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Sermon Notes: notes.cornerstonesj.org
The Spirit of Truth
Our
Bible
studies
and
fellowship
times
on it,
there
are
ministry
opportunities
that.
You can get involved in like children's ministries and anything else.
But what we need you to do is you can fill this out and drop it off in the box in the back,
and it will allow us to connect you with the ministry leader of one of these ministries.
If you don't know what the small groups are, it has a list of when they are, what times they are, and what they're studying.
And if you want to get connected to one of these, we need to know about it.
So fill this out, put it in the box in the back, and you can keep the free pen if you'd.
Like.
That's no problem.
All right?
It's really, really good.
The other portion on the back has a QR code that takes you to Church Center Online.
You can view it on a website on your computer, or you can download the app.
And that connects you with all the information that is either on this card or more announcements and things.
So you want to be connected in that way.
The other thing is our Connect Card.
I've said it a hundred times.
But if you need anything changed, your telephone number, your address, anything like that, you can fill that out.
You can give it to me.
Anyone up here can get it to me, or you can put it in the offering box in the back.
That just keeps you connected.
You can put prayer requests on here, and we get them to the leaders.
So all of this, if you have any questions, you can let me know.
If you saw on your way in, on your right -hand side, there's a display of a sweatshirt and some t -shirts.
Those are samples that you can see what colors, what sizes, so that you can go online and.
Order.
If you got Pastor Jeff's email this week, we're launching out this new merchandise.
We've had them before.
Now we're kind of relaunching it again, various cuts and styles.
There's a lady's style.
There's some children's things out there.
You can see what sizes they are.
And the goal is for you to order online.
You pay online.
And then when the shipment is ready, they'll deliver it to us, and we'll give them out.
And that probably will be mid -October.
So it takes a little while for them to print them, and you can order them all before October.
1st.
Okay?
If you have any questions, you can let me know.
Okay.
This week, we have a lot going on, as we do every week.
But for instance, tomorrow, the men's breakfast will start at 6 a .m.
Then the precept Bible study starts at 6 .30 p .m.
On Tuesday, marriage matters starts.
On Wednesday, the new Bible study resumes.
They're going to be in Daniel 5.
So if you want to read up, that starts at noon.
Next week, after the second service, is baptism.
So we're heading down the shore.
And if you need any information or need to have additional information about where to go and what to do, it's
online.
You can talk to Pastor Jeff, Pastor John.
Any of the elders will know where to go.
And then starting point, which is a class for three weeks.
It starts on September 24th, October 1st, and October 8th.
That is for people who want to know a little bit more about our church, about the ministries here, what we believe.
And it really is a good foundation to start, even if you're interested in membership or just want to know a little bit more about
us.
That's a great class to start.
So all of that information is in the Church Center app and online.
So you can get it all there.
But if you ever have any questions, you can always email info at cornerstoneSJ .org.
And that comes to Pastor Jeff and I.
Ah, the men's Bible study.
The apologetics are Spurgeon now, right?
Yeah, that starts at 7.
So that's on Monday as well.
So there's a lot more that's going on throughout the week with all the small groups and all that, but those are some of the highlights.
All right.
Let's pray together.
Give this time to the Lord and then we'll sing.
Lord, thank you for the many blessings that you give to us.
Thank you for your love.
Thank you that you came to this earth to die
on the cross so that we have hope, so that we have a hope of being with you
forever and we are not lost.
Thank you, Lord, that you give us voices to sing and to speak and proclaim your name to the
nations.
I pray, Lord, for this service, that you will lead Pastor Jeff through the scriptures,
allowing him to share your truth to us.
I pray, Lord, for those serving around the world, missionaries that are persecuted,
protect them, allow them to have your peace.
Allow, though, the people that are persecuting them to come to you,
to understand that these people have their faith in you because you first
loved us.
We dedicate this time to you, Lord.
We stand and sing praises to your name.
In Jesus' name, amen.
Will you stand with me?
Of the risen King, who did light to
bring him praise, Come all and tune your hearts
to sing to the morning star.
From the shifting shadows of the earth, we will lift our
eyes to you.
Where
steady
arms of
mercy
reach
to end those weak,
Though strong,
never change and disperse, these never
-seeking
joys.
Praises to his name.
Philippians 2, it says, Therefore God has highly exalted him and
bestowed on him the name that is above every name, so that the name of Jesus
every knee will bow, in heaven and on earth, and every tongue confess that Jesus
Christ is Lord, to the glory of God the Father.
Let's sing together, I'll hail the power of Jesus' name.
I'll hail the power of Jesus' name.
Let angels prostrate fall.
Bring forth the royal diadem and
crown him Lord.
Heed of Israel's race, he ransomed from
the hail.
For you're singing praise to your name, rejoicing in the glory and
the majesty of your name.
Lord, as we come before you this morning, we want to open up your word, and we want you to open up
our eyes, soften our hearts, and speak to us, Lord.
We want to learn everything there is about you, so that we can proclaim your gospel to
wherever we go.
Speak, O Lord, as we come to you,
to receive the food of your
holy word.
Take your truth, plant it deep in us.
Shape and fashion us in your
likeness, that the light of Christ
might be seen today in our acts of
love and our deeds of faith.
Fulfill
in
us to
see
and let true.
Help us grasp the heights
with unchanged from the
dawn of time.
Eternal
praise,
we'll walk.
You may be seated.
