False Prophets

Q: What does the Bible say about false prophets?

The Bible warns against false prophets and instructs believers to test the spirits to discern whether they are of God (1 John 4:1). The Bible addresses the issue of false prophets in several passages, particularly in 1 John 4:1-6, where believers are urged to not believe every spirit but to test them to see if they are from God. This necessity arises from the presence of many false prophets in the world. The test laid out is that every spirit that confesses that Jesus Christ has come in the flesh is of God, while those that do not are of the spirit of Antichrist. This discernment is essential for grounding one's faith in the truth of God's Word, as it reinforces our understanding of Christ's incarnation and the doctrinal integrity of the gospel.

Q: How do we know if a preacher is true according to the Bible?

In 1 John 4:1-2, the Bible teaches that true preachers confess that Jesus Christ came in the flesh. To determine if a preacher is true, one must examine whether they adhere to the fundamental truth of the gospel—namely, that Jesus Christ has come in the flesh. According to 1 John 4:1-2, true messengers of God will openly profess this central truth. The ability to distinguish between true and false teaching is a vital part of the Christian faith. Believers are exhorted not to accept all teachings at face value but to actively test and discern the messages being proclaimed against the Word of God. This discernment is a spiritual responsibility, critical in safeguarding the integrity of one's faith and the church.

Q: Why is the doctrine of election important for Christians?

The doctrine of election emphasizes God's sovereignty in salvation and assures believers of their identity in Christ (Ephesians 1:4-5). The doctrine of election is foundational in Reformed theology as it highlights God's sovereignty in the process of salvation. Ephesians 1:4-5 proclaims that believers are chosen in Christ before the foundation of the world, underscoring that salvation is not based on human merit or decision but solely on God's gracious choice. This assurance gives Christians confidence in their relationship with God, knowing that they are included in His divine plan. The doctrine also serves to encourage believers to live in light of their calling and to proclaim the gospel boldly, trusting in God's electing grace to work in the hearts of others.

Q: What is the significance of Christ coming in the flesh?

Christ's coming in the flesh signifies His true humanity and the embodiment of God's redemptive work for His people. The significance of Christ coming in the flesh is profound, as it affirms both His true humanity and His role as the Savior. According to 1 John 4:2, recognizing that Jesus Christ has come in the flesh is a hallmark of true Christian doctrine. This incarnation is critical for understanding how Christ represents His people and accomplishes salvation on their behalf. By becoming fully human, Jesus was able to fulfill the law and bear the sins of His people, providing an atonement that is effective and complete. The reality of His incarnation assures believers that He is both fully God and fully man, enabling Him to mediate between God and humankind, fulfilling the promises of God to save His elect.

Q: How should Christians respond to false teachings?

Christians should respond to false teachings by testing them against the truth of God’s Word and contending for the faith (Jude 1:3). Christians are called to actively engage with the teachings they encounter, measuring them against the immutable truth of Scripture. This involves a critical examination of doctrines and a commitment to uphold the truth of the gospel. Jude 1:3 encourages believers to contend for the faith that was once delivered to the saints, which means standing firm against false teachings that might distort the nature of Christ or the gospel message. Furthermore, believers are urged to rely on the guidance of the Holy Spirit to discern and reject teachings that deviate from the truth, thereby protecting the unity and purity of the church.

Q: What does the spirit of Antichrist mean?

The spirit of Antichrist refers to teachings and principles that deny the true nature of Christ and lead people away from the truth of the gospel. The spirit of Antichrist is described in 1 John 4:3, where it signifies a pervasive ideology that opposes the true nature of Jesus Christ and undermines the gospel. This spirit manifests as doctrines that either reject Christ's incarnation or distort His role as Savior. It leads people away from the truth by promoting false teachings that may sound appealing but ultimately lead to spiritual deception. Recognizing the spirit of Antichrist is crucial for Christians, as it allows them to remain vigilant against misleading doctrines that can infiltrate the church and disrupt the integrity of their faith.

Q: Why is it essential to have Christ in our hearts?

Having Christ in our hearts signifies true life and spiritual vitality for believers (Colossians 1:27). The presence of Christ in the hearts of believers is essential for true spiritual life and vitality. Colossians 1:27 states that Christ in you is the hope of glory, indicating that the indwelling of Christ is what empowers and sustains the believer's spiritual existence. Without Christ living within, individuals can only experience a form of religion devoid of the transformative power of the gospel. This divine presence brings about a radical change in character and conduct, allowing believers to reflect the life of Christ through their actions and relationships. Therefore, experiencing Christ in the heart is fundamental for authentic Christianity, as it signifies the believer's union with Him and the active work of the Holy Spirit in their lives.

