Jesus Christ Is Come In the Flesh

Now let's turn in the scriptures to 1 John chapter 4. I'm going to speak tonight from
the first six verses of 1 John chapter 4 on the subject, Jesus
Christ is come. in the flesh. Jesus Christ is
come in the flesh. Now, our Lord is pleased to use
men, like you and me, to preach the
gospel and to teach his word. In fact, If we hear from God, if we truly
hear from God, it'll have to be by his word
preached by man or taught by man. Now that's just so. I thought a long time before
I wrote that down. We know for a fact that God is
pleased to use men like me and like you. to witness, to preach,
to teach his word. Now, I've never heard a voice from heaven, have you? Honestly,
I never have. About all I've ever learned about
God and about the gospel, I've learned from hearing someone
preach, reading the writings of some God-called individual. reading God's word, or hearing someone teach. Would
that be true? That's so far as I'm concerned,
all I've learned. And yet the scripture says that.
Don't turn to these places. Let me just turn quickly, because
I want to move right along, but listen to the word of God. Christ
sent his disciples out to preach, and this is what he said to them.
Now you go and teach all nations, go teach them, and baptize them
in the name of the Father, and the Son, and the Holy Spirit,
and teach them to observe all things whatsoever I have commanded
you. You go teach them." That's what
the word said. And then, of course, you know
that passage in Romans, every one of us can quote it. Whosoever
shall call on the name of the Lord shall be saved. But how
shall they call on him in whom they haven't believed? And how
shall they believe in him of whom they haven't heard? And
how shall they hear without a preacher? Doesn't it say that? And how
shall they preach except they be sent? How beautiful are the
feet of them that preach the gospel, that bring good news
from a far country. And then of course in Ephesians,
you remember this passage where he that descended, has ascended,
and he's given some apostles, some prophets, some evangelists,
some missionaries and pastors, that the children of God might
be taught in the word, that there would be no more children driven
to and fro by every wind that passes through, every strange
or new voice, but that we'd be established and grounded and
grow up in Christ. That's why he sends these men.
And then the scripture says in 1 Corinthians, it pleased God
by the foolishness of preaching to save them that believe. And
is this not illustrated at Pentecost? God didn't send an angel to preach
at Pentecost. He sent a man. Is this not illustrated
in the conversion of Cornelius? He sent Peter to preach to Cornelius. Is this not illustrated in the
conversion of Lydia? She was down by the riverside,
where prayer was wont to be made, worshiping with these women,
and they didn't know a thing. Topal came down and sat down
on a rock and told them about Christ. God sent him down, the
Philippian jailer, and did not the Ethiopian eunuch say, in
answer to Philip's question, do you understand what you're
reading? And he said, how can I? Well, there are a lot of ways
he could. God could send an angel, but
he doesn't. How can I except some man show
me? But you know, Paul said, I don't
want you to hear what I'm saying as it were the word of man. I want you to hear it as the
word of God. It is the word of God. And your faith should not
stand in the wisdom of men, but in the power of God. But nevertheless,
let's be established. If we hear from God, we're going
to hear from a man. There was a man sent from God
whose name was John. And that goes all the way back,
all the way back. But now secondly, we're faced
with a dilemma. We're faced with a real dilemma,
always have been, but especially, especially right now, especially
in this country. There are preachers and teachers
and religious witnesses and people everywhere, literally everywhere,
who claim to speak for God. There are almost as many women
preaching now as there are men. On television, I'm no imagining
churches, but on television, every time I turn it on there's
a different woman preaching or teaching. There are a thousand
different voices saying a thousand different things. Is that not
true? A thousand different voices. There, you go over this town
and see all the churches and all the denominations and all
the preachers. all the quartets and all the
teachers, whom do we believe? They all use a Bible. They all
claim to speak for God. Whom do we believe? I know you're
in a, you say, why should we believe you? That's a good question. It's
a question you ought to ask, too, and that's what John's dealing
with here in 1 John 4. Where we are tonight, the scripture
Bob read to us, and John forcefully, emphatically and boldly says,
Beloved, Beloved, believe not every spirit. The word spirit there signifies
a person who claims to be endowed with the gift of the spirit. What he's talking about here
is Beloved, believe not every preacher. Believe not every preacher. Believe not every teacher. Believe not every religious character. Don't believe every
one. There are plenty of them. And
the word spirit here signifies a person who claims to be endowed
with a spirit to perform the office of prophet, pastor, preacher,
teacher. And we are not, emphatically
not, to believe every person who lays claim to that distinction.