More than we did when we came in this place, Lord, that you would expose
any areas of deceit in our own hearts, lies that we have believed.
We pray, God, that you would conform us to the image of the Son by the truth of your.
Word.
Lord, help us to be truly spiritual, which is to believe every
word that you have said.
Sanctify us by your truth, your word is truth.
In Jesus' name we pray, amen.
One of the earliest symbols of rebellion against God, of paganism and
attempting for humanity to exalt itself to the place of God
was, of course, the Tower of Babel.
There at the Tower of Babel, humanity decided that they did
not need a God who comes down to rescue us, but they could exalt by human
potential to reach the skies.
Seems like a long time ago, but just this last week, there stood in
the black rock desert of Gerlach, Nevada, a Tower of Babel.
It was entitled Chapel of Babel, and it was built by Michael Gerlington for the Burning
Man Festival of 2023.
Now, if you don't know what the Burning Man Festival is, well, let me introduce you
to.
It.
It is 80 ,000 people gathering in the biggest open plain in
America, where the land speed record was once set.
So it's a vast open plain, and they pop up a temporary city
for one week.
It is a New Age spirituality that seeks for self
-actualization, self -reliance, radical self -reliance and inclusion.
At the festival a few years ago, when it comes to the culminating moment, they
light a man on fire, a big wooden statue.
And it is a really coming from ancient rituals of paganism,
but this Burning Man becomes a symbol of their spirituality.
A couple of years ago, a man threw himself into that fire and died.
Last year in 2022 at the Burning Man Festival, when they lit this thing on fire, all of a sudden
some dust devils spun up around the fire and through the camp,
actual miniature tornadoes forming around the Burning Man.
Now, back in the days of Egypt, with pagan idolatry, there were often
miraculous signs that were accomplished by demons.
Do you remember when Moses turned the Nile by the power of God into blood?
Janice and John breeze turned some pots of water into blood, which of course was greater judgment
from God because water was scarce and they just lost those pots of water.
But it does show that demons have power and they are real.
What happens at the Burning Man Festival is an ode to Satan.
It is a satanic kind of new age pagan demonism.
This year at the festival, there were torrential downpours on the day
of the Burning Man, the Saturday when they were meant to burn this thing.
The rains came and a rainbow stood over the event.
Now, of course, in this radical inclusive environment, I'm sure many interpreted that as
God's acceptance of the sexual practices of the festival.
But in truth, what that rainbow demonstrated is that God, although flooding this event, was
not flooding the earth.
He was reserving his judgment for the end and that there was yet time for repentance.
It was a sign of him staying judgment because that is the meaning of the rainbow.
God displays the bow in the clouds to indicate
that he's holding back his judgment.
There's still yet time for them to repent.
One of the big concepts of the Burning Man is to leave no trace
because they gather on.
And part of this religion is to consider the earth and people in it as all
connected to God.
Aspects of God that God is in the earth, and so they never want to leave any trash behind.
But as God's providence would have it, this substance that they call MOOP, which stands
for matter out of place, was strewn about because with these torrential floods,
everything began to sink down into the soil.
One girl who went by the name of Raven said she put her shoes outside and in the morning she couldn't dislodge them
from the sludge.
It had become part of the MOOP and they had to leave all of this behind.
Organizers of this event promoted as radical inclusion, radical
self -reliance, and radical self -expression.
They described this event as a neutral, non -denominational, spiritual
space.
Neutral.
Not part of any religion.
Non -denominational.
But spiritual.
It is a spiritual place for all to come.
Now listen.
What's happening in the desert of Nevada with 80 ,000 people is a radical
version of New Age spirituality, the New Age movement.
And there are a few characteristics of this which describe it well.
Even though that's the radical stuff that most people kind of laugh at or just, you know, consider to be a
little wacky, the views underneath this movement are actually prevalent throughout
American culture.
It is an anti -truth version of spirituality.
Matt Slick, who's a great apologist with Christian Apologetics Research Ministry, described
New Age spirituality as having two core tenets.
Number one, evolutionary godhood.
And number two, global unity.
Evolutionary godhood is this idea that people, because
there is no god in evolution in Darwinism, people coming from the earth are evolving into
higher forms of God and they are realizing that all along they were God.
A person viewed as neutral or good is only realizing how good they are.
And there is coming an age in New Age thinking, what they would call the age of Aquarius
or something like this, where people will be exalted to a greatly higher plane.
They're reaching up to this new world, this new age that's coming.
That's the first tenet.
The second is global unity.
And this is what's so important for us to hear about.
Man is developing and will soon leap forward into new horizons.
Because the average New Ager believes himself to be divine, he can create his
own reality.
If, for example, a person believes that reincarnation is true, that's fine,
because that is his reality.
If someone else doesn't believe in reincarnation, that is all right too, because that is his
reality.
They can each have reality for themselves that follows a different path.
What Matt Slick is saying here is that the idea of spirituality in
the New Age is that each person becoming a God creates their
Truth no longer matters, but each person believes whatever they
choose for themselves, and that is true for them.
Does that sound familiar?
Beyond the New Age, this has become the predominant thinking of our world.
This global unity is man -to -man, where everybody would be affirming and
accepting of whatever anybody believes and come to a perfect unity of
all religions.
The New Age is looking for a person who will unify the world in a one -world religion and
with it bring in a one -world government.
This is the thinking of the New World Order and the World Economic Forum,
George Soros and his cronies.