Turn in your Bibles, if you will,
this morning to the book of 1 John. The book of 1 John chapter 4. I'd like to read the first six
verses of this chapter to you this morning. Beloved, believe
not every spirit. This is the fourth chapter of
the book of 1 John. 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 Where have
you heard that it should come, and even now already is it 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. I wanted to speak this morning
on the first three verses primarily. 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, whereof ye have heard that it should
come, and even now already is it in the world. I do hope this
morning that you would pay particular attention to the things that
we have to say. I believe this to be a very important,
a most important message, and I hope that the Lord will be
pleased to give us understanding as we go along that we may be
able to set forth to you those things that would be of the Spirit
of God this morning. Now it has always been the case,
ever since God first sent prophets into the world, that the devil
has endeavored to imitate him and send out his prophets also. We're told here that there are
many false prophets that are gone out into the world, and
because there are so many false prophets out in the world, we
are not to believe everything we hear. We're not to believe
every preacher that we hear ascend into the pulpit. But we're to
try the spirits, whether they are of God. We're to have a discernment
and we're to be able to try the spirits whether it is of God. Now it seems good in the sight
of God that for wise purposes There should be false prophets
and false teachers to trial the faith of God's elect. Now it
just seems to me that God has allowed that to be so. I do not
feel that there would be any such thing as false prophets
in the world if God had not permitted the tares to be sown among the
wheat. It appears to me that this is
the way in order to test and to try the faith of God's people,
and to test those who are God's elect, that the Lord has allowed
these false prophets to go out into the world. And we have a
most important work. to believe not every spirit,
but to try the spirits, whether they be of God. This is a very
important work that we are given to do as God's dear children
in this world. Now in the book of 1 Corinthians
chapter 11, in verses 18 and 19, Paul the Apostle said, For
first of all, when you come together in the church, I hear that there
be divisions among you, and I partly believe it. Now listen to the
19th verse. For there must be also heresies
among you, that they which are approved may be made manifest
among you. So it appears that God allowed,
even in the early church at Corinth, there to be heretical views and
people who held those heretical views in order that those that
were approved, those that had been accepted of God, God's elect,
those that were in Christ, those that had a standing before God
in the true grace of God, those who were accepted and approved
of by God, that they might stand out in the church, that they
may be made manifest, that it might be clear who it is that
is following the Spirit of God, and who it is that is walking
with the Lord, and who it is that is trying to discern that
which is right in the sight of God. Now this can be a very trying
work for flesh and blood. It can be a very painful work.
Because, you know, when we meet up with people out here in the
world, it's not our first desire to attack them or, in any way,
shape, or form, to start an argument with them or a debate with them,
even though we are told in the Scripture that we must contend
earnestly for the faith that was once delivered unto the saints.
and we have an obligation to stand true to the Word of God,
yet we do not just desire to be debating or fighting all the
time with the religionists of this world. However, we do want
to be alert, we want to be a watchman upon the wall, and we want to
be faithful to God, and we do want to do this work that we're
given to do here by John when he says, Beloved, believe not
every spirit, but you try the spirit. Now this is God's word
and it's God's method. And it becomes the people of
God to look to the Lord for wisdom to direct them in this matter
and attempt to try the spirits that are around them, that are
in this world, whether they be of God. Now these spirits are
not going to be floating around out here without a body. These
spirits will be in a body, and the man who has the spirit, which
is not of God, will have a mouth, and he'll be speaking, and he'll
be proclaiming a message, and he'll be talking about the things
of God. He will be very solemn, maybe,
or maybe he would be an individual that would be very humorous,
I don't know, but he would certainly have a mouth, and he would be
proclaiming a message. And so that's important for us
to know that. We shall try the spirits. Well,
how are we going to try the spirits? Well, first of all, I think that
someone might say, well, you know, I'm a very experienced
Christian. I have been a believer for a number of years. I've had
many experiences. I have traveled with the Lord
for many years. Therefore, I think I can just
try the religion as to this world by my own experience, by my own
experience. I can try them by my own life.
Well, I think that's rather dangerous because, you see, The scripture
