Concerning Deceivers (Part A)

As to this same day to go to the universities they pay to become apostates. What are some of you going to wise up and say no to their faces.

I do not serve you. I'm here to learn. I don't know engineering mode is whatever it is I am not here for you to make me an apostate and pay you nonetheless I will be waiting for you by your car when you get out of class. That's how we ought to deal with these guys this is cross reference radio with our pastor and teacher recast. Rick is the pastor of Calvary Chapel Mechanicsville. Pastor Rick is currently teaching through a special series called truth, love testimony, please stay with us after today's message to hear more information about cross reference radio, specifically how you can get a free copy of this teaching, but for now, here's Pastor Rick in the book of second John as he begins his message concerning deceivers.

Second John will take versus seven through 13 verse seven. For many deceivers have gone out into the world who do not confess Jesus Christ as coming in the flesh. This is a deceiver and an antichrist look to yourselves that we do not lose those things we work for, but that we make receive a full reward.

Whoever transgresses and does not abide in the doctrine of Christ does not have God he who abides in the doctrine of Christ has both the father and the son. If anyone comes to you and does not bring this doctrine do not receive them into your house, nor greet him, for he who greets him sharers in his evil deeds having many things to write to you. I did not wish to do so with paper and ink, but I hope to come to you and speak face to face that our joy may be full children of your elect sister greet you.

Well you first century Christians you want the word of God, you just got it. We cannot ignore the Gnostic influence that was going wild at that time in the ancient church would like to skip it. You whole not talk about them, but we cannot and with perhaps the exception of the Revelation. All of John's writings dealing with that is gospel. The gospel according to John St. Jesus Christ, God the son. It was here, and of course the first, second, third John deal with this Judas dealing with it.

Paul had to deal with some of it Peter to initially when the Jews were coming into the church and being saved. They were also bringing in Judaism, rabbinical Judaism, not Mosaic law, but with the Rabbi said about the Mosaic law at the O'Toole fault was a problem and Paul dealt with that particularly wooden Romans, Galatians and Hebrews. If Paul wrote Hebrews. But as the Gentiles began to become the majority in the church. They too brought something with them.

That hydra headed heresy of Gnosticism, and it was all over the place.

There no less than 12 dominant schools of Gnosticism in the ancient world.

This is everything to do with us because we live in a time when is also some junk being thrown at us to do with got to deal with the deceivers is not like a hold of John's day. Then, the brand that Satan was using was Gnosticism today had to take your pick. Christianity had rejected both Judaism and Gnosticism is a reject everything that rejects the truth Jesus Christ Gnostics spreading their message in churches.

They were the greatest threat to Christianity at the time John is writing for the next 200 years. They were a big problem and antidote had to be made to to confront the lies that they were injecting in churches and get this, they had no assemblies of their own. They just went to a church near you and spread it there so. So imagine of the Mormons and Jehovah's Witnesses are bold did not have their own churches, but they came to our churches, and as they mingled in the fellowship hall.

They began to say, well, you know, Christ is really not all that to this day we watching people come in they bring something with them we going to bring something against them.

Few of you know we have a taser you think I'm kidding Don's let's look at the seven verse for many deceivers have gone out into the world who do not confess Jesus Christ as coming in the flesh.

This is a deceiver and an antichrist. You could say the ancient world was infested with these people.

Teaching these things are some deep truth that Christianity will really benefit from your almost there. Christian puts you need this knowledge receive.

We say you know you she wanted knowledge apart from God. She got and we tend to say you know to the sisters were appropriately you more susceptible to deception than the brothers brothers have their problems. It doesn't does not a competition is equal to damages equal what the Gnostics were predominantly men spreading deception and again there were Christians falling for this in the apostle so we gotta do something so they wrote to me preached on these things and not only than the apostolic fathers and ones that came after them. Polycarp, for example, there they preached against this stuff to for the next 200 years of John's encouragement to walk in the commandments of verse six is followed by this warning to look at again and look with me in verse six of second John, this is love that we walk according to his commandments. This is and this is the commandment that, as you heard have heard from the beginning. You should walk in it. Okay walking the commandments. But there are deceivers out there going to try to move you off the commandments. And so we want our use when you go to the workplace and to go to the University to go to come after you and if you are dumb enough to gobble you up. Watch it all the time. We warned them.