We're not to do it. And we're not to do it. That
starts with this pastor here. There are plenty of pastors.
These elders, there are plenty of elders. These Sunday school
teachers, there are plenty of teachers. They're just, the woods
are full of them. Literally full of them, and more
every day. But the next line he says is this, beloved don't
believe every preacher, every teacher, every religious person,
but do what? Try, try the spirit, try these
preachers, try these teachers, put them to the test, put them
to the test, don't be like a big mouthed bass and just come flying
along in anything that looks good swallowing. Try the spirits whether they
are of God. Try these preachers. Well, how
are they to be tried? I tell you, number one, they're
to be tried by the Word of God. And the only way you can successfully
try them is for you yourself to become acquainted with this
book. Now, I'm serious about this. Ignorant people fall prey to
ignorant preachers. because neither one of them know
anything. Try the Spirit. I would like you to turn to this
passage, Acts 17.11. Now this is the first way that
a preacher, and I'm talking about this one, I'm talking about next
Wednesday night when Bob Coffey stands here, try him, he wants
you to. When Tom Harding, Charles Pennington,
John Chapman, Ron Trabant, back there in the clashes, when Frank
Tate, Cecil Roach, isn't that right Cecil? I want to be tried,
tried by the word of God. They tried Paul, these Bereans
did, listen, Acts 17.11, Acts 17.11, These were more noble
than those in Thessalonica, in that they received the word of
God with all readiness of mind, and searched the scriptures daily,
whether those things were so. Now, a man's dishonesty doesn't
want you to search the scriptures when he preaches. He doesn't
want you to believe something because he says it or because
he's experienced it. He wants you to believe it because
God said it. God said it. And that's how you examine them.
Over there, don't turn to this. You know this scripture without
turning to it. Isaiah chapter 8, he says this,
Isaiah 8 verse 19, When they shall say to you, Seek unto them
that have familiar spirits. A lot of these preachers claim
familiar spirits. God speaks to them. Spirits speak
to them. Demons speak to them. Unto wizards
that peep and mutter, should not a people seek unto their
gods? Going to the, for the living,
to the dead? To the law, to the testimony,
if they speak not according to this word, it's because there's
no light in them, there's no morning, there's no dawning,
there's no truth, if they speak not according to the word. So
the Bible itself, it will become acquainted with the word of God. The word of God will expose most
of these fellows. Oh, easily, easily. When men speak of life, salvation
by law or works, Bible exposes them readily, just like that.
You are able to say, not by works of righteousness which we've
done, but according to his mercy hath he saved us. You immediately
go to the scripture, it says, therefore we conclude a man is
justified by faith without the deeds of the law. See, when you
know the Bible, a fellow comes along preaching law and works
for salvation, free will, it's not of him that will it, nor
of him that run it, it's of God that showeth mercy. Human righteousness? Our righteousness
is a filthy rag. The word will just run around
the pulpit if we'll commit that scripture to our hearts, you
know. When they preach the advocacy of Mary, nobody here has any
problem with Catholicism and the Blessed Virgin. Hail Mary,
Mother of God, pray for us poor sinners. Immediately when someone
says that, you say, she can't pray for me. If one mediator
between God and man, God and men, the man Christ Jesus, learn
the word. Learn the word and you won't
be suckered in by these money grabbers and con men and dishonest
professional preachers. The priesthood of the church?
There's no priesthood of the church. Christ is our great high
priest. Church can't save you. The church
with its sacraments or anything else. There's no strength or
power in baptism to forgive sins. We're not to sprinkle water on
poor little babies and count them in the covenant. When preachers
stand up and talk about, God wants to do this and wants to
do that, but you have to let him, you know immediately, that's
not God. For the scripture says, none can stay my hand, or say
unto me, what doest thou? He said, have I not spoken it?