says, let him that thinketh, he standeth, take heed lest he
fall. Our own experience may be a true
experience. It may be an experience which
God is the author of. It may be an experience which
has been planted in our soul, has taken root there. Christ
may dwell in us firmly, and we may be truly the children of
God. But nevertheless, Our own experience
is not the judge or the rule that we're to use as a measuring
stick to try the spirits that's out in the world, whether they
be of God. Your own experience may be a delusionary experience. You may be deluded somewhat.
And if you're not one of God's children, you are deluded. You
certainly are. You may say, well, I know the
Bible, preacher. I know it. I've memorized a lot of verses.
You may know, and you might have studied the Scripture from cover
to cover, and know the book of Genesis all the way through the
book of Revelation. You may be acquainted, can tell
us all the books of the Bible, but unless Christ dwells in you,
you are deluded this morning. And the Scripture speaks in 2
Thessalonians 2 and 9 through 12 about God sending strong delusion
to those who will not believe the truth, those who will not
receive the love of the truth, that they might be saved, that
God will send them a strong delusion, that they might all be damned,
that they all might believe a lie and be damned. So there are those
in this world who are in just that state this morning. And
so we cannot try. The rule that we're to apply
to these spirits is not our own experience. Beloved, the rule,
or the measuring stick, is God's unerring Word. God's unerring
Word. We must bring our experience
to the standard of God's Word. If it measures up, wonderful!
Praise God for that! And it ought to be. And when
we have a, Thus saith the Lord, for what we do, for what we feel,
for what we experience, a, Thus saith the Lord, to comfort our
souls, Beloved, this morning I'd like to tell you that that
is a nail that all hell cannot extract out of our conscience
when we have a thus saith the Lord. When God has spoken and
we have that Word, it's a nail that is fastened in a sure place. A thus saith the Lord is worth
a million. A thus saith this man, or that
man, or the other man. A thus saith the Lord. So we're
to try these spirits by the unerring Word of God. Well, let us look
at the rule that is laid down in this text. It says, every
spirit that confesseth. This is the obligation. We're
to examine these spirits. John says, this spirit of Antichrist,
he says it's already out here in the world. It's not something
that we're to wait upon until a day in the future, or until
we get closer maybe in our judgment to the end time. But this is,
right now, this is a work that we're to undertake. Now every
spirit then, keep this in mind, that confesseth that Jesus Christ
is come in the flesh, is not of God, but of Antichrist. If
there is a spirit that says that Christ did not come in the flesh,
then that is antichrist. But you say, preacher, isn't
it true that almost every religionist in this world confesses that
Jesus Christ is come in the flesh? Now, beloved, this is indeed
true. And this becomes a very serious matter, and this makes
our work that much more difficult. I want you to listen carefully.
This is a matter which needs to be looked in today. That 99%
of the religionists in the world would declare that Jesus Christ
is the Son of God and that He come in the flesh. And so what
does this all mean? May God help us this morning
to understand the difference between God's Christ and the
Christ of the world and the false Christ that is out here in the
world. In Matthew chapter 24 and verse
24, I would invite your attention to that verse of scripture. There's
a couple of verses here, verse 23 and 24. Look at these verses. For there shall arise false Christs
and false prophets, and shall show great signs and wonders,
insomuch that, if it were possible, they shall deceive the very elect. There shall arise false Christs
and false prophets, apostles in the world, false prophets
I mean to say, in the world. Paul said in his day that there
were those who preached another Jesus which is not God's Christ. They lived in Paul's day preachers
that preached another Jesus besides the one that Paul preached. So
our business will be to point out God's Christ that has truly
come in the flesh. That will be our business. this
morning. First of all, let me say, and
there's four things that I want to deal with in the time that
I have allotted to me today, and this being a great and awesome
responsibility, I hope that God will enable me to set these things
clearly forth to you that you might be able to keep them and
retain them in your memory. First of all, let me say, I want
to try to differentiate between God's Christ and the false Christ
that's in the religious world. Let me say, first of all, that
God's Christ did indeed come into flesh, and He came into
the world as the elect head of an elect body. The elect head
of an elect body. If you want to know whether or
not a religion is preaching the Christ of God, God's Christ,
who came down from heaven, find out whether or not they believe
that he is the elect head of an elect body of men I turn back
to the 42nd chapter of the book of Isaiah the 42nd chapter of
Isaiah verse 1 Behold my servant whom I uphold mine elect and
in whom my soul delighteth, I have put my spirit upon him. He shall
