Since there's so many voices in the religious realm that we
have to listen to in this day, I believe my subject this morning is of
special importance, the spirit of truth and the spirit of error.
How can I tell if the man who is preaching or teaching is a
true messenger sent from God or a deceiver. And I'm going
to do my best to answer that question from the book of 1 John,
chapter 4. So if you'll turn with me to
that passage of Scripture, we'll deal, the Lord willing, with
the first six verses. Now, John begins this chapter
with this statement, Beloved, believe not every spirit, but
try the spirits, whether they are of God. The word spirit here,
without doubt, signifies men who claim to be endowed with
the gift of the spirit to perform the office of pastor, preacher,
prophet, evangelist, missionary, or teacher. That's what the word
spirit means. Believe not every spirit, but
try the spirits. The word spirit signifies just
exactly what you're listening to right now. I claim to be a
preacher. I claim to be a minister of the
gospel. I claim to be a teacher of the word of God. I claim to
be endowed with a gift of the spirit to preach the word. All right? All who preach and
teach the word are motivated by spirit. We're motivated in our purpose
by spirit. We're motivated in our objective
by a spirit. We're motivated in our knowledge
by a spirit. We're motivated in our presentation,
in our attitudes, in our conduct. All this is motivated by a spirit,
either the spirit of God or the spirit of evil. But we are motivated
by a spirit. Even a false teacher is motivated
by a spirit of evil. And a true minister of the gospel
is motivated by the Spirit of God. Now those two things are
true. The word spirit here is the man
who's teaching. That's who he's talking about.
The man who's teaching. Every man who teaches or preaches
is motivated by spirit. Now then, this third thing is
true. Many who claim to speak for God
are false preachers. And they're sent by Satan. They're
on a mission for their master, Satan. They may not even realize
it. I don't believe the Apostle Peter
realized that Satan was motivating what he said to Christ. When
our Lord was going to the cross and Satan entered Peter and Peter
said, Lord, don't do it. And our Lord turned and rebuked
him and said, get thee behind me, Satan. He was talking to
one of his beloved disciples, and it's very doubtful, as far
as I'm concerned, that Peter realized that he spoke, but Satan
spoke through him. He didn't realize Satan was speaking,
and there's a good possibility that many men who are false prophets
are sincere, and that they're speaking from what they really
believe. and that they're saying things
of which they are personally convinced, but it's Satan who's
convinced them. There's delusion and deceit,
and they may be speaking exactly what they think and what they
feel and what they believe. And Peter, I'm sure, was saying,
Lord, don't leave us, don't go to the cross, don't go to Jerusalem,
they'll kill you up there, don't do it. But it was Satan who was
motivating it. And there are many false prophets
who claim to speak for God. And some believe they are speaking
for God. And our Lord said one day to
his disciples, a day will come when men will think that when
they kill you, they're doing God a service. They're not doing
God a service, they're doing the devil a service. But they
think they're doing God a service. The Apostle Paul, when he was
Saul of Tarsus, before he was converted. He was sincere. He said, I thought to do all
manner of evil against Christ and the church. He said, I did
it ignorantly. I did it in unbelief. I did it
in sincerity. It was Satan motivated. Let's
look at some scriptures. Turn to 2 Corinthians 11. Many
false prophets have gone out into the world. 2 Corinthians
11, verse Verse 13, and what I'm saying to you is this, some
of them, many of them, probably most of them do not even realize
that they are false prophets, that they're not speaking for
God at all. 2 Corinthians 11 verse 13, For
such are false apostles, deceitful workers, transforming themselves
into the apostles of Christ. And 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, whose end shall be according to their works.