They're looking for a ruler, and the Bible describes this person in 2 Thessalonians
2, verses 2 and 3, as the Antichrist.
They're also looking for a unity between God and creation.
This is the second tenet of this global unity.
If mankind is not made in the image of God, then
animals and all creatures are equal.
My son and I were witnessing to a young couple recently, and the girl
was saying that we elevate our own species, but in truth, all
animals and all of the planet are united at the same level.
Everything is one.
There is one unity.
She was espousing New Age spirituality, so we asked her, well, if you were on a boat and you saw
that there were three dogs drowning and also a little boy,
and you didn't have time to save them all or opportunity, who would you save?
And she had to think long and hard about this before coming to the conclusion, yeah, I would save the little boy.
But, she said, it's only because I have a bias towards my own species.
In truth, the dogs and the boy are all of equal value, and I only have a prejudice because as
my own species, I'm biased towards the child.
Do you see the breakdown of truth?
That all is one and the world is one and the earth itself, and so when you see the climate
activism in our world today, when you see the agenda of
the world powers to push this concern for the environment, which in one sense is
good, we have dominion over the earth and we're to care for the environment, but when the environment becomes God
to people, you are witnessing this new age spirituality.
And lastly, man to God, that each person is learning that they in fact are
gods, little.
Gods.
This view is, of course, new age spirituality and it can attract 80 ,000 people to go to some far off
desert to practice their spirituality, but it is more likely that your
neighbor on your street believes in
evolutionary godhood and global unity, that is the relativizing
of truth, that all things and all paths are equal, and that we are actually evolving and
progressing to a higher plane.
It is more likely that they believe that religion than the truth of Jesus Christ.
It's not only the religion of the burning man, it is the soft version of the very same
thing that is the spirituality of America.
When America has departed from the Christian roots of its founding,
it has not become merely secular, it has replaced that religion with a
spirituality devoid of truth.
They consider themselves spiritual, but explicitly against
the truth, denigrating truth.
One of the things that they write in terms of the burning man, they say beyond the dogmas,
creeds, and metaphysical ideas of religion, there is immediate experience.
It is from this primal world that faith arises.
In their definition, dogma, creeds, metaphysical
ideas, concepts of God, religion, all of these things are just mere paths for
your own choosing, but the experience of a person with something supernatural, the
experience is the essence of faith.
Turn with me to John chapter 15, verses 26
and 27.
The essence of spirituality is truth.
For the spirit is the spirit of truth.
Guys, the burning man festival and the world around us is on fire.
Their tongues are burning with the message.
But according to James chapter 3, verses 1 to 6, their tongues are set
on fire by hell.
There is a kind of burning, a holy burning, a flame from heaven
that causes Christians to speak the truth.
Fire versus fire.
We must fight fire with fire.
There is a false burning that is destroying the world and leading people to throw themselves
into the fire that ultimately leads to the fires of hell.
But Jeremiah was a prophet of the living God.
And he said this in chapter 20, verse 9.
If I say I will not mention him or speak anymore in his name, there is in my
heart, as it were, a burning fire shut up in my bones and I am weary of
holding it in.
And I cannot.
Genuine spirituality is the spirit of truth setting the tongue
of the Christian on fire.
As you see in Acts chapter 2, the burning of tongues of fire separating and falling on believers so that Peter
then would stand up and proclaim, this Jesus whom you crucified, God has
risen from the dead.
Repent and believe.
I'll tell you, if someone told me I can't be a preacher any longer,
you're not allowed to preach.
I would have to say, I cannot be quiet.
I have to speak in his name.
And every Christian should feel that burning that you must tell the world about Christ.
It comes from right here in our text.
Let's read it.
John 15, 26 and 27.
But when the helper comes, whom I will send to you from
the Father, the spirit of truth who proceeds
from the Father, he will bear witness about me and you also will bear
witness because you have been with me from the beginning.
Now, when you see that word but to introduce verses 26 and 27, what is the context
that provoked this contrast?
Why would he say but?
Well, it comes from the preceding verses where we have been told that we will be hated.
If they had received Christ's word, then they will receive our word.
But if they persecuted him, which they did, then we can expect to be persecuted.
In the context of John 15, we have been told that Christ is the true vine and we are
the branches.
We bear fruit, which in the context of John 15 is fruitful
ministry.
We pray and we receive answers to our prayer.
The church is built up into a community of love.
The new commandment is that we love one another.
We're then filled with the joy of the Lord.
We're gathered together as a believing community.
Here we are.
But the warning comes after this description in verses 18 to 25.
Although we are a community of love, we will be received with hatred.
We love one another.
But as soon as we go into the world and proclaim our Christ, we should
expect to be hated.
And so what's the temptation for us?
If that's how they're going to receive us as we go prophetically to proclaim Christ, why don't we just stick together?
Why don't we become insular?
Why don't we remain together in the church, gather and experience the fruit of the spirit and
love one another and leave the world to burn?
We can just be a holy huddle, right?
And so the word but.
You're going to be hated without cause.
The context here is but.
The Holy Spirit will come into you on the day of Pentecost, and the result of this
will be three things in our text today.
What are the marks of genuine spirituality?
If worldly spirituality is explicitly against the truth, that is there's no objectivity,
no correspondence to a reality above you or beyond you.
It's within you because you're God and you make it so truth doesn't matter.
What is genuine spirituality?