Can I not bring it to pass? Have I not purposed it? Shall
I not do it? That's our God, you see what
I'm saying? Any time a man stands in the pulpit and starts talking
about the weakness of God, the inability of God, the impotence
of God, why? You can just shoot him down with
a half a dozen scriptures immediately. Just shoot him out of the pulpit. When they start talking about
Sabbath keeping and sacraments and all kinds of church traditions
special holy days and holidays and traditions and touch not,
taste not, handle not, you can't eat this, can't eat that, can't
go here, can't go there, pay your tithe and God will bless
you, sow a seed of faith and it will multiply. You know you
can't buy God. It's quite obvious that these
men are not true preachers of God. So I say they're obvious
when they stand in the pulpit. Try them. Now, I don't mean for
us to become critics of sermons. I don't mean for us to sit like
the artists, you know, and measure everybody that gets in the pulpit.
You won't get a blessing that way. But if you become saturated
with the Word of God, it becomes just a part of you. It's like
you men who've worked on the job. Now you've worked as a carpenter
or an electrician or a plumber and a fella comes in claims to
be an electrician and you watch him start putting the wrong wire
on the wrong place. It's like that to you. You don't
have to examine him. You see what he's doing. Hey
fool, don't do that, you know. And the same thing's true when
you've become knowledgeable of the scriptures. I mean the scriptures
as a whole. Now, this is what a lot of folks
don't understand. They get a few pet scriptures
out here and there, you know, like a crow and a cornfield,
and memorize those. This is one book. This is one
message. This is one story. This scripture
goes together like this. You see what I'm saying? It's
Christ. It's his story. It's about redemption through
the blood. It's not, the Bible's not, you
don't read it like you read a book of Proverbs, or a book of
good sayings, or quaint sayings, or something like that. You read
it as a whole. It stands together. The Bible
means what it means. And whatever, it's a, don't Individual
verse is of a private interpretation. They can't stand alone. It stands
with the whole scriptures. Now, look at the next line. Beloved,
don't believe every preacher. Try the preachers. Try them by
the word of God, whether they be of God. Because many, look
at that word, many, many false prophets have gone out into the
world. Many, many of them. Our Lord
warns us about them. He says in Matthew 7, beware
of false prophets. Beware of them. They come to
you as wolves in sheep's clothing. You'll know them by their fruits.
Then hold that passage and turn to 2 Corinthians. I want to show
you just how subtle this thing is. You see,
these false preachers, they don't come saying there's no God. They don't come advocating immorality,
they come preaching righteousness. They don't come denying that
Jesus Christ died on the cross. The Galatians didn't do that,
they just added something to it. See what I'm saying? These
fellows are tricky. There's just enough poison, there's
a whole lot of truth and a whole lot of poison. Somebody told
me one time, said, rat poison is 95% good food, or the rats
wouldn't eat it. But they got just enough poison
in there to kill them. And these fellas have enough
poison mixed with some truth. You listen to them, they say
the words you say and the words God's preachers say. But when
you're knowledgeable of the scriptures, you can detect where they come
in with man. and with the flesh. 2 Corinthians
chapter 11, verse 13. 2 Corinthians 11, 13. For such are false apostles,
they are deceitful workers. They transform themselves into
the apostles of Christ. And no marvel, for Satan himself
is transformed into an angel of I hear these preachers on
television talking about Satan, and I know immediately they don't
know anything about him. They don't know anything about him.
