Post by Les Brewer on Aug 16, 2012 18:40:45 GMT
John Wolf
Calvary's Cross Ministries
Preaching Christ Crucified
From the Pastor's desk....
Good morning friends and family,I hope today finds you blessed and in good health.To all my friends and family on FB,thank you for your friendship.I may not always respond to everyone's posts,but I do value your friendship,so hang in there.If you are saved and on your way to heaven through the Son,we will meet one day and have all of eternity to get to know each other!
Knowing The False From The True
I John 4:1-6
"Beloved,do not believe every spirit,but test the spirits,whether they are of God;because many false prophets have gone out into the world.By this you know the Spirit of God: Every spirit that confesses that Jesus Christ has come in the flesh is of God,and every spirit that does not confess that Jesus Christ has come in the flesh is not of God.And this is the spirit of the Antichrist,which you have heard is coming,and is now already in the world.They are of the world.Therefore they speak as of the world,and the world hears them.We are of God.He who knows God hears us;he who is not of God does not hear us.By this we know the Spirit of Truth and the spirit of error." (NKJV)
Let's put our thinking cap on for just a moment.It seems to be a very simple statement of these Scriptures,to believe that Jesus Christ has come in the flesh,and therefore,whoever believes that Jesus has come,is therefore of God.But is this what we are to understand by these Scriptures? Not at all! Now before you tear your clothes and throw dust in the air,and sit down in an ash heap,think for just a moment!
Is the Jesus of Mormonism,or the Jesus of the Watchtower,or the Jesus of the New Age,or of Islam,or of any other world religion,the same Jesus of the Bible.Absolutely not! Why? There are many reasons why the Jesus of these cults is not the Jesus Christ of the Bible.But the main point I would like to focus on is what I believe I John 4:1-6 is trying to show us.
The key to understanding this whole context of Scripture is found in verse 9."In this the love of God was manifested toward us,that God has sent His ONLY BEGOTTEN SON into the world,that we might live through Him." I used cap locks on "only begotten Son" for emphasis. In the original language of the Greek,the apostle John used the word "monogenes" purposely,to point out a fact.This word "monogenes" means: the only born i.e. sole:-only (begotten,child) (Strong's Concordance,#3439 in the Greek dictionary).God only has One Son,a sole child,one ONLY begotten Son.Not created,not made,but,begotten.Jesus Christ is the sole heir to all that God has. Why? Because He (Jesus) is the only Begotten Son that the Father ever had or will have.All other creatures that have been created are only sons by the creative act of God,not by the act of begetting.There's a huge difference between the two concepts.So huge in fact,that in order to miss it's point,you would either have be ignorant of it's meaning (this is not intended to be an insult,it simply means you may not know) or you are deliberately refusing to believe what it is saying.
In steps the cults....It is the teachings of Mormonism that Jesus and the devil were created by God the Father,who Himself was once a man,and that Jesus and Satan are spiritual brothers.This by the way is blasphemy.It is the teachings of the Watchtower that Jesus Christ was once Michael the Archangel,became a man,and is now once again Michael the Archangel (this too,is blasphemy).It is the teachings of the New Age Movement,that Jesus was just another avatar (guru,spiritual teacher) on His way to further enlightenment,sent by all the previous avatars to help us realize our god potential.Oprah Winfrey and many other celebrities believe this,by the way.
What I believe the context of Scripture in I john is pointing out is this: If a person believes that Jesus Christ was and is God the Son come in human flesh,then that person can be considered as coming from the Spirit of Truth.If a person denies the Deity Of Jesus Christ,then they can be considered coming from the spirit of Antichrist.This is the main point of what the apostle John is trying to show us.This context of Scripture is in complete harmony with what Jesus said about Himself in John 8:24,28,58.It is in harmony with what Matthew said about Jesus in Matt. 1:23.The apostle John was also the one who wrote the gospel that bears his name.It is also in complete harmony with John 1:1,14;3:16,18.Paul the apostle also taught that Jesus Christ was God manifested in the flesh in Romans 9:5;Phil.2:5-8;Colo.1:15-18;Titus 2:13;Hebrews 11:17 and then again by John in I John 5:20.the Scriptures are repleat with references to the Deity of Christ,to those who are willing to look at them without any pre-conceieved bias.
It is only by the revelation of the Holy Spirit,who is also God,to an individuals understanding that they will ever see the simple truth,that God became a man in the Person of the Son,to redeem mankind.God will never reveal Himself to a person's intellect first.He will only reveal Himself to a person's spirit first.The learning part comes afterwards.It is by faith first,then by intellect.
The world says,"show us God,and we will believe" God did show us Himself,and we hung Him on a tree two thousand years ago! God says,"believe and I will show you myself again" He will reveal His Son in all who will accept the Son,there is no other way (John 14:6).If we fail to give the Son the same honor that we give the Father,then we are dishonoring the Father (John 5:23).I want to honor the Father by doing what He said to do.Do you?.......I pray that you allow the Holy Spirit to reveal the Son of God in you..........Be blessed in the name of the Lord Jesus Christ.......pastor John.