First of all, it's love of truth.
Secondly, it's the exaltation of Jesus.
It's to love Christ.
And third, it is to witness.
To go and bear witness.
That's what I see in the text.
Let's take them one at a time.
Love of truth.
When the helper comes, whom I will send to you from the Father, the spirit
of truth.
You see, here in describing the spirit, it's set apart between commas
for emphasis.
Jesus has introduced him already in the previous chapter as the helper, the paraclete,
the one that you need.
You need a comforter in your life, an advocate.
Here, I think the best translation is helper.
Because the Christian life is your responsibility to live,
the exertion of your own will.
You are called to obey commandments and you are freed by the blood of the Lamb to do that.
Prior to coming to Christ, you are in bondage.
You're a slave to sin.
You're even dead in sin and so you cannot come.
But when you are given the Holy Spirit of the living God, you are also regenerated.
You're made alive.
You're a new creation.
And so now you can live the Christian life, but not on your own.
Who lives the Christian life?
You or God?
Yes.
Him living in you and you making decisions.
So you have an energy that you exert to live for God, but you
cannot do it without this helper.
He is the helper, the paraclete, that enables you to will and to do according to his good pleasure.
So the first thing that he does, according to our text, is lead you to truth.
He is the spirit of truth.
Back in chapter 14, verses 16 and 17, when Jesus first introduced the spirit,
verse 17, again he emphasizes, even the spirit of
truth.
When you think of genuine spirituality, being filled with the spirit, it is to
desire truth in your life.
In the secret heart, Psalm 51 .6, that you would begin to hate every lie and
every deceiving spirit and that you would operate in the light
as Christ is light.
The first mark of a spiritual person is that they do not deceive themselves or others.
Truth begins to mark their life because the spirit is the spirit of truth.
I'd like you to turn with me to 2 Thessalonians 2.
We're gonna jump around a little bit here to underscore this point about the importance of truth.
2 Thessalonians 2, 9 and 10.
This is a passage about that coming Antichrist and how he will be a deceiver.
But I want you to notice the basis of the condemnation of those who reject Christ.
It is for lack of the love of truth.
The coming of the lawless one is by the activity of Satan
with all power and false signs and wonders.
There's your experience.
There's your dust devil spinning out in the wilderness.
There is your evidence that there's some supernatural power involved here.
It's not made up.
It's not slight of hand.
It's not fake.
It's all kinds in the end times of false signs and wonders.
But look at the basis of condemnation in verse 10.
And with all wicked deception, these are lies for those who are
perishing because they refused to love
the truth.
You see that?
And so be saved.
Genuine spirituality loves truth.
It doesn't feign spirituality trying to create a reality of its own.
Genuine spirituality is submissive to something outside of himself.
You might want something to be the case very badly.
And so you have every temptation to make your world conform to that desire.
And if you believe it enough, you think maybe my words will speak it into existence.
Maybe it will be as I want it to be.
But submission to God is submission to truth.
That there is a God outside of you and whatever he says about reality is the way it is.
And the world will be divided based on truth and lies
according to our text.
I've mentioned Psalm 51 .6 that God desires truth in the inward being
and teaches us wisdom in the sacred heart.
Turn to Ephesians chapter 4.
Wisdom in the secret heart.
That means not allowing any lies deep in your own heart.
No justifications, no rationalizations, but that who you are as you display yourself to the world
and before God is who you really are.
Wisdom in the secret heart is about walking in truth.
Ephesians chapter 4 through 6 teaches us about spirituality.
In the sixth chapter, we learn about the spiritual war that we're in.
Angels and principalities.
Demons that we fight.
And there are some famous verses in Ephesians 4 to 6 about spirituality.
The spiritual gifts as listed in 8 to 11 which here are the gifts of
apostles, prophets, evangelists, and the pastor teacher.
It's the spirit's work that's preserving unity according to chapter 4 verse 3.
According to chapter 4 verse 30, if you'll notice Ephesians 4 30, we are not to grieve
the spirit of the living God with whom we were sealed for the day of redemption.
It is the spirit who seals us and he's a personal God that we ought not grieve.
We must be filled with the spirit.
Chapter 5 verse 18.
Not drunk on wine but filled with the spirit.
But what I want you to see today is the connection between the truth
and being filled with the spirit.
Genuine spirituality is about walking in truth.
Look at Ephesians chapter 4 verses 5 and 6.
There are not many different paths to God.
It is not the case that whatever you hope and sincerely believe to be true
becomes reality by the exertion of your will.
Rather, Ephesians 4, 5 and 6 says there is one Lord.
And here one faith refers to that body of teaching as Jude 3 does.
The faith once and for all handed down to the saints.
One baptism, the spiritual baptism and the physical
representation of going underwater.
Next week I think we have about 12 or so who will go under the waters at the shore, being
baptized, proclaiming their identity with Christ.
That they are in Christ.
Crucified with Him in baptism.
Raised to newness of life.
This is the way of demonstrating your repentance and faith.
One God and Father of all who is over all and through all and in all.
You see the truth is what matters.
If you have spiritually gifted pastor teachers to deliver the word, it is
not some special anointing that sets them apart as a
higher class of Christian.
Touch not God's anointed.
Rather, the pastor teacher handles rightly and rightly divides the word of truth
and proclaims that to the congregation.
Because look what it goes on to say under this description.
Verses 12 to 14.