Satan's in the pulpit. Satan's in religion. Satan's
not in charge of the dives of sin. Satan wants
to twist the word of God and get people trusting themselves
and not Christ. He's set to destroy the glory
of Jesus Christ. He's set to lift up man in his
own righteousness, in his own strength. That's what he said
to Adam, you won't die, you'll be like God. Don't you want to
be like God? Just think, you follow my advice, you'll be like
God. He's not talking about Adam being a devil, he's talking about
him being like God. And that's how he got him. He's transformed
into an angel of light, therefore it's no great thing if his ministers,
Satan's ministers, also be transformed as the ministers of what? Morality. Righteousness. Whose end shall be according
to their works. Righteousness. That's right. You do this, you do that, gotta
do something else. If you live this way and live
that way, God will bless you, your righteousness. And then
2 Peter, you want to go over there just a moment, 2 Peter
chapter 2, listen to verse 1. But there were false prophets
also among the people, that is, among Israel, even as there shall
be false teachers among you, who privilege shall bring in
damnable heresies, even denying the Lord that bought them. Now
we're going to see this in a moment. And bring upon themselves swift
destruction, and many shall follow their pernicious ways, by reason
of whom the truth shall be evil spoken of. And through covetousness,
I guarantee you every false preacher has a motive. Every false preacher
has a motive. Covetousness is some reason for
gain, for self-glory, for self-praise, for a lot of reasons. But through
covetousness shall they with feigned words, disguised words,
make merchandise of you. Use people. We're talking about
this Saturday night. I preach you to use people for
their own ends and goals and gifts. Use them. They're numbers,
statistics. They use people. They make merchandise. You know, a fella runs a store.
He's not in love with those bolts of cloth over there. They're
just bolts of cloth. They come in the back door, puts
them on the table there, and he sells them, and the more he
sells, the bigger business he has. And he's not especially
fond of those bolts of cloth. He's not especially fond of those
earrings. He's not especially fond of those watches. They're
just merchandise. And the more merchandise he moves,
the wealthier he is. The more merchandise he moves,
the more popular he is. The more merchandise he gets
in and moves out, the more men praise him. Preachers got that
disease, too. You're just merchandise. Wouldn't
you hate to be merchandise? Wouldn't you hate if I just thought
you were merchandise? Or these men that preach, if
you were just merchandise to them, you were just bodies, you
were just names and numbers and That's what he says, they'll
make merchandise out of you, they're hucksters. And their
judgment now of a long time lingers not, their damnation slumbers
not. God's going to get them. Barnard
used to say he wished they'd put a bounty on the head of all
these false Armenian preachers, about $25 a head, and let him
just put their scalps around his belt, you know. But we don't
need to do that, God's going to deal with them. God's going
to deal with it. God's going to wear the scout
belt. He sure is. He's going to deal with them.
There's not any crime greater than damning a man's soul by
teaching him a false doctrine. There ain't no crime in the book
that's as wicked as to stand here in this place and tell men
a lie about God. Forgave. There is no greater
crime. I believe that. They deserve
hell, and the sooner the better. Now go back to my text. There
are many of them too. Many of them. Verse 1, 1 John
4, Beloved, don't you believe every preacher? You try them
by the word of God, whether they are of God, because there are
many of them, and they're going out into this world. Now, before
I read verse 2, listen to me. Most false preachers can be exposed
by the word easily. easily, clearly, plainly, quickly. But John lays down in verse 2 a special mark, a special mark
by which the false prophets can be identified, a special mark.
Now I know some of them are so subtle and so tricky that they'll
deceive if it were possible that they elect. There's some of them razor-thin
close, but they're still off the gospel. But now, here's the
measurement, here's the test, here's the examination. No false
preacher can escape. This could have one of them. Hereby, here's the way that you
know the preacher of God, the Spirit of God, the Holy Spirit
of God, and the man whom the Holy Spirit uses. Here's how
you know a preacher of God. Every preacher, spirit, that
confesses that Jesus Christ is come in the flesh is of God. And every preacher that confesses
not that Jesus Christ is come in the flesh is not of God. Is that all? That statement is loaded for
baptism. That statement. Jesus Christ
is come in the flesh. Let's see how loaded it is. First,
I'll say this to you. Here's the question. What think
ye of Christ? Whose son is he? Who is he? What did he do? Why did he do
it? Where is he now? In other words,
Jesus Christ is the sum and substance of all scripture. Jesus Christ
is the only revelation of the living God. Only one. The only
revelation of the living God. Jesus Christ is the sole object
of a believer's faith. Jesus Christ is the whole foundation
of acceptance with God. Jesus Christ is the covenant
of grace itself. Jesus Christ is the only prophet,
priest, and king. Jesus Christ is the cornerstone
on which the living temple of God is built. Jesus Christ is
the same yesterday, today, and forever. Jesus Christ is wonderful,
counselor, the mighty God, the everlasting Father. Jesus Christ
is all and in all. And therefore, he is the stone
at which all heretics finally stumble. They may get by your
tradition, they may get by your memorization of scripture, they
may get by this and get by that, but I guarantee you when they
come to this place, that's when they stumble. Who is Jesus Christ? That's it. Every preacher that
confesses that Jesus Christ is come in the flesh is sent from
God, from God, and of God. And we're pointing into God.