Calvary's Cross Ministries
Preaching Christ Crucified
From the Pastor's desk....
Good morning friends and family,I hope today finds you blessed and in good health.To all my friends and family on FB,thank you for your friendship.I may not always respond to everyone's posts,but I do value your friendship,so hang in there.If you are saved and on your way to heaven through the Son,we will meet one day and have all of eternity to get to know each other!
Knowing The False From The True
I John 4:1-6
"Beloved,do not believe every spirit,but test the spirits,whether they are of God;because many false prophets have gone out into the world.By this you know the Spirit of God: Every spirit that confesses that Jesus Christ has come in the flesh is of God,and every spirit that does not confess that Jesus Christ has come in the flesh is not of God.And this is the spirit of the Antichrist,which you have heard is coming,and is now already in the world.They are of the world.Therefore they speak as of the world,and the world hears them.We are of God.He who knows God hears us;he who is not of God does not hear us.By this we know the Spirit of Truth and the spirit of error." (NKJV)
Let's put our thinking cap on for just a moment.It seems to be a very simple statement of these Scriptures,to believe that Jesus Christ has come in the flesh,and therefore,whoever believes that Jesus has come,is therefore of God.But is this what we are to understand by these Scriptures? Not at all! Now before you tear your clothes and throw dust in the air,and sit down in an ash heap,think for just a moment!
Is the Jesus of Mormonism,or the Jesus of the Watchtower,or the Jesus of the New Age,or of Islam,or of any other world religion,the same Jesus of the Bible.Absolutely not! Why? There are many reasons why the Jesus of these cults is not the Jesus Christ of the Bible.But the main point I would like to focus on is what I believe I John 4:1-6 is trying to show us.
The key to understanding this whole context of Scripture is found in verse 9."In this the love of God was manifested toward us,that God has sent His ONLY BEGOTTEN SON into the world,that we might live through Him." I used cap locks on "only begotten Son" for emphasis. In the original language of the Greek,the apostle John used the word "monogenes" purposely,to point out a fact.This word "monogenes" means: the only born i.e. sole:-only (begotten,child) (Strong's Concordance,#3439 in the Greek dictionary).God only has One Son,a sole child,one ONLY begotten Son.Not created,not made,but,begotten.Jesus Christ is the sole heir to all that God has. Why? Because He (Jesus) is the only Begotten Son that the Father ever had or will have.All other creatures that have been created are only sons by the creative act of God,not by the act of begetting.There's a huge difference between the two concepts.So huge in fact,that in order to miss it's point,you would either have be ignorant of it's meaning (this is not intended to be an insult,it simply means you may not know) or you are deliberately refusing to believe what it is saying.
In steps the cults....It is the teachings of Mormonism that Jesus and the devil were created by God the Father,who Himself was once a man,and that Jesus and Satan are spiritual brothers.This by the way is blasphemy.It is the teachings of the Watchtower that Jesus Christ was once Michael the Archangel,became a man,and is now once again Michael the Archangel (this too,is blasphemy).It is the teachings of the New Age Movement,that Jesus was just another avatar (guru,spiritual teacher) on His way to further enlightenment,sent by all the previous avatars to help us realize our god potential.Oprah Winfrey and many other celebrities believe this,by the way.
What I believe the context of Scripture in I john is pointing out is this: If a person believes that Jesus Christ was and is God the Son come in human flesh,then that person can be considered as coming from the Spirit of Truth.If a person denies the Deity Of Jesus Christ,then they can be considered coming from the spirit of Antichrist.This is the main point of what the apostle John is trying to show us.This context of Scripture is in complete harmony with what Jesus said about Himself in John 8:24,28,58.It is in harmony with what Matthew said about Jesus in Matt. 1:23.The apostle John was also the one who wrote the gospel that bears his name.It is also in complete harmony with John 1:1,14;3:16,18.Paul the apostle also taught that Jesus Christ was God manifested in the flesh in Romans 9:5;Phil.2:5-8;Colo.1:15-18;Titus 2:13;Hebrews 11:17 and then again by John in I John 5:20.the Scriptures are repleat with references to the Deity of Christ,to those who are willing to look at them without any pre-conceieved bias.
It is only by the revelation of the Holy Spirit,who is also God,to an individuals understanding that they will ever see the simple truth,that God became a man in the Person of the Son,to redeem mankind.God will never reveal Himself to a person's intellect first.He will only reveal Himself to a person's spirit first.The learning part comes afterwards.It is by faith first,then by intellect.
The world says,"show us God,and we will believe" God did show us Himself,and we hung Him on a tree two thousand years ago! God says,"believe and I will show you myself again" He will reveal His Son in all who will accept the Son,there is no other way (John 14:6).If we fail to give the Son the same honor that we give the Father,then we are dishonoring the Father (John 5:23).I want to honor the Father by doing what He said to do.Do you?.......I pray that you allow the Holy Spirit to reveal the Son of God in you..........Be blessed in the name of the Lord Jesus Christ.......pastor John.