Oh, there may be some who are con men and who are deceitful
workers who know it. who are covetous, evil, deceitful
men who know it, who are in religion and the ministry for what they
can get out of it, but this is not always the case. It's not
always the case. So let this fact be established
in our minds first of all. These three facts. The spirit
here, believe not every spirit. Don't fall head over heels over
everything that's that's religious, or everybody that uses the name
Jesus, or everybody that claims to be speaking for God, or everybody
that reads the Bible, or everybody that talks about heaven, or everybody
that's got a school for preachers, or a religious organization,
or saying praise the Lord, or hallelujah, don't believe every
spirit. And the word spirit here is talking
about those who claim to speak for God. All men who are in religion
are motivated by spirit, and many false prophets have gone
out into the world. And from the time that the gospel
was first preached, from that very time, false prophets immediately
appeared. In fact, they claim, turn to
Matthew 7, they claim even at the judgment that they were doing
good works in the name of Christ. They'll hold on to this, they'll
hold on to this profession, this claim that they were servants
of Christ doing marvelous, great and wonderful works for the good
of mankind. Our Lord said in Matthew 7, 22,
Many will say to me in that day, Lord, Lord, have we not prophesied
in thy name and in thy name cast out devils and in thy name done
many wonderful works? Then will I profess unto them,
I never knew you. I never knew you. Depart from
me ye that work iniquity." All right, how can you tell if a
man's a true minister of God, true servant of the Lord, sent
by God, and not sent by Satan to deceive, whether in sincerity
or insincerity, whether with a true motive or a bad motive? There's a three-fold test that
will distinguish between the spirit of truth and the spirit
of error. I'll give it to you in just plain words. Number one,
there's a three-fold test. Number one, the test of character.
Secondly, the test of the word, scripture. And thirdly, the test
of Christ. Now let's take first of all the
test of character. The true servant of Christ, the
man who sent up God to teach, or preach, or minister the gospel,
whether it's an evangelist, prophet, missionary, pastor, Sunday school
teacher, whatever. He is not a proud, arrogant man. Never. Now you can put that down. God's preachers are not arrogant. They're not proud. They realize
they're nothing. They are humble men with broken
hearts and contrite spirits, who know that of themselves they
know nothing, they have nothing, they are nothing. That God has
raised up a vessel of clay, that he's raised up another Balaam's
ass to speak, that he's raised up just another sling in the
hand of David, as we are nothing but slings in the hands of God.
All powers of God, all knowledges of God, all wisdom is of God,
all grace is of God, all mercy is of God. Turn to 1 Corinthians
3. The Apostle Paul nails this down
with this scripture right here, 1 Corinthians chapter 3. This
whole chapter, 1 Corinthians 3, is talking about the ministry.
The whole chapter. And he says in verse 4, There's
a division among you folks, he said. You're talking about I
am of Paul, and I am of Apollos, and I am of Cephas, and I am
of somebody else. Verse 5, who is Paul? Who is
Apollos? But ministers by whom you believe,
even as the Lord gave to every man. I planted, Apollos watered,
but God gave the increase, so neither is he that planteth anything,
neither he that watereth anything. God gave the increase. We're
nothing, he said. The minister is nothing but an
instrument in the hand of God. It was by God that you were convicted
of sin. No man convicts men of sin or
leads men to Christ or saves souls. Salvation is of the Lord.
They said, John the Baptist, who are you? Well, he could have
said a whole lot of things. He could have said, I was supernaturally
born when my mother and father were old and well past the age
of bearing children. He could have said, Well, you
know, Jesus said of all the men born of women, I'm the greatest.
He could have said I'm the forerunner of the Messiah prophesied of
in the Old Testament, huh? He could have said I was filled
with the Holy Ghost from my mother's womb. Preachers today would brag
that way, wouldn't they? They'd have that on their brochure. They'd say, well, who are you?
He said, I'm a voice. That's all, just a voice in the
wilderness. I'm nothing. 2 Corinthians 12. Turn over that
2 Corinthians 12 and listen to Paul. This is the first test.
True servants of Christ are not proud, arrogant men. I see in
the ministry so much pride and arrogance and haughtiness. That's not the Spirit of God.
2 Corinthians 12, listen to verse 10. Paul said, I take pleasure,
and infirmities, reproaches, necessities, persecution, and
distresses for Christ's sake. For when I'm weak, then am I
strong. I'm become a fool in glory, but you compare me." He's
had to defend his apostles just what he's doing. He's had to
defend his ministry. He had to set some folks down
who said, you're not an apostle. You haven't seen the Lord. He
said, I ought to have been commended of you. You're the one that ought
to be defending me, not defending myself. For in nothing am I behind
the very cheapest apostle. though I be nothing. Now Paul,
Caesar wouldn't hesitate to defend his office, but never himself.