And what is contained in that one statement? First, Jesus. Turn to Matthew 1. Oh boy, here
it is, Matthew 1. Listen, Jesus. Jesus. In Matthew chapter 1, God sent
an angel down here to talk to Mary's espoused husband, Joseph. In verse 20 of Matthew 1, And
while Joseph thought on these things, behold, the angel of
the Lord appeared to him in a dream, saying, Joseph, thy son of David,
fear not to take unto thee Mary thy wife, for that which is conceived
in her is of the Holy Ghost. She shall bring forth a son,
and thou shalt call his name Jesus. For he shall save his
people from their sins, Now all this was done, that it might
be fulfilled which was spoken of the Lord by the prophet, saying,
Behold, a virgin shall be with child, shall bring forth a son,
and thou shalt call his name Emmanuel, God with us." God with
us, that's Jesus. He's their God of their God,
and yet he's the Son of Mary. He's the Son of God, He's the
Son of Man, Jesus. Notice our text again, it says
Jesus Christ is coming to flesh. In the Old Testament, He's called
the Messiah. Messiah will come to the temple.
In the New Testament, He's called the Christ. Jesus, their God
of their God, God incarnate in human flesh, and He's the Christ. Who is the Christ? Well, in Genesis,
he's the seed of woman. In Exodus, he's the Passover
lamb. He's the rock, he's the manna.
In Leviticus, he's the great atonement. In Deuteronomy, he's
the city of refuge. Actually, he is. In Ruth, he's
the kinsman redeemer. In Job, he's my redeemer that
liveth. In Psalm, he's my shepherd In
Isaiah, he's our substitute. In Jeremiah, he's the Lord, our
righteousness. In Ezekiel, he's the glory of
the Lord. In Micah, he's Bethlehem's infant. In Malachi, he's a messenger
of the covenant. And a man who cannot preach redemption
and preach Jesus Christ from the Old Testament is not God's
preacher. Every Old Testament promise picture,
prophecy, is none other than a revelation of Jesus Christ. Who he is, and what he came to
do. That's right. You see, Paul wrote to the Corinthians
and he said this, he said, I preach to you the gospel. How that Jesus
Christ died for our sins, according to the scriptures. He was buried
and rose again, according to the scriptures. All right, go back to the text.
This, I'll tell you, this statement. Jesus. Oh, who he is. Jesus. Jesus. The Christ. What think ye of
the Christ? We know that when Messiah comes,
he'll tell us all things. John said, I'm not the Christ.
Consent the bear witness of the Christ. He's the Christ. He's
the Messiah. He's the substitute. Now it says
here, listen. Jesus Christ is come. He is come. What does that mean, preacher?
He was before he came. August the 19th, 1926, I made
my appearance on this planet Earth. When were you born? But I'll tell you this as the
first recognition of you in history. You didn't exist before, but
when he came, whenever it was, he is come. Jesus Christ is come. The messenger is come to the
temple. He is come. He said, Father glorify
me with the glory which I had with thee before the world was. In the beginning was the Word,
and the Word was with God, and the Word was God, and all things
were made by him. Without him was not anything
made that was made. This Jesus, this holy thing,
born of a virgin, Immanuel, this Christ that this Bible is all
about, the Christ, the Christ, the Messiah, the seed of woman,
the Redeemer, is come. He is come. He is come. I want you to turn to Proverbs.
