Confessing the Son of God | 1 John 4:15

ThornCrown Covenant Baptist Church

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Okay, welcome beloved to this awesome Lord's Day today we asked we're gonna turn to once again to 1st

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John chapter 4 and we're gonna read verses 15 through 17 1st

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John chapter 4 verses 15 through 17 and God's Word speaks to us today and says

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Whoever confesses that Jesus is the Son of God God abides in him and he in God and we have come to know and have believed

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The love which God has in us God is love and The one who abides in love abides in God and God abides in him by this the love of By this love has been perfected with us

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So that we may have confidence in the day of judgment Because as he is so also are we in this world and this is

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God's Word. Amen so beloved we are

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Finding ourself here in this other love chapter with more yet more

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Gospel assurances and reassurances to come in this passage. It's another very

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Gospel filled Passage with assurances and reassurances.

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I Wanted to also remind us from last week that In light of this teaching in this passage we abide in him by faith

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Not by sight we abide in God and in Christ by faith and not by sight like 2nd

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Corinthians 5 7 says and You'll notice here that much of what verses 15 through 17 says are

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What the God -breathed Apostle John Has previously stated in this letter and a lot of times in Scripture you'll see repetition

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Many times for emphasis to emphasize a certain point or points while in this case

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He also is expanding upon what he has repeated and adding new connections for us to receive and grasp okay, so we're going to take a closer look at that and There are familiar words phrases concepts that we have encountered before and some of some examples of that is true believers

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Right true believers because whoever confesses that Jesus is the Son God abides in him So you have the concept here of true believers.

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You have the concept of confession and assurance knowing that we belong to God and Mutual abiding or dwelling in God God abiding in us and we in him

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We also have God right God and love and God is love

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That's also repeated here We have glorification

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Glorification because as he is so also are we you have this concept of The love being perfected in us and sanctification as well

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And Also, you see the concept of eschatology the doctrine of eschatology of last things specifically the day of judgment the day of judgment and What will happen to us as believers on?

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that day that awesome day now

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So, that's something that we want to focus on and some of the words

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Including in the Greek are also the same words that the Apostle has used before like the word confess.

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It's homologous. A It's the same word that he has used in the past and the word for love

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Right, if you recall when I first preached on on I think it's verse 7 every word

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For love in this chapter refers to is the word agape the word agape love and So that's another important thing to keep in mind also the word

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Perfected the word perfected which we saw which we have also previously seen that the layout

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I that the layout I so This concept of perfection or completion.

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That's again Pointing to our sanctification and our glorification on that when

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Christ returns So So then we that this brings to us if you'll see you'll notice something here several references to God and he and That raises an interpretive question for us to consider

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How do we know which divine person Does the word

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God refer to and The divine pronouns pronouns as well

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And if you look at the NASB Bible or the LSB Bibles the pronouns that refer to God are capitalized

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Why they're capitalized? Because they're pointing to they're referring to God, but how do we know what divine person?

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God refers to because the word God can refer to one of three Right the Father the Son or the

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Holy Ghost the Holy Spirit. So how do we know that and there is

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Regarding this there is an important interpretive principle a hermeneutical principle, which is how we rightly interpret scripture to consider and that is

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That whenever the word God is used without without any other qualification or modifier or reference to a specific person of the

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Godhead when the word God alone is used it usually refers to God the

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Father It usually refers to God the Father and this is something that is common in the

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Old Testament as well as the New Testament so think Keep to keep that in mind beloved when you see the word

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God such as in this passage Every reference to the word God in this passage of verses 15 through 17 points to God the

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Father God the Father Because you'll see here for example in the verse 15.

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Jesus is the Son of God The Son of he is the Son of God the

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Father Right. He is begotten of God the unique Son of God the Father and so God abides in him and he and God that reference continues throughout in To the

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Father Now the other Important thing here are the pronouns the pronouns the capitalized pronouns.

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Who do they refer to? So we see that Jesus is referred to in verse 15 because those of us who confess that Jesus is the

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Son of God God abides in him and He and God and You'll also see towards the latter part of this passage in verse 17 so that we may have confidence in the day of judgment because as he is so also are so are we so also are we in this world and Here we see a reference to Christ.

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It is to Christ And this helps us to understand

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The concept and in the context of what's being revealed to us here.