He wouldn't hesitate to defend his right to teach, and his right
to preach, and his right to direct men in the things of God. But
he said, I'm nothing. I'm nothing. So that's the first
thing, the test of character. Ain't no use going any further
with a fella, trying to decide whether he's a minister of Christ
or not, if he's proud and arrogant. and haughty. A haughty spirit
goeth before the fall. Pride goeth before destruction.
God's not in that. The true servant of Christ is
not a proud, arrogant man, and he's not a covetous man. Now
you put this thing. I don't need to apply the test
of Christ or the test of the Word to find out if a man's a
true servant of God. I'll apply, first of all, the
test of character. God's men, God's preachers and
teachers are not after money. You turn to 1 Timothy 6. This
is a thing that permeates. You take your, and I'll just
be perfectly honest with you, your 700 club and your PTL club
and your denominations with all of their demands for money and
their begging for money and their selling things and giving away
things to get you on a mailing list to get your money. I don't
even go to the test of Christ or the test of the word of God.
I apply the test of character. Those men are covetous to me. They're men with high salaries,
and high finance, and high ideas, and they're not God's men. 1 Timothy 6, verse 7, listen to
this. We brought nothing into this
world, and it's certain we can carry nothing out, and having
food and rain, but let us be content. For they that will be
rich fall into temptation and a snare and to foolish hurtful
lusts which drown men in destruction and perdition. For the love of
money is the root of all evil, which while some coveted after,
they have erred from the faith and pierced themselves through
with many sorrows. But thou, O man of God, flee
these things." Flee what things? The love of money and riches
and materialism. Flee these things, follow righteousness,
godliness, faith, love, patience, meekness. Fight the good fight
of faith and lay hold on eternal life. No sir, these high finance,
high rolling evangelists and preachers and clubs are not of
God. Because it's based on covetousness. That's right, 1 Timothy chapter
3. Listen to it. And it amazes me
that men and women are such fools. to support these things that
claim we have trust in God and believe in God, turn right around
and beg for 15 minutes. Well now, if we're going to trust
God and believe God, let's don't mention it to anybody but God. Let's see if we really believe
in God. 1 Timothy 3, verse 1 through
3. This is a true saying. If a man desires the office of
bishop or pastor, preacher, he desires a good work. The bishop
then must be blameless, the husband of one wife, vigilant, sober,
of good behavior, given to hospitality, apt to teach, not given to wine,
no striker, not greedy or filthy lucre. No, God's men are not
covetous. Turn to Philippians 4 and listen
to Paul. Philippians chapter 4. They believe
God, they trust God, God meets their needs, and they're content with what
God gives them. This is what Paul says in Philippians
4 verse 10. I rejoiced in the Lord greatly
that now at the last your care of me hath flourished. Paul said
you've taken better care of me and I'm glad. When you were all
so careful but you lacked opportunity. You wanted to before but you
didn't have the opportunity. I'm not speaking in respect of
what, he said, I've learned in whatsoever state I am to be content.
I know how to be abased. I know how to do without, he
said, and I know how to abound. I know how to do well. Everywhere
and all things I'm instructed both to be full and to be hungry,
both to abound and to suffer need. There's no preachers today
suffering any need. None know anything about being
abased. They're interested in living high. They're interested
in riding high. And you can just mark it down,
they're not servants of Christ. Because God's servants are not
proud, arrogant men. They're not covetous men. I'll
tell you something else, they're not seeking power. Seeking power
with God to preach the gospel. Oh yeah. fulfilling of the Holy
Spirit, to be able to say something that'll cut a heart, or prick
a heart, or knock a foundation out from under a false religionist,
or strip him of his self-righteous rag, but empower with God to
plead with me and inform me. But they're not seeking control
of churches and to be called rabbi or doctor or reverend or
any other high-sounding phrase. Turn to 1 Peter 5. Let's listen
to the apostle here. 1 Peter 5. You want to know how
to tell a true preacher from a false preacher? Start with
his character. Start with his character. 1 Peter
5, verse 1. The elders which are among you.