To equip the saints for the work of ministry.
For building up the body of Christ.
Until we all attain what?
Unity of the faith.
And of the knowledge of the Son of God.
To mature manhood.
To the measure of the stature of the fullness of Christ.
This picture is growth in truth.
That you would be hearing the word, believing, understanding, having knowledge of the word.
Verse 14.
So that we may no longer be children.
Tossed to and fro by the waves and carried about by every wind of doctrine.
By human cunning.
By craftiness in deceitful schemes.
26 of the 27 New Testament books give a similar warning to this.
That there will be false teachings that would lead you astray by deceitful schemes.
False teachers.
False prophets.
Rather, verse 15.
Speaking the truth in love.
We are to grow up.
In every way.
Into him who is the head.
Into Christ.
Growing spiritually is to take in the knowledge of God.
And learn to apply that and live the truth that we're hearing.
Verses 17 to 21.
Notice the connection here between spirituality and truth.
Now this I say and testify in the Lord.
That you must no longer walk as the Gentiles do.
In the futility of their minds.
It's a futile way of thinking.
They are darkened in their understanding.
Alienated from the life of God.
Spiritual life.
Because of ignorance.
The ignorance that is in them.
Due to the hardness of their hearts.
They have become callous and have given themselves up to sensuality.
That's this desire for experience.
Not that experience is bad.
But here it's become a darkening force.
They're going by whatever they feel.
Greedy to practice every kind of impurity.
But that is not the way you learned Christ.
Christ must be learned.
If he says, I am the way, the truth, and the life.
This is a way that must be learned.
This is a truth that must be understood.
You need to learn who he is.
And look at verse 21.
Assuming that you have heard about him.
And were, what?
Taught.
Genuine spirituality is to sit as we are.
With open Bibles and hear the word.
And not daydream.
But to be taught.
This needs to be more important than whatever football games happen today.
This is to be taught as the truth.
The truth, verse 21, is in Jesus.
Amen?
It is the word that sanctifies us.
And we grow by this truth.
Sadly, the new age mysticism of our culture.
Experiential spirituality.
Has not remained in the deserts of Nevada.
At the Burning Man Festival.
Many of these false doctrines have crept into the church.
As Jesus warned they would.
As Ephesians 4 .14 says, we should be on guard against.
But the genuine spirit of truth.
Teaches us to discern all things.
And to grow in our powers of discernment.
Hebrews 5 .14.
To mark and avoid what causes division.
And what is untrue.
One such teacher was a woman named Kathryn Kuhlman.
Back in the 1960s, 70s.
She would hold big tent revivals in California and across the country.
She boasted that she had never read a theology book.
But only read the Bible.
It sounds pious.
Conversely, Charles Spurgeon had a collection of 10 ,000 theology books.
1 ,000 of them written by the early Puritans.
Evidently, Kuhlman never read in the Bible.
According to 1 Timothy 2 .12 -15.
I do not permit a woman to teach or exercise authority over men.
But she must remain quiet.
This is the word of God.
Worse than that though.
She indoctrinated people into a theology based on experience.
Devoid of the teaching of the word.
No exposition of scripture.
She taught about the hosting of God's presence.
That God wants to come into the meeting place.
If only they could create that atmosphere.
To invite the Holy Spirit.
And she presented herself as the anointed of God.
Dripping with God's anointing.
And if they could manufacture this environment.
In the worship service.
Then they would see healings.
This was the theology of Catherine Kuhlman.
Then furthered on by Benny Hinn.
And many of today's teachers.
The scriptures that we've studied today.
In John 14.
If you'll go back there.
Verses 16 and 17.
Teach us very differently about the Holy Spirit.
He's not a genie in a bottle that needs to be conjured.
The Holy Spirit is not a presence.
That comes and goes.
And requires certain rhythms of music.
Certain repetition of a mantra.
Again and again and again.
To be brought into presence.
Our text in John 14, 16 and 17.
Says he will give you another helper.
To be with you forever.
He doesn't leave you.
Even the spirit of truth.
Whom the world cannot receive.
Because it neither sees him.
Nor knows him.
You know him.
For he dwells with you.
And will be.
Where?
In you.
You are the temple.
And he never leaves.
This anointing.
Is spoken of in the Bible.
But very differently from how Catherine Coleman described it.
Turn with me to 1 John.
Chapter 2.
Verses 19 to 27.
This is very important.
Because you'll very often hear about the anointing.
But you'll very rarely hear.
These passages where the anointing is taught.
And what it is.
Because our culture.
Has taught the church not to look to the text.
To value truth.
But rather go by experience and traditions of men.
1 John.
And we'll just take a few of the verses.
Verse 19 warns.
They went out from us.
But they were not of us.
For if they had been of us.
They would have continued with us.
But they went out.
That it might become plain.
That they all are not of us.
That is to say there will be apostates that leave the church.
Some that seem like genuine believers.
But go out from you.
Look at verse 20.
But you have been anointed by the Holy One.
And you all have knowledge.
This is what it means to be in the new covenant.
When you study the new covenant promise.
Jeremiah 31.
Ezekiel 36.
They will all be taught of God.
They will be indwelt by the Spirit.
Anointed by the Spirit to know God.
And so John says in verse 20.
You have been anointed.
The anointing is not the marking off of a super spiritual super apostle.
No such thing.
The priesthood of all believers.
That the Spirit is in you and is teaching you truth.