bring forth judgment to the Gentiles. He shall not cry, nor lift up,
nor cause his voice to be heard in the street. A bruised reed
shall he not break, and the smoking flax shall he not quench. He
shall bring forth judgment unto truth. He shall not fail, nor
be discouraged, till he have set judgment in the earth, and
the isle shall wait for his law. These verses here certainly describe
God's Christ. God's Christ, and we're told
that He's God's servant, and we're told that God upholds Him
in the work and the endeavor that He came into this world,
the purpose He came into this world, the work He came to do,
and God says He's mine elect. He is mine elect. Now in the
book of Ephesians chapter 1, a very familiar verse of scripture
is verse 4, which tells us that not only has God an elect in
Christ, but that He has an elect in Jesus Christ before the foundation
of the world. According, as He has chosen us
in Him, His elect, before the foundation of the
world, that we should be holy and without blame before Him
in love." Now immediately somebody would object and say, Preacher,
you're starting mighty high here when you start with the doctrine
of election. And when you start talking about God's Christ being
an elect head of an elect body, you're starting way too high
for most religionists because they don't know anything about
the doctrine of election. I want to make this statement,
I boldly declare to you that those who do not believe that
Jesus Christ is the elect head of an elect body of people are
antichrists. They do not believe in the Christ,
in God's Christ. They do not believe that Jesus
Christ is truly the true Messiah, the true Christ. If you examine
the Word of God upon this subject, we find that the Lord says He
chose the people in Christ 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."
Isaiah tells us in another place that when he came, his reward
was with him and his work was before him. Now, what is the
reward of the Lord Jesus Christ? Well, the Bible says in Isaiah
53 that he shall see of his seed, he shall see of the travail of
his soul, and he shall be satisfied. And so his reward is his church. His elect people, those that
were chosen in Him 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 the
Father. All of the elect were in Him
before He came down from Heaven. And when He came, He represented
the elect. When He came, He represented
them in His life, and in His sufferings, and in His death
and resurrection. So it is said that they are crucified
with Christ. that is the elect, are crucified
in their head, in their federal representative, the Lord Jesus
Christ. They suffered with Him. It is
said that they suffered with Him and that they are risen with
Christ. They have been raised together
in Him. He is the elect head and all
God's Sheep, all God's saints, are elect in the Lord Jesus Christ. And that's not enough. The Bible
says that we all sit together in heavenly places in Christ
Jesus. So Christ in the flesh, as He
came down from heaven, He didn't take a step in this world in
the flesh without the whole elect body being in His heart and in
His purpose. Everything He did on earth. was
for and on the behalf of his people. 99 out of 100 churches
deny this union. They don't know anything about
it. They don't know anything about God's Christ being an elect body, or being elect,
and all of the elect being chosen in Him, and that when He came,
He came with them already in His heart, in union with Him.
They don't know anything about that. And so this is a matter
that, when called to their attention, brings out in them sometimes,
most of the time, considerable hostility, and proves that theirs
is Antichrist, and theirs is not God's Christ. I do hope the
Lord will enable us to make this clear. It doesn't matter what
people say about other things. If they don't preach the union
between the head and the body and stress the fact that God
elected Christ and then elected all of his people in him, then
it's evident that their religion is anti-Christ. God's Christ
and his people are one. They are one. They have been
one from all eternity. They are never to be separated.
And never will they be two. God's people and Christ and His
people are one. Now I wanted to make that crystal
clear because, you know, we're never to think upon ourselves
apart from Christ. God never thinks of us apart
from Christ. Because He chose us in Christ,
and Christ is our representative before God. God looks to Christ
for everything He demands of us. God never thinks of Christ
apart from His people that are in Him, and we are never to think
of ourselves apart from Jesus Christ. And if you want assurance,
and if you want a blessing, and if you want a foundation under
you spiritually, just remember those things that I just gave
you right now. that you're never to think of
yourself apart from Jesus Christ because God never thinks of us
apart from His Son, the Lord Jesus. Now in 1 Corinthians 12
and 12, I made this statement that Christ and His people are
one. Let me read that verse to you. 1 Corinthians chapter 12
and verse 12. For as the body is one, For as
the body is one, and hath many members, and all the members
of that one body, being many, are one body, listen to this,
so also is Christ. So also is Christ. And so that
brings us to see then that there is this union which is of God
and which was a union that took place in the mind and heart of