It is so frustrating you warned them, and they do it anyway. I love my Prof. you should love the go upside is bad theology. If he's trying to damn your soul.

Why can't you learn this you know is serious business and the apostles. They knew was serious business.

That's why they're dealing with it there a visible and there are invisible forces against all of us there a visible and invisible forces that are trying to reach the lost to that makes it serious conflict or war and built into evil is this beguiling quality of deception.

It comes with the evil. This this quest to deceive and again either. Our our our mother. According to the flesh.

Eve protested to God in her own defense that I was correct. Satan deceived me. Genesis chapter 3 verse 13 he always said to the woman, what is this you have done woman said the serpent deceived me, and I ate see it's it it comes with evil to to deceive and the test against. It is what does God say that Wilson would that was the story with me.

What did I tell you I told you not to eat God in his mercy. Of course, was very merciful to Eve and Adam.

He says here in verse seven, who do not confess Jesus as coming in the flesh. This is what the deceivers were doing.

They refuse to admit the incarnation, the coming of God the son in human form. This is stone cold. Gnosticism and in the day that John Pritchett was no doubt what this is how we know what it is we have the Gnostic writings, many of them. This particular denial was later labeled those seats does sadism from the Greek and these heretics, they were the greatest promoters of their time that Christ did not come.

He was not born of a virgin is all nonsense. He didn't die on a cross. Is this phantom and they just come out and make stuff up just like idolatry. You just make it up if you know you look at the with the false gods believe then you just studying made up junk so I don't like to spend too much time about was the God of this would BAP.

Mercury did this in Jupiter who cares somebody is made this stuff up there to human behavior and a pump steroids into it and he said this is your God. Well, they said it was outrageous to believe that the infinite God would allow himself to be born.

Just as all human beings are born. Sounds high and noble, right solution to the sole right. God is so pure he would never come as a sinner. Isaiah prophesied he's going to be numbered with the sinners. The Ritz will be at his grave. He was warning us and not only warning us with proof prophesying, alerting us, encouraging us within all of that was also the warning that you believe that the prophets have told you, and not these Johnny-come-lately's that always come around at some point and so this thought that God would not allow himself to be a helpless infant, infant, God was never a helpless infant, you couldn't get near that baby Jesus and do harm and do the fact that he moved Joseph and Mary with the infant to Egypt was just a signal that I got this until I'm good and ready. No harm can come to the Christ. And when it comes it is a self-inflicted allowance and when Paul writes essential being in the form of God did not consider it robbery to be equal with God, but made himself of no reputation, taking the form of a bondservant coming in the likeness of men.

And being found in the appearance as a man, he humbled himself and became obedient to the point of death, even the death of the cross know who you going to believe Paul and John and Peter were you going to follow these numbskulls as to this same day the good of the universities they pay to become apostates. What is to stop what are some of our youth going to rise up and say no to their faces. I do not serve you.

I'm here to learn. I don't know engineering momentum is whatever it is I am not here for you to make me an apostate and pay you nonetheless I would be waiting for you by your car when you get out of class. That's how we ought to deal with these guys. Okay can't say that too late.

John has his attitude. John can't stand these guys as waist Doremus shake their hands and in those days it wasn't a handshake.

It was a kiss on the cheek. Is it Dola don't do that I would not shake Ralph Northam's hand is not going to happen. How preach the gospel to if he repents I'll give otherwise, I am not going to shake the hand of a serial killer who can stand up and say you can assemble and worship God. You can come murder and unborn child.

Is this not disgusting. I'm not self-righteous with this.

This is 2+2. This is basic. Well, we need to tell in the workplace. We need to tell it in family. We need to send the anathema to you, you wrong this is interest in hatred as we love the truth and we hate to lie and we hate people damning souls and they don't have to believe it or agree with us for us to stand our ground.

They also deny the second coming on the same grounds. God would never he never come the first time so he couldn't come the second time nevermind what Jesus preached.

Nevermind with those who live with Jesus preach nevermind what Paul was persecuting Christians then met Christ converted to Christianity and begin to preach the same thing. Signs and wonders following.