Preachers, teachers. spiritual leaders, I exhort who
am also an elder and a witness of the sufferings of Christ,
the partaker of the glory that shall be revealed. Feed the flock
of God which is among you. That's your business, that's
your responsibility. Feed God's sheep. Peter said,
Christ said, Peter, you love me? Yes, Lord, feed my sheep.
Study, teach the word of God. That's your responsibility. And
take the oversight, take the leadership. Not because you have
to, of constraint, but willingly. Not for filthy lucre. Says it
again. Not for pay. You hear people
say preachers ought not to preach for pay. I agree with you. Preach
for the glory of God. But of a ready mind. Look at
verse 3. And don't be lords over God's heritage. Dictators, tyrants. Seeking power. But be an example
to the flock. Let's turn to Matthew 20. Look
at this, Matthew chapter 20. Now you know this as well as
any other field. You talk about the chairman of
the board and the president of a large corporation and chairman
of the board of corporation and presidents and vice presidents
and all the different folks down the line. The men of this world
like, they like authority. They like power. They like to
say to this man go when he goes, to this man come when he comes.
They like to order folks around. They like that power and prestige.
Do you know that's in religion too? Boy, there's folks that
claim to be servants of Christ that love that acclaim and recognition. They love to be recognized. I
had a preacher friend that called on another Baptist minister one
time, and his secretary was sitting out in the office in front, and
the pastor said he was back, and he said, my friend came in
and said, I want to see Jack. And she said, just a moment,
and she buzzed, you know, and asked him if he was in, and he
wanted to know who was calling, and she told him, and he said,
send him in. So my friend started to walk
in, and the secretary stopped him and says, he likes to be
called Dr. Brown. Well, how do you do? He informed her to let folks
know that. Matthew 20, look at verse 25, but Jesus calling,
Matthew 20, 25, Jesus called them unto him and said, You know
that the princes of the Gentiles exercise dominion over them,
and they that are great exercise authority upon them, but it shall
not be so among you. Whosoever will be great among
you, let him be your minister. And whosoever will be cheap among
you, let him be your servant. even as a son of man came not
to be ministered unto, but to minister and give his life a
ransom for many." I could go through the Bible. Turn to Mark
9. I got a star by this verse, so
we better read this. Mark 9, verse 33. Mark 9, verse
33. Yes. Let's look at this. And he came to Capernaum, verse
33, Mark 9, and being in the house, he asked them, What was
it that you disputed among yourselves about by the way? And they didn't
answer him. They held their peace. For by
the way they disputed among themselves who should be the greatest, they
were ashamed. And he sat down and called the twelve and said
to them, Now if any man desire to be first, the same shall be
last, and the servant of all. And he took a little child and
put that child in the middle of them, and when he had taken
the child into his arms, he said to them, And whosoever shall
receive one of such children, my name receiveth me. And whosoever
shall receive me, receiveth not me, but him that sent me." You
see what he's saying there? God's gifts are on the lower
shelf. You don't educate yourself and climb up to reach them. God
whittled you down. As he's able to whittle you down,
he's able to give you more grace. And a true servant of God knows
that. He knows that. And before some men open their
mouths to preach, you say, Brother, you're judging. Well, not really. I'm told here not to believe
every preacher that comes my way. Believe not every spirit. I'm told here there are many
false Christ and false preachers gone out of this world, and I'm
supposed to try the spirit. And the first thing I do before
he opens his mouth to preach, I try the spirit. His spirit!
Is it an arrogant, proud spirit? Then God didn't send him. Before
God ever sends a man, he whips him, he strips him. Takes the
starch out of him, he takes the eye out of him, and the me and
the mind puts Christ in him. If he comes with his hands out,
if he comes begging, if he comes seeing what he can get out of
me and how high he can live and these things. I know he's not
God's servant. God's servants weren't sent to
beg, they were sent to proclaim the King. He comes seeking power over me
and authority over me and no, no God's not in that. Alright,
what's the second test? The second test is the Word.
Turn to Isaiah 8. How can you tell a false preacher?
Measure him by the word of God. That's the second test, test
of the scriptures. Let all preachers and teachers and messengers be
tried by the word of God. Our fella comes and he's humble,
and he's one of us. He's not trying to exercise authority
and power over us. He's a brother. And he comes
and you say, well, he's certainly not out to get what he can get.