Truth is the issue.
Look down at verse 27.
But the anointing.
This is the other place where the anointing is described.
And look how.
First John 2.
27 describes the anointing.
That you received.
John says to the ordinary believer.
That you receive from him.
Abides in you.
And you have no need that anyone should teach you.
You don't need the super saint.
The super apostle.
What do you need to do then?
Read verse 27.
He is true.
And is no lie.
Just as it has taught you.
That is the anointing.
Abide in him.
What you need is to abide.
According to our text.
It is to be diving deeply into the word of God.
Receiving the nourishment of that truth.
And to be growing in truth.
There is an academy.
Run out of.
California.
By a so -called prophet and apostle.
Named Sean Bolts.
His wife is Sherry Bolts.
And listen to how she is described on their website.
She enjoys taking people on a journey.
Of self -discovery.
And inspiration to become the most empowered version.
Of themselves.
Where did we hear that before?
New age spirituality.
This new age spirituality.
Manifests itself.
In what has become really a cottage industry.
Of spiritual tourism.
Centered out of Orange County. California.
And also some in Orange County Florida.
New age spirituality as a cottage industry.
Listen.
Here is what the spiritual growth academy offers.
Picture this.
You are now getting to hear about supernatural justice.
From Christine Kane.
Learning to hear from God.
About your heart and mind.
From Real Talk Kim.
The importance of Israel to Christians.
From Rabbi Jason Sobel.
Develop your leadership importance.
And foundation with Steve Chua.
Prophetic evangelism from a pastor.
Who has taught thousands around the world.
Like Sean Gabby.
Listen to this.
Get impartation from prophetic voices.
Like Matt Sorger.
Gary and Sarah Morgan.
And Apostle Catherine Crick.
Go on a destiny journey with Lauren Hassan.
Or a prophetic prayer journey with Ann Tubbs.
Learn from coaches, pastors, teachers.
And Christian influencers from all around the world.
It would be funny if it's not sad.
$25 per month.
Or $300 per year.
There is a form of spirituality.
Devoid of truth.
Detached from the word of God.
Being sold across America.
And it is a great deception in the churches.
It's not just out there.
It comes into evangelical churches.
This very person Sean Bolts.
Recently sold his $6 .1 million mansion in Orange County.
To Black Lives Matter.
And you can see the same books behind BLM.
As you saw behind him when he was offering this course.
Because it was a pull down screen.
And it came with the house.
The deception was to present this as a well learned man.
A guy who had studied the scripture.
Who knows the truth.
You can trust his prophetic impartation.
For $25 a month.
But it is a spiritual deception.
Church, listen.
The truth about the matter is.
There are deceivers and false prophets in America.
And there are many of them.
And they look and sound attractive.
What Athanasius described as the Aryan snare.
When Arius was teaching a different Jesus.
A different Jesus.
One who was created.
They were gaining the momentum in the Roman Empire.
The Aryans were because of the Aryan snare.
It was their music was so attractive.
That people fell in to the Aryan snare.
Athanasius was preaching the orthodox gospel.
And the true definition of Jesus.
Turn back to John 15.
I want you to see this and setting it up.
I hope you understand that what we're saying here is important.
When the helper comes.
Whom I will send to you.
Who does the Holy Spirit come from?
Jesus.
He sends.
But then he goes on.
From the Father.
The Spirit proceeds.
And sent by Jesus.
The church has so loved this truth.
And all of the teachings about the Father, the Son, and the Holy Spirit.
That it has caused great investment in to studying theology.
So valuing the truth.
The council of Nicaea in 325.
And then in 381.
The council of Constantinople.
Who is the Father, the Son, and the Holy Spirit?
To understand that each is God.
Well in the year 1054.
The church of Jesus Christ split right down the middle.
East versus west.
And it was over this verse.
Because the Pope unilaterally added the word filioque.
To the creed of Constantinople.
Describing the Holy Spirit as proceeding from the Father.
The Pope said.
And from the Son.
The eastern half based in Constantinople.
Broke away from the western half of Christianity in 1054.
Because of the filioque.
Filioque simply means and the Son.
The Spirit descends or proceeds from the Father.
And the Son.
They so loved the truth.
And the truth of this word.
As well as other verses that prove.
That the Spirit is a person.
And Jesus is consubstantial with the Father.
That Jesus is not derivative.
And neither is the Spirit.
But the Spirit is a person who comes from Father and the Son.
So loving the truth.
They held on to the creeds.
And they wrote these creeds.
The reason the church divided.
Was not because of the truth.
But because of the lie of the Pope.
He had authority to unilaterally add the filioque.
Into the creed of Constantinople.
And the eastern half of the empire said.
You can't do that.
There are many bishops.
You are not over the rest.
You don't have that authority.
The Pope took authority to himself.
And it divided the empire.
The spirit of unity.
And the bond of peace was destroyed.
Through that grab of power.
But how much do you and I.
Value truth.
These men like Athanasius.
Who would be exiled for 20 years.
Who would suffer greatly.
For saying that the Son of God.
Is not a created being.
And come to understand.
The doctrine of the Trinity.
And to fight Arius over this.
How different is that from our culture.
And how important is theology.
To you.
Do you care.
If the spirit proceeds from the Father and the Son.
It was enough to divide Christianity.
In the year 1054.
But when is the last time you read a theology book.
To be concerned about that.
Church.
Theology matters.
In these last days.