God before the foundation of the world. Now in the next place,
observe if you will, that this Christ who is come in the flesh
is not only come to represent His people who are in union to
Him, but He is come in the flesh to accomplish a work that would
finish their salvation for them, that would accomplish salvation
for them, that would complete salvation for them. Now this
is very, very important. The Lord Jesus, the true Lord
Jesus Christ, God's Christ, did not come down here to this world
to make it possible for a son to save himself He did not come
to open a way whereby through the exertions, the personal exertions
and work of men that they might secure their own salvation. I know that there are many, many
people in the religious world that feel that the Lord Jesus
just came to the world to make it possible, just give us a little
bit of help, just put the pry bar under us just a little bit,
that's all we need, just a little bit of help, just a little bit
of encouragement, just a little bit of fanning of the spark of
divine life that's in every man, and we're going to become Christians
because just a little help from the Lord Jesus. This is Antichrist. A Christ of that nature is of
the devil's inventing. It is antichrist. The Christ
of God has come, the Bible says, to save His people from their
sin. The Christ of God came into this
world to finish, Daniel said, transgression, to make an end,
E-N-D, of sin and to bring in everlasting righteousness to
redeem from all iniquity and redeem his people unto God. The Christ of God came down on
a specific mission. He came down to accomplish a
specific work on the behalf of His sheep, His people. Christ, He loved the church,
we're told in Ephesians 5, and He gave Himself for it. He gave Himself for it. Get this little word, it. Jesus
Christ the Jesus God's Christ came into this world to give
himself for the church and their salvation was completed entirely
by the Lord Jesus giving Himself in all of His worthiness, in
all of His merit, in all of His deity under the purpose of God
the Father in rescuing and delivering and saving His people from their
sin. Well, is your Christ one who
gives all men a chance of being saved? Is He a Christ that has
done the best He can to save men and women, and yet they're
not yet saved? Has He just come to make it possible
for them to accomplish the conditions of salvation? You know, some
people say that wherever there's a Bible found, if men will just
read it, they can accomplish the conditions of salvation and
thus be saved for all eternity. Wherever a Bible is found, all
you've got to do is pick it up and accomplish the conditions
of salvation. My friend, as far as I'm concerned,
the man who says that is anti-Christ. He doesn't have an ounce of the
grace of God in him. Jesus Christ came to accomplish
the conditions of salvation on the behalf of his people and
the theory or the idea that everybody has a chance if they just get
busy and do something about it is Antichrist. That's what that
is. That's not of God. That is the
spirit of Antichrist and that confesses not that Jesus Christ
has truly came in the flesh. It is said, Israel shall be saved,
that is spiritual Israel, shall be saved in the Lord, not have
a chance of being saved, but shall be saved in the Lord. They will be saved, it's not
a question as to chance. A chance of being saved? My friend,
have you ever heard anybody talk about a chance of being saved?
That everybody's got a chance to be saved. Listen to me. The declarative glory of the
eternal Trinity hangs not upon a chance. Now, I want you to
get what I'm saying here. The honor of God the Father,
the honor and the effect of the work of the Son of God, the honor
of God the Spirit in His quickening and enlightening and sanctifying
power, it does not hang on a chance. Now this is very important. And
as they would go ahead to explain, these religionists that are anti-Christ,
that this chance is to be accomplished by man. It's to be accomplished
by man. A poor, dying, crawling reptile,
they wouldn't call him that. They'd say, well, he's an offspring
of God, and he's this, and he's that, and he's something else,
but he's a crawling reptile. He's a worm of the dust, a wiggling
maggot is what he is. I'm talking about man. And somebody
says he's got a chance. I'll tell you what kind of chance
he has if he was chosen in God and chosen by God in Christ before
the foundation of the world. He will be saved. He will indeed
be saved. No chance involved in it whatsoever. The choice is God's choice. And God has made a choice of
his people. Well, so that doctrine is this
business of chance. It is Antichrist and it's insulting
to God's Christ to imply that he came down from heaven in the
flesh and did the work that he did in order to give people a
chance. That's insulting to God's Christ. The Christ of God that has come
in the flesh has accomplished this blessed, this God-glorifying
work of the salvation of his people. Now don't you see how
this separates? religionist and how that it separates
God's people from the rest of the world in regards to religion. Any other Christ is not the Christ
of God, but is the Antichrist, another Jesus, one of these false
Christs that the Lord said would arise and deceive many. Now God knows that there are
many in this world who are deceived. Mike was talking about maybe
half of the people that heard the song at the funeral, or sung