He's satisfied with what he has, but now here's the next test.
Try them by the Word of God. It says in Isaiah 8, 19, And
when they shall say unto you, Seek unto them that have familiar
spirits, to wizards that peep and mutter. Should not a people
seek unto their God for the living, to the dead? To the law, that
is, to the Word of God and to the testimony. If they speak
now according to this Word, it's because there's no light in them.
Now, if a man comes preaching, All right, here's you an example.
Some of those old Catholic priests down
in Mexico and out west who built orphanages and wayside homes
and took care of the weary travelers, built missions and fed the hungry
and took care of the sick. They were humble men. They certainly
weren't out to see what they could get. They were servants. They shaved their heads and walked
about in humility. Well, surely they're God's servants.
Now, wait a minute. Apply the Word of God to them.
Do they come teaching their tradition? Do they come teaching the Mass?
The Mass is not in God's Word. You say, what is the Mass, Brother
Mann? It's taken wine and turned it into the blood of Christ.
That's what the Mass is. It's taking the wafer and turning
it into the body of Christ. And when people come by to get
it, you dip the wafer in the wine. This is transubstantiation. When the wine and the bread actually
becomes the body and blood of Christ, it's sacrificing Christ
over again. And when you put that wafer on
the man's lips, you're putting Christ on his lips, and you're
putting salvation in his body. That's not right. That's contrary
to that book. Christ by one sacrifice perfected
forever them that are sanctified, and he's not to be sacrificed
again. And it doesn't matter how humble
those men were, how, what servants they were, what kind deeds and
humanitarian efforts they put forth, they taught men to pray
to Mary, they taught Mariolatry. That's idolatry. That's not in
God's Word. We're not taught in this book
anywhere to say, Hail Mary, Mother of God, full of grace and truth,
pray for us poor sinners. That's contrary to God's word. And that man's a spirit of error.
I'll tell you something else, purgatory, that's contrary to
God's word. Praying people, that got started back when the Catholic
Church was short of funds. And somebody, some pope came
up with the idea, well I'll tell you how we make a lot of money.
tell people that when their loved ones die, they go to purgatory,
a place of suffering. And the more the loved ones pay
the church and pay the church to pray and buy candles. You know those candles they burn
for the dead? They buy those candles! They buy them! They give money to pray their
loved ones out of purgatory. Listen, if I could convince all
you people here that every one of your loved ones died were
in purgatory and commit you to give me ten dollars a month to
pray them out, I could get rich. You'd be a fool and I'd be a
deceiver, right? Well, that's what they are. That's
deception. Confession of sin to earthly
priests. Now, you say, well, that's not
so bad. It'll damn your soul. That's
pretty bad if it's your soul to go into a booth. and have
a man sit on the other side of a dark black curtain and stick
his ear up to my lips and let me tell him the things I've thought
and said and done, and feed his old lustful nature, and when
I get through confessing them, he reaches up and says, God bless
you, I forgive you. That's damnable. That's not God's Word, that's
contrary to Scripture. The worship of angels, the worship
of dead saints, All right, come on down to get
off the Catholics. Okay, let's get on the fundamentalists,
Presbyterians and Baptists. Infant regeneration, that's not
in the Word of God. Any man that teaches you because
you are a Christian that your baby is a Christian, not God's
Word. Baptismal regeneration, teaching
that men are saved by going down beneath the water. Salvation
by works, free willism. Poor God, He can't do what He
wants to do, what He wills to do. Human righteousness rewarded?
Telling people they're saved by being good? That's damnable. No true servant of Christ will
preach what's not in the Word of God. He preaches the Scripture. Turn to 1 Thessalonians 2. 1
Thessalonians chapter 2. Listen to this verse 13. For this cause also thank we
God without ceasing, because when you receive the word of
God, which you heard of us, you didn't receive it of the word
of men, but as it is in truth the word of God, which effectually
worketh also in you that believe." My friends, be like the noble
Bereans. They searched the scriptures
to see if these things were so. And you know who their teacher
was? Paul himself. The man with the power, the man
that worked miracles, the man who had gone through so much,
the man who had been the greatest Pharisee of them all. They heard
him, and those men put Paul to the test of the Word of God.