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Okay as He is so also are we in this world because we know from other scriptures as well that we shall be like him

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We shall be like unto him or like him like who like Christ, right?

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We are being conformed to the image of God the Father's Son right, so it's important to Take note carefully when you are reading a passage or studying it know what

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God What person God and the pronouns are referring to? Okay That's very important to know and understand so That being said now

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And oh saying by way of example For for another example when the word

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God refers to a different person of the Trinity is And such as Titus 2 13, right because in Titus 2 13, we see reference to Christ our great

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God and Savior Jesus Christ, right our great

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God and Savior Jesus Christ that is Specifically referring to Christ in that in that verse

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So that is how this helps us to understand How the word

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God is used in Scripture including the Old Testament, okay, so now We ourselves then as saved and justified believers

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Who belong to God? no, we know that we belong to God and Confess it and confess that reality that we are in him and he is in us

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We confess it by God's grace and spirit working in us We will confess that reality because verse 15 says

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Whoever confesses that Jesus is the Son of God God abides in him and he in God Amen, and This is always and forever this abiding is always and Forever because God's love is

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Final it's immutable. It never changes. That's what immutable means

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It never changes and never fails It never lets us down even though we fail

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God and we fall short every day God's love never fails us and never fails to perfect us because he who began a

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Good work in us will finish it. Amen. We'll bring it to completion on till that glorious day when we are fully and finally glorified and perfected according to the image of God's Son so That's a very

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Important Doctrine that we must always Have in mind and because it also grants us assurance it assures us

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God's love Assures us because God's love redeems us. Remember it it

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Redeems us it reforms us it restores us and it

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What's that last are that it reforms us and it? Regenerates us it regenerates us as well

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So in the right order God's love redeems us restores us reforms us and regenerates us

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No, I'm sorry regenerates us and reforms us Reforming the reformative love of God sanctifies us unto glorification and we are regenerated the moment that we believe by God's Spirit, so If you

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Turn back with me to verses 2 through 3 in This same chapter in chapter 4 we will find a correlated passage

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But using again the analogy of Scripture searching Scripture with Scripture and comparing Scripture with Scripture We will see that in 1st

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John chapter 4 verse 2 By this, you know the Spirit of God Every spirit that confesses every man.

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This is referring to men that confesses Jesus Christ who has come in the flesh is from God Again, the

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Spirit who confesses Jesus Christ who has come in the flesh is From God and every spirit that does not confess.

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Jesus is not from God This rather is the spirit of Antichrist Antichrist of which you have heard that it is coming and now it is already in the world

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There you see other references that the Apostle repeats here references to the last day to eschatology and In the world being in the world so This raises for us now another important question

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What does the word? Confess mean in this passage in verses 15 and on Through 17.

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What does the word confess mean here because there are there are different meanings of that word One good resource to use is called

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B dag B dag it's a it's a very popular Greek English lexicon of the

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New Testament and other early Christian literature it's a little bit expensive, but if you can get a hold of it, it's very worth very much worth getting because it

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Does a good job of laying out? the different uses of words in the

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New Testament and early Christian writings, so the word as I mentioned the word confess here is homo homo lo gay say homo lo gay say

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And you'll see two two words there it's sort of a compound word homo and Lo gay say homo mean meaning one and lo gay say or logos

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Remember who the logos is Christ is the word the logos of God who is

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God? That is In this instance referring specifically it's a of one mind

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Literally of one mind that is the word homo lo gay say or homo lo gay.

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Oh of one mind That's a very powerful word there and it illustrates many important truths that the

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Apostle is revealing to us here Through the end through the the breathed -out words of God It means more specifically to acknowledge something

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Ordinarily in public to publicly acknowledge something to claim profess or praise

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Ordinarily in public that's important it is also in this context yet more particularly referring to a profession of allegiance a

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Profession of allegiance who do you belong to who do you confess is?

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The Son of God and therefore also your Lord Who do you confess? Who do you profess allegiance to confess allegiance to?