And I believe we are moving into the last days.
The world has become.
Virtually like the pagan empire.
Of Rome.
With the same world view.
As I talked about earlier.
It devalues truth.
It doesn't care about truth.
And Christians are being pulled along.
In that tide.
To think that these things don't matter.
But does it matter to you.
When.
The pastor of Gateway Church in Dallas.
Whose name is Robert Morris.
And seems so much more.
Down to earth and likable.
Than the more extreme stuff.
From the new apostolic reformation.
What about Robert Morris saying.
Even though Jesus was fully God.
He completely laid down his divinity.
While he was on earth.
So that he could become fully human.
Robert Morris.
Who I'm sure many of you know.
Said that this last Easter Sunday.
This is little God theology.
Canonic theology.
The idea that Jesus.
Laid down his divinity.
In order to become fully human.
And the teaching here is that.
As Jesus is only a man in the flesh.
And needed the Holy Spirit.
To help him do miracles.
So you are just a man.
But by the Holy Spirit.
You can do greater things.
Even than what Jesus did.
A misunderstanding of John 14 12.
Their little God theology.
Is a twisting of scripture.
They believe that.
Psalm 82.
Which says you are gods.
Is referring to us as Christians.
And when Jesus cited that in John 10.
And he said you are gods.
That means that we church are little gods.
This is nothing but heresy.
Do you care?
I know you do.
Because you love the truth.
The truth of the matter.
Is that Psalm 82.
Is about judges in Israel.
Appointed by God.
To carry authority.
And God says you are gods.
Little g.
And then goes on to say.
But you will die like men.
Like any other prince.
The point of saying you are gods.
In Psalm 82.
You are going to read it later hopefully.
Is not to exalt the Christian.
To be a little God.
It is.
To tear down.
The idol.
Of men who exalt themselves.
To the place of God.
The little God theology prevalent in our culture.
Is an idol.
That needs to be torn down.
The second thing.
And these will be quick.
Second of three.
Is that a genuinely spiritual person.
Loves Jesus Christ.
Do you see that in the text?
Verse 26.
He will bear witness about me.
Genuine spirituality.
Is not just emotion or feeling.
It is directed to an object.
And that object.
Is Jesus Christ.
He is the preeminent one.
Interestingly.
When Paul finishes the book of Ephesians.
And first Corinthians.
In one case.
He gives a blessing.
And in the other case.
He gives a curse.
Ephesians ends this way.
Grace be with all.
Who love our Lord Jesus Christ.
With love incorruptible.
Corinthians.
Ends with a curse.
If anyone has no love for the Lord.
Let him be accursed.
Our Lord.
Come.
Is centered on Jesus Christ.
It is a love for him.
The desire to know him.
To know the truth.
About him.
That he is the eternal son of God.
To know the theology.
The right thinking about him.
But even to know him personally.
To relate to Christ.
And to lift him up.
Which then leads us to the last thing.
And this is quick.
He that is spiritual.
Loves witnessing.
Verse 27 says.
You also will bear witness.
That word witness.
In the Greek.
Is martis.
What word do we get from that?
Martyr.
Why was a witness.
Considered a martyr.
How did that word.
Martyr come from.
What was just witness.
Well it's because in that early Roman Empire.
When you witness in the world.
They so hate you.
That very often.
They killed you.
The witness would go preaching to.
An obstinate crowd that hated them.
And when they preached.
Stephen would get stoned to death.
Paul would have his head cut off.
Philip would be.
Cut through with spears I believe it was.
Peter crucified upside down.
Martyrdom followed.
Because they were hated for their witness.
So why even do it.
Why leave your family behind.
What is so important.
It is love for Jesus Christ.
Becomes in you like a fire.
That you cannot hold it in.
You must tell someone.
The book of Acts.
Is very interesting in this way.
In your notes I gave you 48 verses.
I went through and read the book.
And looked for any place where.
The filling of the spirit.
Manifested.
In witnessing.
And that it turns out.
Is the purpose of the book.
Luke writes to Theophilus.
To tell him.
The things that Jesus has done.
And the book then ends.
In chapter 28.
Verse 31.
With Paul.
Proclaiming the kingdom of God.
Read the book of Acts.
And the point is.
You will be witnesses.
In Jerusalem and Judea and Samaria.
And to the ends of the earth.
If you are genuinely filled with the spirit. You are witnessing.
In the world.
It's as simple as that if you read the book of Acts.
A .W. Pink said.
It is true that many are praying.
For worldwide revival.
But it would be more timely and more scriptural.
For prayer to be made.
To the Lord of the harvest.
That he would raise up and thrust forth laborers.
Who would fearlessly.
And faithfully preach those truths.
Which are calculated to bring about revival.
It's one thing to pray for revival.
But Jesus said.
For the Lord of the harvest.
To send laborers in.
Because the harvest is ripe.
There in the desert.
With the rainbow over their heads.
Are needy people.
Who know not the Lord.
And they will be burned.
Like that man in the fire.
Unless someone comes to them.
And tells them the way to be saved.
The message of this new life.
And so it is in your neighborhood.
There is a false spirituality.
A false spirituality that's confusing them.
Because it's a counterfeit.
It looks good to them.
And it feels better than nothing.
But it's a lie.
And you have the spirit of truth.
You must be a witness in the world.
What do you say to them?
Phil and I had incredible opportunities this week.
And just time and again.
People were open to hear it.