Paul himself. And I'll tell you this, it doesn't
matter who you listen to. or any of them, your Sunday school
teacher, your brother wrote you a teacher, put him to the test
of the Word. Your pastor, me, any man you hear, put him to
the test of the Word of God. Search the Scriptures, see if
he's telling you what God says. Don't you believe anything that's
not in God's Word. It doesn't matter who says it.
The test of the Word of God. All right, what's the third test?
Turn to 1 John 4. Here's the third test, the test
of character, the test of the scriptures. Now here's a special
test. This is a supreme test. This
is the one I want you to look at briefly but very carefully. Verse 2, Hereby know ye the Spirit
of God, every spirit that confesseth that Jesus Christ is come in
the flesh, is of God. Here's the special test by which
we can distinguish between true and false preachers, between
the spirit of truth and the spirit of error. You know why this is
a spring test and a special test? Now listen to this, this is the
most important thing I've said this morning. Since Jesus Christ
is the sole object of true faith, Since Jesus Christ is the whole
foundation of acceptance with God. Since he is the object of
faith of every true believer. Even so, he is the stone at which
all heretics stumble. And his person and his work will
be the place where their error is most evident. You see what
I'm saying? Christ is the object of faith.
Christ is the crowning glory of the Father. Christ is the
foundation of our hope. Christ is the foundation of our
acceptance with God. Salvation is Christ. So if a
man is not sent of God, and he's not a true preacher, and he's
not a true messenger, Christ will be the place where he'll
stumble. And Christ will be the place where his error will be
most pronounced and most evident. Our Lord said to the disciples,
whom do you say that I am? Whom do you say that I am? When
the Pharisees came to him with all these questions, Sadducees
and Loggings, and they entered into this religious discussion
and questions and answers, he finally closed it up with this,
what think ye of Christ? That's where a man, that's where
his error will be most pronounced and most evident. Most evident. He may even come with good character.
He may come with good theology, orthodox theology. But here's
the supreme special test. What about Christ? Now watch
this. The Holy Spirit says, 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. There are three basic things
in these two verses. Number one, Jesus Christ came.
From where? You see this? Brother man, every
denomination in the world says that Jesus Christ lived on this
earth. Now wait a minute. This verse says he came in the
flesh. That meant that he came from
somewhere. And that before he wasn't in the flesh. He came
in the flesh. He came from somewhere. Where
was he? Well, this Bible says in the
beginning he was with God and he was God. His Bible said he
came from heaven. What this verse is saying is
if a man doesn't confess that Jesus Christ is God, who inhabited
eternity, Jesus Christ is co-equal, co-existent. He's the brightness
of the Father's image, express image of his person. The Word
was made flesh. He came in the flesh. He's God. And that man who confesses
not that he is very God of very God. Under us a child is born, under
us a son is given, and his name shall become Wonderful Counselor,
the Mighty God, the Everlasting Father, the Prince of Peace.
That's his name. Who is that in Bethlehem's manger?
That's the Everlasting Father. That's the mighty God. He came
in the flesh. Alright, read on. Here's something
else. Here's the second thing. He came in the flesh. That is,
Christ Jesus, by putting on human flesh, actually became a real
man. He was a real man of the same
nature with us that he might be our brother. that he might
be identified with us, that he might be numbered with the transgressors,
that he might know real thirst and real weariness and real sorrow
and real hot, salty tears streaming down his real face, that he might
feel real pain and shed real blood and be tested with real
sin. It became him to be made just
like his brethren. He came in the flesh. Oh, this little tribe of preacher
going forth, professing to be a servant of the living God.
Number three, Jesus Christ came in the flesh. What did he come for? That's
a pretty good question, isn't it? Why'd he come for? Why'd
he come? The cause of his coming. We know
where he came from, heaven. He's very God of very God. We
know where he came to, the flesh. Well, why'd he do it? Well, Matthew
1, 21, the angel said to Mary, he came to save his people from
their sin. That's what she said. That's
what she was told. He came to save his people. Not
try to save them, to make an attempt, but to save them. That's
why he came. That's why he came, not to set
an example, not to try to be a reformer, not to change the
world. He came to save his people from
their sin. That's why God became a man.