Book of Proverbs, chapter 8. I tell you, you can turn anywhere
in this Bible, and this Christ don't have a page. But you've
got to have anointed eyes. You've got to have a perception
of who he is. Proverbs 8. Now this is talking
about wisdom. But any enlightened person, Proverbs
8 verse 24, any enlightened person knows who wisdom is. Listen,
when there were no depths, I was brought forth. When there was
no fountains abounding with water, before the mountains were settled,
before the hills, was I brought forth. While as yet he had not
made the earth, nor the fields, nor the highest part of the dust
of the world, the mountains, when he prepared the heavens,
I was there. When he set a compass upon the face of the depth, when
he established the clouds above, when he strengthened the fountains
of the deep, when he gave to the sea his decree that the waters
should not pass his commandment, when he appointed the foundation
of the earth, I was by him as one brought up with him. I was
daily his delight. Who in the world is that? That's
Christ Jesus. That's just God, man. You see,
that's, that's, these preachers, Listen to them. And when they
talk about Jesus, listen to what they say about Him. Listen to
how they say it about Him. We talked about that one. How
they say it. Listen to how they use His name. The disciples didn't
call Him Jesus. They called Him Lord. They called
Him Master. You never... Now when they're
writing Matthew, Mark, Luke, and John, they're identifying
this person Jesus who is in the flesh. If they said the Lord
in reference to something Jesus did, so I said, well that's true,
that God did that. No, I don't know about Jesus did that. But
he said to them one day, you call me Lord and you say well,
so I am. And I listen to preachers. And
I listen to these fellows talk and they keep saying Jesus and
I say, how come you're calling the Lord by his first name? Are
you on those kind of terms with him? I think you'd be better
off calling him Lord. I think you'd be better off calling
him Master. And I think if you really knew who he is, you'd
call him Lord. Because no man can call him Lord
but by the Holy Spirit, of course. And I listen to how they use
his name. When they use his name. And I hear these fellas taking
his name in vain. I hear these charismatic preachers
on TV and something will happen and they say, my Lord, isn't
that wonderful? That's blasphemy. That's using the name of God
in vain. And that shows they do not know him. My God, he'll
say, what a meeting we had. I warn you, he's using it wrong. Therefore he doesn't know him.
You know what, John? I'm telling the truth, how they use his name.
Who is he? Jesus Christ. Jesus Christ, the
Christ is come. He was, is, and ever shall be. Yesterday, today, forever the
same. He is come. Listen to this. in the flesh, Jesus the Christ,
the Son of God, wonderful counselor of the mighty
God, has literally put on real flesh, made of a woman, made
a real man. We're talking about representation
here now. This is what most preachers don't
know anything about, representation. By one man, sin entered the world,
that's Adam. By one man, life and salvation
came. Salvation from sin, by one man's
sin in the world, death by sin, so death passed upon all men.
By man came death, by man came the resurrection. The first Adam
is of the earth earthy, the second Adam is the Lord from heaven. I'm talking about substitution,
I'm talking here of representation, I'm talking here of federal headship.
Adam, you don't have any trouble believing that Adam Was a man,
do you? God made Adam from the dust and
breathed into his nostrils a breath of life and he became a living
soul, but a man. A man, 100% man. All the human
race is in his loins. The whole human race is represented
by him. There was only one man created.
Even the woman came out of him. ish, taken out of ish, woman
taken out of man. But he's the representative.
