completely
that God Himself, by the Apostle Paul, challenges all creation
to lay anything to their charge and says, it is Christ that did
it all. That's what He said. Christ that
did it all. That's what it says. It is done.
Hallelujah, it's done. Christ did it all. Anything short of this is Antichrist. The spirit of Antichrist. Let
the man tell you if you want to, you got a little something
more you need to do. That's the spirit of Antichrist. He said
you can't be happy about this salvation business until you
do this, until you do that, until you do something else. I FOY
on it! I'm telling you, you can be happy
if you're in Christ, and if you know Him, and if Christ be in
you. And that's my next point, and
I'm getting on here and I'm going to close just right away. The
Christ of God, let me make this statement to you, is the life
of God in the soul of the elect. Now get it again, the Christ
of God is the life of God in the soul of the elect. I am the resurrection and the
life. He that believeth in me, though he were dead, yet shall
he live. When Christ who is our life shall
appear, Colossians 3 and 4, then we shall appear with him in glory.
Christ who is our life. When He shall appear, then we're
going to appear with Him in glory. It is Christ in you, Colossians
1 and 27, that is the hope of glory. Christ in you. It is Christ in you. It is God's
Christ formed in your soul, not a Christ without that you're
trying to get acquainted with, that you're trying to some way
or another draw up near. It's a Christ formed in your
soul. by the Holy Spirit. It's a Christ
within. It's the new man that is formed
in the heart. It's the new man, the Lord Jesus. A Christ not in you, as Brother
Bartlett used to say, and this made the hair stand up on my
neck when I heard it the first time, a Christ not in you is
a Christ not yours. Face it. Is He in you? Is He
in you? Does He dwell in your heart by
the Holy Spirit? God's Christ who came in the
flesh lives in the flesh temple of his elect. Think of it, Christ
in you. He was in a body of flesh when
he was here in this world and now he lives in the flesh temple
of his people. Ye are the body of Christ, members
in particular. And the Spirit of God dwells
in you, the Spirit of Christ. If any man, Conrad will testify
that this is the truth, if any man have not the Spirit of Christ,
he is none of his. He don't belong to it. And the
only way you can have the Spirit of Christ is for Christ to be
dwelling in this temple by the Holy Ghost, by the Holy Spirit. Now you breathe in His life,
you walk in His light, you stretch forth your hands in His strength,
From me, Philippians 111, is thy fruit found. Beloved, all
that we're able to do, we do by the inward man, by the strength
of the inward man. And Paul prayed that he might
receive strength in the inward man, that new man that's formed
in us. I mean, that's salvation. That's
what it means. You got to have the Son of God,
this one that came in the flesh. Somebody said, well, how observed
is this? Well, my friend, it's antichrist
to say that this is not truth. That Christ lives in his people.
He lives in his people. He's their life. He's their strength. He's what they're all about. He's there all in all. Now this
is the difference between a corrupt tree and a good tree, is Christ
in you. It is God's Christ in you. A
Christ without is anti-Christ, is what it is, a Christ outside.
This is the Christ that has come in the flesh and you are to try
the spirits of men by this rule. If they preach anything easy
or hard, anything easy, anything hard, but the Lamb of God reject
it. Reject it. It's the Spirit of
Antichrist. If they preach anything, easy
or hard, hear me out. Reject it. Lay any other foundation. Proclaim any other deliverer. Set forth anything, however pious
or good it may appear in itself, to present the sinner before
God. But this Christ and the Spirit of the Lord manifesting
this Christ in the conscience is and Christ. I'll tell you
that God's pleased to put his Son into the lives of his people,
his chosen people, and to manifest himself there. You ever feel
like you might have got a little glimpse of the Lord Jesus in
somebody? Yeah, it's true. If you're a believer, Christ is
there. And you may be so living that it's not as Not as revealing
as it ought to be, but he's there. Christ lives in the heart of
his people. Now my friend, anyone who espouses
a different truth than this, you reject it, you abhor it.
Christ lives in His people. Creature merit, creature works,
creature worthiness in matters of salvation is to be rejected,
and it is to be hated like every false way is to be hated by God's
elect. The life and soul and spirit
of Christianity is God in Christ, Christ in us, and we in Him from
eternity. And brother, sister, we need
to keep this in mind. I charge you in the name of God,
mind what you hear. Mind who you hear. Christ in
the heart. Without him in the heart, this
whole religious mess, my friend, is vain. Without Christ, you
being in Christ, Christ being in you. It's all in vain. And
you can go through the motions until this world is over. And
until you're called out of this world. Death takes you out of
this world. And you will never, never, never
be saved unless you believe that Jesus Christ come into flesh.
And unless you believe that He's this Christ that the Word of
God depicts and sets forth and proclaims. Unless you believe
it. And I'm telling you, few and
far between are the people that believe what was preached right
here this morning in this pulpit. Few and far between. And you
can examine. There's a lot of honest people
in the world. that just simply never heard
what you heard here this morning. There's a lot of people that's
made a perfection of faith that doesn't know all that was involved
in this situation. And I don't know all that's involved
in it. But I'm telling you what I do
know and what the Word of God plainly teaches. Where do you
stand this morning? The Bible says, Of God are ye
in Christ Jesus. The way a man gets into Christ
Jesus is for God to put him in. Are you one of those that believe
on Him this morning? Truly believe on Him? And would
you confess that this truth that has been preached to you today
about God's Christ, would you confess it to be true? Would
you confess the Lord Jesus Christ this morning right here in this
assembly? If so, I believe that you have the true Spirit of God.
The Spirit of God is upon you, and I believe that you've been
born of God. If you stand and confess this
Christ as being your Lord and Savior. No man calls Jesus Lord
but by the Holy Ghost. This creation, I want to say
this, this creation has been redeemed by Christ. And there's
a day coming, this creation is going to be made new, just like
the children of God and the glorious liberty that they have partaken
of, this creation. It's waiting. It's been subjected
to sin and the curse of sin. But one of these days it's going
to be renovated and made new because of Christ that created
it in the beginning and then bought it and purchased it back
from the curse when he died on the tree. My friend, that's going
to be a glorious day when this earth, when it's made new, When
it's all things become new, the former things all pass away.
Be a glorious day. Hallelujah for the Lamb of God.
Hallelujah for Christ. Praise Him. Praise Him.