He said himself, the Son of Man has come to seek and to save
that which was lost. In Galatians 4 verse 4 and 5
says the word, in the fullness of time, God sent his Son into
the world, made of a woman, Made under the law, why? To redeem
them that were born under the law. He came to redeem. So watch
this now. Some false prophets depart from
the faith by denying the eternal deity of Christ Jesus. Some depart
from the faith denying the humanity of Christ Jesus. And some depart
from the faith by denying the effectual, sufficient, substitutionary
work of the Redeemer. He came to save his people. They
say that Christ came to make an effort. They say that Christ
came to try to save. Christ came as an offer. Christ
came to do all he can do and to leave salvation ultimately
and finally in the hands of man's own will. And I say that that's denying
the purpose for which he came. Now listen to me, and he says,
verse 3, and every spirit that confesseth not that Jesus Christ
is come in the flesh, he is come, gone back to the Father, he accomplished
that for which he came. is not of God, and this is the
spirit, now watch, listen to me, it's not anti-religion, it's
very religious. This spirit is not anti-morality,
it's very moral. This spirit is not anti-good
works, it's involved in good works. This spirit is anti-what? Christ. Christ. Cain was anti-Christ. He rejected the sacrifice. Abel
brought the blood. Cain, he came to worship. He built an altar. He brought
his tithes. He brought his gifts. He was anti-Christ. You see what
I'm saying? This is the thing about There's
plenty of religion, we're up to here with it. And it's not
anti-morality, that one preacher's on a campaign to close all the
movies and all the pornography shops and all these things, good!
Good work! But that's not Christ. This thing
today, it's not anti-country and anti-God and anti-Apple Pie
and anti-Mother, it's anti-Christ! That's the problem. It's who
he is. Where did he come from? What
did he do? Where is he now? Why did he do
it? All right, verse 4. I've got
to quit. We are of God, little children.
Verse 6 says we are of God. What's that mean, we are of God?
Well, we're born of God. Not of the will of the flesh,
nor the will of man. We're taught of God. Every man that hath learned
of the Father cometh to me. When dwelt by God, Christ said,
the Holy Spirit will take up his abode in you, and therefore
we have the power to discern the spirit of truth and the spirit
of error, because we are of God. That's what he said in verse
6. You are of God, and he that knoweth God will hear us, and
he that knoweth not God will not hear us. This is the way
we know the spirit of truth and the spirit of error. It's a test,
my friend, of character. It's a test of scripture. And
before you can put somebody else to the test of scripture, you're
going to have to learn the scripture. Study it. Search it. And we're
not talking about picking a verse out here and a verse there and
bringing them together. Read it in its context. You remember,
you know, our Lord, when he brought the little child, I read it a
moment ago. This is a good example. I want
to give you this. We need to do this. He brought the little
child. People are always saying, well,
like the Lord said, you become little children. Why did he say
that and who was he talking to? His disciples that had an argument
about who was going to be the greatest. You see, that's what
it is. Keep it in its context. Don't
read a verse and build a doctrine. Read the whole paragraph and
page. Test of Scripture and the test
of Christ. This is a special test. I don't
care if a fellow has, and we need to do more work with orphans,
believe me, we need to, that's a ministry of God's church, and
feeding the hungry, and healing the sick, and taking loving people,
clothing people. But the gospel is Christ, and
we've got to preach Christ, who he is. where he came from and
what he came to do and where he is now and why he did it.
He's my hope. Christ is our hope. We want to
live godly and honest lives and be brethren and love one another
and help people. But when I've done everything
God commands a man to do, I'm still an unprofitable servant.
There's still no righteousness in me. Still no way for me to
gain acceptance with God by what I do. I've got to have a substitute.
Somebody's got to die for my sins. Blood's got to be shed.
Without the shedding of blood, there's no remission. Man at
his best state is altogether vanity. We remembereth our frame.
He knows where it does. And it's all fine to be well
respected and have a good reputation and good character and be well
thought of, but brethren, We're going to be tried at the judgment
by the holiness and glory of God, and we've come short of
that. So I need a Savior substitute,
and that's Christ. Lord, you have a number.