the song at the funeral, might have knew the grace of God. I
say that would be just as, that'd be tremendously charitable to
say such a thing. I know of so few people in this
world that know anything about the true grace of God that I'm
inclined to believe that the majority of religions this morning,
just in our little town of Great Falls here, are Antichrist. They're antichrists. Say what
they will, make all of the fuss that they want to make, raise
all of the money they can raise, they're antichrists because they
don't believe that God's Christ came down from heaven and accomplished
the work that God sent him to accomplish. Now the third thing
is this. We're trying to distinguish between
the spirit which confesses that Jesus Christ is come in the flesh
and those who say that he did not. The Lord's Christ has wrought
out a complete Now get this, a complete righteousness for
the justification of his people. Not only did he atone for their
sins, but he wrought out a righteousness to present them just and perfect
and righteous in his own blessed and pure obedience. Now you listen
to what I'm saying to you and I hope poor soul that this will
be of some encouragement to you as you are in this world between
having come in this world and making your departure from it.
May God be pleased to bless this to your heart. Christ is emphatically
called the Lord our righteousness. We're told plainly in the fifth
chapter of the book of Romans that it is through the obedience
of one that many are made righteous. By His knowledge shall my righteous
servant justify many. Christ is emphatically called
the Lord of Righteousness. Now then, this is why Paul... Let me back up just a minute.
We're told plainly in another scripture that it is not through
but in the Lord that all of the spiritual seed of Israel shall
be justified. Not through, but in the Lord
shall all the spiritual seed be justified. This is why Paul
was anxiously concerned to be found in Christ not having his
own righteousness. Now, not having his own righteousness,
you say? Well, Paul, what do you mean
by saying you don't want to have your own righteousness? Wouldn't you like to have your
own righteousness? Wouldn't everybody here like
to have their own? I think everybody here does have
their own. I think we have a little bit,
you know. I made the statement, I think
I read it somewhere, where that idealism is as addictive as morphine. And everybody has this ideal. And they think they meet up.
They think they're ideal people. And they have a certain set of
morals. And they're righteous. And they
have their own righteousness. And Paul said, he said, I don't
want to be... He said, I don't want to have...
Let's get this straight, Paul. You mean you don't want a righteousness
of your own? He said, That's what he said. He said, I don't want to be found
in my own righteousness. Well, Paul was zealous. Paul
was pious. Paul was obedient to the Lord. Paul was a suffering man. Paul
went through many, many things for the sake of the gospel. He went through shipwrecks. He
was in prison. He had stripes. He was in perils. He had many, many labors for
the gospel's sake. But after all of that, Paul says,
I cannot wear my own righteousness. I can't wear it. Paul, you don't
want to wear your own righteousness. Where are you going, Paul? Well,
I'm going to stand before God. I'm going to stand before the
judge of all the earth. I'm going to stand before the
God that's so holy, He cannot look upon sin, He cannot tolerate
sin in His presence. And I'm going before that God.
What are you going to wear, Paul? What are you going to wear? Paul
said, well, I'm not going to wear my own filthy garments. I don't want to stand before
God in my own righteousness. I don't want to wear what I've
manufactured, what I've been able to conjure up, what I've
been able to produce. Well, then what would you wear?
He says in Philippians 3.9, 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 what I want
to stand before God in. I don't want to stand before
God in any other garment. Now listen to me, a man clothed
and in his right mind is a man who stands in Christ having not
his own righteousness, but that righteousness which is by the
faith of Jesus Christ. You are never spiritually clothed
and in your right mind until you stand in the righteousness,
the imputed righteousness of the Lord Jesus Christ. Now I
know that the Antichrist makes this idea of imputed righteousness,
this idea of depending upon the imputed righteousness of a substitute,
the righteousness of another being accredited or reckoned
to our account. They call it imputed nonsense. That's what the religion is calling.
They say it's imputed nonsense. You're going to have to be holy
yourself. You're going to have to have
a personal righteousness of your own. Pray tell me, what did the
Apostle Paul, what was he talking about when he said I don't want
to have a righteousness of my own according to the law? He
said I don't want that. What was he talking about when
he said, if righteousness come by the law, Christ is dead in
vain? What was he talking about? What
did he mean when he said that there's therefore now no condemnation
to them which are in Christ Jesus? What did he mean by these statements?
Well, I tell you, listen to me. These people that say that it's
nonsense, to believe in imputed righteousness. Well, I'm charitable