Often we begin by simply saying.
Hey can I get your opinion on something.
And the guy says.
Yeah what?
What's up?
Do you believe there is an afterlife?
And from there you begin to talk.
About what they believe.
Ask them questions from the law.
Are you a good person?
How many lies have you told?
The Ray Comfort.
Way of the Master.
And before long you tell them the good news about Jesus.
And then there is this crucial point.
In that conversation.
Where you tell them.
Why they should believe.
What is it in verse 27?
Look it says.
He is talking to the apostles.
And he says.
Because you have been with me from the beginning.
And these apostles would see Jesus.
Risen from the dead.
They were there to see him walk on water.
They are eye witnesses.
In Acts chapter 1.
Verses 21 and 22.
Judas is now gone.
He has hung himself.
So they are down to 11.
And they have to replace him with one.
And they choose Matthias.
But by what criteria?
That he had been with them as he went in and out among them.
And saw him rise from the dead.
Here is what you tell someone.
As a witness of Jesus Christ.
Eye witnesses.
Saw him.
The apostles who were with him from the beginning.
Here in verse 27.
They saw him rise.
As did more than 500 witnesses.
And this.
Makes more sure.
The prophetic word.
So you have the prophecies of the Old Testament.
Made more sure.
By the eye witness testimony.
Of those who saw him.
A witness.
Engages people.
You engage their conscience by bringing the moral law.
You speak to them.
And ultimately you tell them.
The story.
Remember that old hymn.
I love to tell the story.
It will be my theme in glory.
To tell the old old story.
Of Jesus and his love.
A witness will tell them.
You will tell them that he died.
On a cross.
That he was buried and he rose on the third day.
And you will ground that.
According to the scriptures.
And the eye witness testimony.
Old Testament.
New Testament.
This is the evidence we bring.
And some will believe.
And most will hate you for it.
And in our.
Rapidly departing culture.
More and more.
It seems.
Despise us for that narrow mindedness.
But in closing.
Is the one who has been baptized by fire.
In the spirit of truth.
And so.
You love the truths of God's word.
The whole counsel of God.
You love Jesus Christ.
And you want to tell the world.
That he is risen.
That is true spirituality.
That is what the Bible says.
We have t -shirts.
And hoodies.
They are not for sale from us.
As if we are going to make any money on them.
You pay the custom ink website.
And you get your own.
But the t -shirt.
And the hoodie says.
Tetelestai.
And I can't tell you how many times.
I have had people ask me what that means.
Or some other Christian shirt.
Tetelestai means it is finished.
As Jesus hung on the cross.
He said Tetelestai.
It is finished.
And that means the debt has been paid.
Christ died for our sins.
And from that shirt.
You will have witnessing opportunities.
The word appears two times.
John 18.
I think it is 28.
And verse 30 right in there.
And if we are finishing up 15 now.
That means we have a couple of chapters left.
Before we get there.
I usually preach about three or four sermons per chapter.
So you have a month or two.
To get your shirts.
How about this.
How about the whole church wears a Tetelestai shirt or t -shirt.
When we study that passage in John 18.
There is a great unity in that.
And if you can't afford it.
Talk to me.
We will find a way to get you a shirt.
But how about we all wear it here.
And then out there.
We all go that day.
With these shirts on.
And continue to wear them often.
Telling the world about Jesus.
I am going to pray.
According to the scripture for us.
That each of us will be baptized.
With that fire from heaven.
It is like a fire in our bones.
To tell the world about Christ.
You already have the spiritual baptism.
You who believe.
You need a fresh filling.
To love truth.
To love Jesus and to tell the world.
Let's pray.
Father we take very seriously these words.
In John 15. 26 and 27.
And Lord we confess.
That we have not loved the truth.
Like the saints of old.
Many of us have found.
Theology to be abstract.
And maybe even boring.
And we confess that to you Lord.
We ask that the spirit of truth.
Would stir us up.
To love the word.
To hunger and thirst.
For the word of God.
Lord we pray that you would lead us.
Into all truth.
That we would be growing in truth.
That this would be our spirituality.
In what we read.
And consider and how we live.
With the truth.
To walk in the truth.
We pray that this church.
Would love Jesus Christ Lord.
And Father we know this is no threat to you.
It is to the glory.
Of the Father.
When we believe.
And love Jesus.
The son of God.
As the preeminent one.
Spirit shines that light on the sun.
And Lord help us to love Jesus.
With all of our heart.
And let that become in us.
A fire that burns so bright.
That we are telling everyone.
That we come across.
About our Lord and Savior.
Jesus Christ.
Put that fire in our bones.
And on our tongues.
That we would indeed be witnesses.
Lord we pray that you would send out.
Workers into the harvest field.
That you would send us out.
Here we are Lord.
Send us in Jesus name we pray.
Amen.
A rebel too.
And if you had. Not loved me first. I would.
Refuse.
You still.
But as I ran.
My hell bound face. Indifferent to.
The looked upon. My helpless state.
And led me to.
And I beheld.
God's love displayed.
You suffered in. My place.
You bore the wrath. Which served for me.
And
Jesus
came and said to them.
All authority in heaven and on earth. Has been given to me.
Go therefore and make disciples. Of all nations.
Baptizing them. In the name of the Father and of the Son. And of the Holy Spirit.
Teaching them to observe. All that I have commanded you.
And behold.
I am with you always.
To the end of the age.