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Especially Again, like verse 15 says of confessing Christ Christ and the teaching of his community of his church the doctrines of the church

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Because the church is the pillar and buttress of the truth That is grounded in God's holy sacred scripture right, so That's important to understand in this passage now we have to Make sure that we understand what the word means and what it does not mean as well

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This is not a false or hypocritical confession Or a partial confession that willfully denies other primary doctrines of the faith

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Much like Christian cults do But it is a true confession of faith in the true gospel in the true gospel in God's Word rightly understood

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Because you'll find people who do confess that Jesus is the Son of God They will say to you that they believe

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Jesus is the Son of God, but they mean something completely different by it Like Jehovah's Witnesses or Mormons.

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They have completely different heretical views of Who Christ is? So a mere confession that Jesus is the

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Son of God doesn't doesn't Prove anything because in at least on the surface because You have to be confessing the true

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God the true Son the true Christ That's what this is referring to.

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It is a sincere confession of the true gospel Right.

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It is sincere and it is based on the truth not based on a misunderstanding or a heresy or doctrines of men of heretics

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Okay, so That is very important and also consider that confessing

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Jesus confessing Confessing that Jesus is the

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Son of God is not merely to believe that doctrine in isolation

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While denying other primary doctrines, like I said Such as the atonement or the virgin birth

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There this this is not we cannot disconnect or divorce scripture from the rest of scripture

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That's what the analogy of scripture and of faith teaches us Scripture is a systematic whole it teaches a system of doctrine

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So confessing that Jesus is the Son of God Implies other beliefs and doctrines about God man salvation and revelation and on and on About the triune

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God because Jesus is the Son of God the Father So there are two gods there aren't there are there isn't one

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Modalistic God that only has modes and not persons. There are three persons who are equally truly

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God Amen, so we need to not lose sight of this and Because truth itself

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Truth itself God's truth is by nature consistent it is consistent and systematic and not

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Contradictory it is not contradictory Right, like Jesus said let your yes be yes, and you're no no

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Christ repeatedly Exposed and refuted his enemies his opponents by showing them their contradictions

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How they contradicted themselves and they had contradicted scripture in the Word of God he would reveal their ignorance of scripture and how they contradicted themselves and That is what we are also called to do.

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We need to worship God in spirit and in truth accordingly and so to to summarize

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Confessing that Jesus is the Son of God means that you willingly sincerely believe and accept and receive everything he taught

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Everything he taught not picking and choosing just the parts that you like But everything he taught even though we may not understand all of it perfectly

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Okay Because we don't have a perfect knowledge We don't have a perfect knowledge in this life.

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We still see darkly like first Corinthians says but nevertheless we receive it and accept it as God's truth and not doubt it or reject it or deny it and You are committed.

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It is a commitment that that's what this confession means as well It's it's a commitment to keep all that he has commanded you which is the words that Christ spoke to the

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Apostles and instructed them commanded them to Keep for us to keep all that he has commanded us

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Matthew 28 20 All that he has commanded us

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Not some but all all of it And so that is what we do as God's children

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We receive God's Word all of it and we wrestle through it We wrestle to understand it in light of the whole and not pick and choose parts that we like because that's what heretics do

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That's what false teachers do they'll pick and choose parts like one Notorious heretic from the early church was

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Marcion and Marcion didn't like the Old Testament He didn't like the Jewish aspect of God.

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He was a rate. He was essentially anti -jewish and he rejected the

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Old Testament and Therefore had a very heretical view of God and many parts of the

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New Testament as well and the early church Thoroughly condemned him as a false teacher.

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We cannot pick and choose God's Word But we also

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Strive to understand God's truth because God gives us a spirit of truth and he guides us into all truth

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So we grow in the knowledge and grace of our Lord and Savior Amen, so We do these things without hypocrisy without hypocrisy and without denying or Rejecting the truth of God's Word that you do understand

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Knowing and understanding a doctrine that the Bible teaches and outright rejecting it is a dangerous thing

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That is a dangerous thing. That's what the Pharisees did They understood Sometimes they understood better than the

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Apostles did where Christ was teaching and they outright Rejected it and wanted to kill

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Christ over it because they Christ threatened their

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Authority which was based on a lie and traditions of men and not on God's Word so We have to keep this in mind and to further illustrate this

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I Want to give a few more examples of what it what confession is not what confession does not mean

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I have a

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Very helpful Definition from the reformed theologian

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Gordon Clark in his commentary He explains confession this way Confession in this in this passage is a

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Sincere public statement of a determinant a Resolved religious commitment and belief and Belief as well.