too, and I'll tell you how charitable I am. That any man who lives
and dies saying that the righteousness of Jesus Christ is imputed nonsense,
dies to be damned as sure as God is in heaven. That's what
I'm telling you this morning. I'm telling you that the only
righteousness that a man dare appear in the presence of God
with is the imputed righteousness of the Lord Jesus Christ. Christ
is the end of the law for righteousness to everyone that believes. Now
this is God's Christ I'm talking about. He's provided a righteousness
that will get us by the bar of God. Now isn't that a wonderful
thing? He came down here to do that. David said, I'll speak
of thy righteousness all day long. Well, why not? Why not? Brother, sister, if that righteousness
can fix us up so that not even God can find fault with us, that
we're holy and without blame before him in love and without
spot, a blemish, or any such thing, then why should we not? Preach that up. And why should
we not glory in that? I don't care who he is or what
he is. God's Christ is God's righteousness. And Paul said in Romans 1 and
16, he said, I'm not ashamed of the gospel of Christ, for
it is the power of God to salvation to everyone that believeth, unto
the Jew first and also unto the Greek for their end. Therein
is the righteousness of God revealed from faith to faith. that just
shall live by faith as it is written that just shall live
by faith. So my friend, it's in the gospel
that the righteousness of God is revealed from faith to faith. How do you get it? By believing
God. Men that believe God are righteous
before God in the righteousness of the Lord Jesus Christ. Now
anybody that's out here in the world preaching up the idea that
Well, you know, if you can get Jesus to help you, and if you
just got enough of your own to put with it, that you'll surely
get over the hump and surely, oh surely, you're going to have
a great day in glory when the Lord calls you home if you just
have put your hand to the wheel and if you just have done your
part. My brother, my sister, I hope
nobody here dies hoping and trusting in their part having been done. There's not a one of us here
desperately as we try There's not a one of us here that's got
anything to offer to God. We have done nothing more than
that which was our duty to do, even if we have done our duty. And that still puts us in the
category of unprofitable servants. We have not produced what we
ought to have produced in this world. But that's why God's Christ
came in the flesh and lived an obedient life. That's why He
lived a perfect life. That's why He pleased God, honored
the law, and made it, listen to me, a special thing in that
He fulfilled it and obeyed it. And so my point is this, to say
anything less than this is to be Antichrist. When the
Spirit of God brings this truth, this gospel truth, into the conscience
of a poor, burdened, dejected sinner, there's glory. in his or her soul there's glory. Now I know that maybe I'm not
talking to sinners that are convinced but I'm telling you that when
you become a convinced, poor, burdened, dejected sinner and
you have nothing to offer to your God and this truth comes
into your conscience that Jesus come in the flesh, he's the Lord
our righteousness, there'll be glory in your soul. 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 in the 8th Romans all creation to lay anything
to their charge. Who can lay anything to the charge
of God's elect? It is Christ that died. Yea, rather, that is risen again,
and I Believe it. I believe it. Anything short
of this is Antichrist. Boy, now that, start a fight
in a hurry, wouldn't it? Start a fight in a hurry. But
I'm telling you what the Word of God teaches. I have struggled
to find out who God's Christ is. I want to believe in Him,
don't you? The one who came in the flesh.
I want to believe in Him. He's the elect head of an elect
body. He came into the world. He provided
atonement. He died, sure enough, specifically
for definite people. And he provided a righteousness
for those people to stand in before God from the least saint
to the greatest saint. He provided a righteousness that
would be equal, perfect, complete, in Christ. The last thing I want
to talk about. I must hurry. Time is getting
away here. The one who truly came in the flesh, this is very
important to see, is the life of God in the soul of the elect. The life of God in the soul of
the elect. Well, what's my point? My point
is that religionists and the Antichrist, they have a Christ
that is without. A Christ that is without. God's
elect have a Christ, the Christ of God, indwelling their heart. He lives in their heart. Because
He lives, they live. Because He lives in them, they're
alive. Now you follow me a minute. Jesus
said, I'm the resurrection and the life. He that believeth in
me, though he were dead, yet shall he live. When Christ, Paul
said in Colossians 3, 4, who is our life. shall appear, then we shall appear
with Him in glory." That's Colossians 3 verse 4. And in Colossians
1 and 27, Paul said, it is Christ in you that is the hope of glory. It is God's Christ formed in
your soul. not a Christ without who is an
example, not a Christ without who is a picture on a wall or
a Christ that can help you, a Christ that can possibly educate you,
give you some light on the way of life, but a Christ in you,
a Christ that is formed in your soul, not a Christ without, but