When he fell, we fell. When he died, we died. There's
another man, just as much a man as that one is. There's another
man, literally, born of a woman. But not from that atom. This
man doesn't trace his roots to that atom. That woman was just
used to bear him, he was made of a woman, made under the law,
but he came from God. He's not the seed of man, he's
the seed of woman, made of God, made of God. But he's still flesh,
born of our bone, flesh of our flesh, flesh and blood, and he
walked this earth. as a real man. He was tried and
tempted in all parts as we are. It behooved him in bringing many
sons and daughters to salvation to be made just like them. He
took on himself human nature, limited himself. That's God in
human flesh. That's right. That's what we're
preaching here now. You listen to these preachers
and hear what they say about Jesus Christ is come in the flesh,
all right? Now notice this. Now when you
say that such a thing occurred, God became a man. God, I was
his delight, the apple of his eye, always before him. This is my beloved son. God spared
not his own son. But he was brought to such humiliation
and such shame and such condescension came into this world. God sent
him on a mission, and God deserted him and turned him into the hands
of wicked men, and they spat on him and nailed him to that
tree. Why? Why did God let him go through
all this? Why? Tell me why. As an example? As a bare offer? As a mere effort? You mean all of this? This monumental grave is the
mystery of godliness. God was manifest in human flesh. God purchased his church with
his own blood. God laid a tomb and rose again. what's it mean to you? You will
reveal if you're a preacher, whether you're from God or not,
by what it means to you. I tell you what I discover in
this, I discover something about me, when I see this transaction,
when I see this great mystery. Christ said, I've come that they
might have life, then they're dead. Isn't that right? He said, I'm come
to seek and to save the lost. Then they're lost, hopelessly
lost. I'm not lost. Aren't you really now? Christ
died for the ungodly. Then they're enemies of God. I find out a whole lot about
man by what God put his Son through. God was in Christ reconciling
the world. Then they're without God. They're
alienated from God. Strangers. That they had to be
reconciled to the death of his son. I found out something from
this about God. In the fullness of time, God
sent him. We didn't go get him, God sent him. We didn't even
want him, God sent him. This whole thing originated with
God. It pleased God that all fullness should dwell in him.
It pleased God to bruise him. You with wicked hands did what
God determined before to be done. No man takes my life, I lay it
down. Salvation's of the Lord. I discover
in the death of Christ that salvation's not of the will of the flesh,
it's of the will of God. God started this business. Back before the foundation of
the world, he was the Lamb slain. Back before the foundation of
the world, his elect were chosen. Salvations of the Lord, in its
origination, in its execution, in its application, it even pleased
God to reveal Christ to me. In its sustaining power, we're
kept by the power of God in its ultimate protection. He's able
to raise us and make us like Christ. I discovered something else. Jesus Christ. No one like him. Jesus Christ. The union of the God, head, and
man. Jesus Christ, the God-man. He has come into this world in
the flesh. and died on a cross. And as he died, the sun even
refused to shine. The whole earth trembled and
shook, and the rocks were rent in two. And angels veiled their
faces. Did he fail to accomplish what
God sent him to do? Listen to the preachers. Did
he fail? Has God truly done all he can
do and now it's up to you? Is that the results of what he
was doing? Huh? Tell me. Is that your opinion
of God? And of that awesome, awesome
mission he undertook? Well, he tried. That's all we
can say. Are the purposes of God in his
covenant, his kingdom, And regarding the work of his son, left now
to the will of a blind, deaf, dumb, ignorant, dead creature? Whether God has a heaven inhabited
with people is up to you and me? You're kidding! You're joking,
aren't you? You don't really believe that,
do you? Is all this glorious promise of life in Christ, is
this merely an offer? Is God Almighty teasing his son
when he said, I'll give you that heathen as your inheritance?
Did he not mean that? Is it possible that many for
whom he came, and many for whom he suffered, and many for whom
he died, and many for whom he paid the debt, shall yet perish
in hell? And the demons of hell forever
last? Perish the thought. Perish the
thought. Every spirit that confesseth
not that Jesus Christ is come in the flesh and accomplished
what he came to accomplish is not of God. You write that down. He said all that my Father giveth
me will come to me. I didn't come down here to do
my will, I came to the will of Him that sent me, and this is
the will of Him that sent me, that all which He hath given
me I'll lose nothing, but I'll raise it up at the last day.
I'm the good shepherd, I give my life for the sheep. I know
my sheep, and known of mine, and other sheep I have, which
are not of this foal, them I must bring, I must bring. And they
shall hear my voice, and they shall be one foe, and no man
can pluck them out of my hand. My Father gave them to me, and
nobody can pluck them out of my Father's hand." He shall see the travail of his
soul and be satisfied. Having accomplished what he came
to do, he went up to the right hand of God and sat down. And I'll tell you, Every spirit
that confesses not that Jesus Christ, the victorious, conquering,
almighty, sovereign, eternal Lord of heaven and earth, came
down here in the flesh and gave his body to be broken and his
blood to be shed on a wicked, cruel, ignominious tree. And you tell me he didn't accomplish
what he came to do, you're not of God. just not of God. I tell you, an attack on the
person of the Lord Jesus Christ, whatever direction it takes,
is anti-Christ. That's where the heretic will
stumble. You bring him to the cross, and
ask him who that is, and why he's there, and what he accomplished,
and where he is now. You'll find out whether he's
of God. Listen to it. It's said in verse 3, And every
one of them that confesses not openly, publicly, and I hear
preachers say, well, you got to slip up on people. Don't just
come out and tell them everything. Tell them everything. You don't
have to be God's private secretary. You don't have to sit in the
ante room and shield him from people coming in. He can take
care of them. Don't defend the lion. Turn him
loose. He said he's the spirit of Antichrist.