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That is to say the demons knew and Acknowledged that Jesus was the

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Son of God, but for them It was not a religious confession

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It was not sincere in other words, but rather in admission begrudged by hate begrudged by hatred

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Because they did not follow God the demons don't follow God they hate God And If you turn with me now to Mark chapter 3 we will see

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What an example of this a very clear example of? the demons Oh The demons are when they are confronted by Christ in Mark chapter 3 gospel of Mark chapter 3 verse 11 and 12 so beloved in the the gospel of Mark in chapter 3 verse 11

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We read and Whenever the unclean spirits were seeing him.

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These are foul spirits. These are demons They would fall down before him.

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They would fall down before him and Cry out saying you are the

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Son of God and He Christ Earnestly warned them not to tell who he was he warned the demons not to tell who he was because it was not yet time for his

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Mission to be revealed and his person to be revealed that he was the God. He is the God man now

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This is very interesting very interesting passage Because the demons would fall down prostrate before him and Confess him to be the

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Son of God, but is this confession a true confession? Is that a sincere confession? Well the obvious Answer to this is a resounding.

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No why is that because whenever demons Manifested in Christ's presence typically, they were they they were

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Possessing an individual like the demoniac and so They whenever they do manifest in Christ's presence.

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They would humble themselves in front of him But it was a false.

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It's a false humility because ultimately behind that veneer or that facade

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They continually hate and oppose God And God will condemn them all in judgment their their their fate their destiny is sealed and This is like this is very much like a rebellious child who temporarily

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Submits to his parents when they are present when they are present but curses them behind their back when they are not there and Mocks them this is a begrudging submission and I would remember this when

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I attended public school when I was like in the third fourth grade early on You would see

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I would see kids in my class and their parents were completely deceived by their kids because they would say oh my my son or my daughter's an angel and When they weren't when the parents weren't there when they were in school, they would act like little devils

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They would harass other students and pick on them and they were little devils because nobody was there to keep them accountable

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Their true nature and colors would come out and that's oftentimes what you see when

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Christ Confronted demons they would put on a face of humility and pretend to submit but in reality they were

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Vile there are vile foul spirits who hate and oppose God and try to kill Christ seek to destroy

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Christ and his seed his people his spiritual seed, which is us right, so Let us not be deceived by These things beloved.

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Let us ensure and make caught make our calling and election sure With a true confession that Christ is the

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Son of God. Amen, and That love of God that he pours out in us and perfects in us is

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Sealed by his spirit and his means That gives us the grace to to press on without hypocrisy and without begrudging begrudgingly following him and Sincerely and when we we do

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Commit hypocrisy because none of us are perfect We we can still fall into the sin of hypocrisy.

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We repent. Amen We repent there are means God has given us means to repent and reconcile and be restored he who confesses his sin

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God is faithful and just to forgive us our sins and Cleanse us from all unrighteousness because the cross has wiped away all our sin.

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Amen So let us take comfort and take hold of those precious truths from God's Word now that be

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We saw that The Bible very clearly reveals to us that the devil's days and his demons days his angels are numbered and So are all those who do not repent and believe the gospel

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Which is God's power and means of salvation Remember that God will inflict vengeance on all who obey not the gospel of God Right who do not repent and believe the gospel now

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Does this begrudging submission That we saw in the gospel of Mark from the demons does this kind of begrudging submission this false confession

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Remind you of anyone else in the Bible Think carefully with me here. Does it remind you of anybody else in Scripture?

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There's a very prominent and popular example from a very famous parable that Christ taught in Luke chapter 15

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Turn with me turn over with me to the gospel of Luke chapter 15. We'll start in verse 25 starting in verse 25 the gospel of Luke chapter 15 starting in verse 25

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Our Lord and Master Christ Jesus the Son of God Teaches us the following And I'm gonna start in the middle of the parable.

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So let me set up the context a little bit He's explaining that the father let me let me read it and I'll explain it along the way now his

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This is referring to the father in the parable who represents Christ His older son was in the field.