a Christ within That is the life of God of the soul and this is
the difference between a lost man and a saved man. Now Christ,
Brother Barnard said this, not in you is a Christ not yours. If he's not in you, then he's
not yours. God's Christ who came in the
flesh lives in his elect and they live in him. You breathe in His life, you
walk in His light, you stretch forth your hands in His strength. From me is thy fruit found. Philippians 1, 11. Let me read
that verse to you. Philippians 1 and verse 11. Listen to these words here. Being
filled with the fruits of righteousness, which are by Jesus Christ unto
the glory and praise of God. Now, I think we can see. The drift here. This is what
a Christian is. This is the difference between
life and death, spiritually speaking, is does Christ dwell in you?
Does he live in your heart? This is the difference between
a corrupt tree and a good tree. The difference between a tree
bringing forth good fruit and bad fruit is whether or not Christ
is living within. This gives us the principle of
godliness, Christ dwelling in us. The Living Christ! being
drawn out in character in our very lives. This is so important
to see this. There is a solemn vitality to
Christ being in the soul. And unless he's there, dwelling
in you. And God's Christ that he comes
and dwells in his people right in their souls. He takes up residence
in their souls. He puts down rebellion in their
soul and in their life. And he moves in! Christ dwells
in the hearts of His people by the Holy Spirit. It is God's
Christ in you. A Christ without is anti-Christ. And oh, how many religions is
there that points to this and that, some point to the elements
of the Lord's Supper, this is the sacraments, and they try
to get Christ in them by taking You know, they're taking the
cracker and drinking the wine. They don't know nothing about
Him dwelling and living in the heart. Him taking up residence
in here. Him changing a man. A man becoming a new creature
in Christ. Because Christ is in Him. They
don't know anything about a Christ within. It's all a Christ without. And the religion of this world
is Christ without, really. They have nothing inside. This
is the Christ that come in the flesh. And you're to try the
spirits of men by these rules that I've given you here this
morning. If they preach anything easy or hard, but the Lamb and
His blood, if they 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
that we have set forth to you this morning, and the Spirit
of the Lord manifesting this Christ in the conscience, it
is antichrist. I tell you it is Antichrist.
Reject it and abhor it. It's your duty to do it. Creature
merit, creature works, creature worthiness in the matter of salvation
is to be rejected and it's to be hated by God's elect. The
life and the soul and the spirit of Christianity is God in Christ
and Christ in you and we in him and that from eternity. That's the heart and the soul
of Christianity. I charge you in the name of God
to mind what you hear and to mind who you hear. Christ in
the heart. Without him in the heart, religion
is all going to just swivel up to nothing. It is nothing without
Christ in you. Now these are the things which
I believe if we were to mark them down, study them carefully,
God's Spirit giving us discernment in the things of God would enable
us to distinguish and to try the spirits whether they are
of God or not. They would enable us to do that.
Whether a man really believes in God's Christ who came in the
flesh or whether he Now I tell you what, if we'd have had all
the religionists in Great Falls here in this place this morning,
we really had a brawl before this was over with. I'm satisfied,
wouldn't you? I'm just satisfied we would have had a brawl on
our hands. Might have been in trouble before
we might not have been able to get out of this place. Because I
tell you, when you begin to examine and study Pray for discernment
and ask God to give you some leading of the Spirit in these
matters. You just find out. The Spirit
of Antichrist that John said is already in the world. It's
here now. It's been here. Listen, potpourri
is the Spirit of Antichrist. Creature worth, creature merit,
creature strength, all the creature. Potpourri is Antichrist. ninety nine out of a hundred
really don't have to mention her name I'm just being as honest with
you as I know how to be you pray for me if you think I've been
uncharitable just ask God to give this preacher a charitable
heart I live by charity I must be charitable I must be I have
to be and so you pray for me that I'll have a charitable heart
But these things that I've talked to you about this morning, these
things, brother, sister, deeply rooted in my soul, and I'm convicted
of these things, and I'm obligated to set them forth to you. May
God use them in your heart, your life. Mike, would you lead us
in prayer?

False Prophets

What does the Bible say about false prophets?

How do we know if a preacher is true according to the Bible?

Why is the doctrine of election important for Christians?

What is the significance of Christ coming in the flesh?

How should Christians respond to false teachings?

What does the spirit of Antichrist mean?

Why is it essential to have Christ in our hearts?

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False Prophets

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