This is the spirit of Antichrist. It's not anti-religious, it's
not anti-morality, it's not anti-goodwill, it's Antichrist! I'd rather be anti-morality than
anti-Christ. Haven't you? Antichrist! The man that puts a question
mark on the effectual, substitutionary work of Jesus Christ is Antichrist! Isn't that right? That's where
the issue is. You see, he says here, this Antichrist,
verse 3, is already in the world. This spirit of Antichrist, will
you listen to me just two minutes more? Listen. Antichrist. Go
with me on a journey. All the way back. There are two
young men offering sacrifices. They come to worship. One of
them brings a lamb. Blood. Blood alone. Able. There's one that does what? He's
got an altar. He's got a fire. He's got a spirit
of worship. Some kind of spirit. But he's
got no lamb and no blood. Antichrist. Antichrist. Look at Azar. King Uzziah, who
would put on the robe of a priest and go in and offer sacrifice,
Antichrist. Look at the Galatians, who would
add circumcision or whatever, Antichrist. They won't let him
have all the glory. They won't let him do all the
work. They won't let him have all the praise, Antichrist. Look
at the Catholics who put Mary up beside Jesus Christ, Antichrist. It's the spirit of all who add
anything to or take anything away from his effectual sacrifice. It's either all Jesus Christ,
now listen to me, I tell you, Christ in you, the hope of glory. Christ who is our life shall
appear. Christ is made under us, wisdom,
righteousness, sanctification and redemption. In him dwelleth
all the fulness of the Godhead bodily, and you are complete
in him. It's Christ, Christ, Christ. And anything that takes
away from him in any way his effectual, vicarious sacrifice
and mediatorial work, or anything that's stuck to it, is antichrist. That's all it is. It's antichrist. All right, verse 4. But you are
of God, little children, and you've overcome these false prophets.
And I tell you why. Because greater is he that's
in you, the Spirit of Christ, than he that's in the world.
Don't be afraid. Don't be afraid. Shun them. He said if anybody bring not
this doctrine of Christ, don't receive him, don't let him God
speak. But don't be afraid. They are of the world, you see,
verse 5. These false prophets are of the
world. They're part of this world. Religious world, social world,
political world. Therefore they speak of the world.
And the world will hear them. Unfortunately. You sit here and
you look at your television, there are 25,000 people listening
to a man lie on God. Listening to a man add to or
take away from Christ. And you say, how can they listen
to him? Because they're of the world. The preachers of the world? The message of the world, the
people of the world, and the world hears the word. Now watch it. Look, we are of
God. And he that knoweth God will
hear us. And he that's not of God, not
gonna hear us. And you say, well, I know a lot
of folks that don't believe what you're preaching. I know a lot
of folks that don't believe it either. but those that are of God believe
it. Man's got anointed ears, he'll
hear what I'm saying. And I've had people come sit
right here and they said, you just don't make a bit of sense
to me. It makes sense to you, doesn't it? Chuck, makes sense
to you? I see exactly what he said. Jesus
Christ is come in the present. And hereby, look at verse 6.
And hereby know we the spirit of truth and that awful, deceptive,
subtle spirit of error. And where's the dividing line?
Who is Jesus Christ? What did he do? Why did he do
it? That God may be just and justify.
And where is he now? Where he's always been, on the
thrones. He's a sovereign Lord. a victorious
Lord. Unto Him who loved us and washed
us from our sins and made us priests and kings unto God. Unto
Him be the glory both now and forever.

Jesus Christ Is Come In the Flesh

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Jesus Christ Is Come In the Flesh

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