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Okay, so the father This man had two sons and the older son was in the field and when he came and approached the house when the older son approached the house, he heard music and dancing and He wondered what was what going on and summoning one of the servants

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He began inquiring what these things could be and he said to him to the servant

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Your oh and this no, I'm sorry the servant said to him to the older brother your brother your younger brother the prodigal son

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Has come and your father has killed the fattened calf because he has received him back safe and sound safe and sound

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But he the older brother became angry He became angry and was not wanting to go in and his father

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Came out and began pleading with him But he answered and said to his father.

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This is the elder brother speaking look For so many years.

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I have been serving you Slaving for you. That's the word

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Duleil means it's referring to slave slavery I have been slaving for you and never have

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I neglected if a command of yours and Yet never have you given me a young goat

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So that I might celebrate with my friends But when this son of yours came this prodigal came back who has devoured your wealth with prostitutes

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You killed the fattened calf for him So there you see the elder brother's true colors coming out and The father said to him child.

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You are always with me and all that is mine is already yours But we had to celebrate and rejoice

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For this brother of yours was dead and is alive and was lost and has been found so This is a far a powerful message to Christ and it is a rebuke

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Christ is giving a strong rebuke But this is much of the same kind of begrudging

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Hypocritical submission that the prodigal son's older brother had and Much of the same big grudging hypocrisy that Jesus enemies had that Jesus enemies had because Jesus here was rebuking and exposing none other than the

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Pharisees The Pharisees who despised and opposed him and who were hypocrites remember the parable of the

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Pharisee and the tax collector how the Pharisee claims that oh, I've never I've tithe of all my everything that I have and I give to the poor and I do this that and the other and the

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Bible says that Christ explains that the sinner who Fell on his face and said

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God be propitious to me the sinner He walked away justified and not the

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Pharisee because he was a hypocrite just like the older brother Who has who had a

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Begrudging submission to the father. He wasn't sincere. He merely wanted his father's things

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That was what he truly cared about Right. He didn't love his father It wasn't out of a love for his father and he didn't even care for his brother

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Who they thought I was dead so That's important to compare and contrast it is an important Comparison and contrast this helps us to affirm the truth and deny

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The opposite or the error it helps us to clarify and understand God's Word and his teaching so this beloved is

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Is so important for us to bear in mind today

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It is important to for us to understand sometimes things are more

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Complex and they require for us to look carefully at the context words can have different meanings

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Words can have different meanings sometimes several different meanings the word confess the word

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God The word World as we will see later on all of these things.

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We need to make sure that we are thought that we are carefully examining in the proper context and Beloved let us take comfort and joy in the fact that Christ is our

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Savior he is the Son of God who has came to redeem sinners He has come to redeem us sinners and This assures us that we have come to know and have believed the love which

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God has in us God has this love in us and Because God himself is love

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God himself is love and This is our

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Blessed hope that the God of our the God of love is our blessed our abiding confessing hope and Because God is love

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God's love for us abides in us continually and perfects us

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We who confess that Jesus is the Son of God and thereby mutually abide in the love of God by faith

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By faith and We therefore beloved have confidence in the day of judgment because by this love

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God's love Who is the source of true love has been perfected with us?

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So that we may have confidence in the day of judgment because has he as Christ is so also are we in this world

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Amen Amen so let us bow our heads beloved now with a word of prayer as we and Lord willing we will continue to impact this passage on the next

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Lord's Day our gracious precious Lord and Heavenly Father We thank you for the awesome reassuring gospel graces and reassurances from your word today

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Lord from Yeah in these in this other love chapter father it is such a blessing to have the confidence

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Now and in the day of judgment that we shall no longer come into judgment because we are

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Your children father you have adopted us by your restorative love and your redemptive love through the precious work of your son

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Jesus Christ Who came and bled and died for us sinners us wretched sinners who deserve your wrath father we thank you for this powerful love that redeems

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Restores regenerates and reforms us father God and perfects us until that glorious day

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We thank you father so much help us Lord to walk by The faith as revealed in your scriptures

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Lord and not by mere sight Father we thank you father

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For your love and in Jesus mighty name we pray amen Thank you for listening to the sermons of thorn crown covenant

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Baptist Church Where the Bible alone and the Bible in its entirety has applied to all of faith and life we strive to be biblical reformed

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Historic confessional loving discerning Christians who evangelize stand firm in and earnestly contend for the

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Such as simple referendum on the radio and thorn crown network podcasts Please contact us at thorn crown ministries calm and may the mercy peace and love of our triune