They made up this deep knowledge as they do today darling study the life of Darwinism who would ever listen to this guy is a loser. As men go Ingersoll who was so intelligent. He had the blueprint he needed to push his brand of Gnosticism of secret knowledge in many churches got right onto it and to this day. There those churches out there who do not believe in the creation of the universe. According to the book of Genesis, the word of God you can say we call it the book of Genesis to help us find where we need to be what it's all God's word.

Second, John is no less God's word than the 23rd Psalm. It is just as powerful and mighty it is.

It is authored by Jesus Christ of the Holy Spirit to us and no naysayer is going to take that away from us and so is Paul saying, of course, as I just read from Philippians that he humbled himself.

This is how God did see we believe Philippians not you that's the message.

As I mentioned, rather than organizing assemblies.

They just infiltrated the existing assemblies. I mean, they had their lecture halls and they wrote their papers, but they really had was no church of the Gnostics, there were just Christian churches who were teaching Gnosticism.

After a while that they became apostate churches or and it was circulated in the neighborhoods in the workplaces in the government people just thought this was to the greatest things better than triplets, ice cream, according to many of these people so there were adherents both in the church and outside the trigger people that despise Christianity and they held onto Gnosticism.

And then there were those who tried to merge the two and John of course he knew about this junk and you knew that they wielded great influence the work they were pulling off and when we get the third. Johnny says I have no greater joy than to hear that my children walk in truth he was talking about the Gnostics were telling lies and genres is such a relief that you not falling for this junk. Others that are falling for it.

He says this is a deceiver and an antichrist at the devil, that's what he is saying. That's what the devil is a deceiver and what we believe matters in antichrist as an anti-God. According to the Scripture and the soul that is against Christ is doing in that present state Paul when he writes, he says now the Spirit expressly says that in latter times some will depart from the faith, giving heed to deceiving spirits and doctrines of demons, only Paul said, you know, I don't know what brand of heresy they going to throw our way.

It's coming and it will be identifiable. You hold up next to the Scripture and you'll have your evidence disabled in the Gnostic Christians do that. No, they did not.

Instead of looking at the Scripture. The Scripture says that as they set policy and we can weave the two together. We still see this today people writing books and throwing a little Scripture garnish it with some Scripture. So that's the authority is supposedly's right to the Scripture verse there.

What is the original thought of that, Scripture verse that kind of deception and manipulation is is got to be identified. If you're not satisfied with the biblical record you that you are susceptible to the stuff that's got to just latch right onto you. You're always guilty of your years to be tickled with some sensation. You understand that much of life is a forced march is hard and you gotta just keep going and is not always as little real happy little party and if you looking for that from authors you're going to line yourself up to be tricked because they going to tell you happy things lined their pockets with your money for buying their books and then two years later.

You can even remember the title of their book.

It was so good. Five steps to be the perfect Christian when Jesus said be perfect, as your father is he quoting the Old Testament he sink throw into this everything you've got.

You not going to be perfect, but without this effort, it it won't work well. You want to be a Christian throw into it everything you have and that is not easy. He didn't say it was going to be easy something very beautiful that the Bible teaches us about ourselves and God that no hunt, no matter how we struggle, the matter how many times he fall flat on our face. He is there he is not looking to abandon us.

He's not just waiting for that final mess up so he can just be done with us. You think like that, then you know you're listening to the voice of the devil, and you need to be checked get out of that ship. Save yourself that way. The mark of heresy as to claim Christ's salvation while at the same time disagreeing with him.

That's heresy you can say I'm saving Christ.

But he's wrong is Lord of all, not at all is who he says he is and you are who he says he is or you're bringing in a false teaching that will damn your soul and others to they acknowledged Christ. They just disagreed with him. They disagree with his apostle to them. It was nothing that these men lived with him for 3 1/2 years. What was more important that they were educated.

They had their charts and their models and their graphs didn't catch that one verse eight look to yourselves that we do not lose those things we work for, but that we may receive a full reward that word look to yourselves. It's a single word in Greek the original language that John wrote in blackball is the Greek word I don't have to say that Buddhist I just wanted to.

It means to watch out beware.

Pay attention. It's a minefield.

You cannot sashay through a minefield and expect to make it not all your parts.

They may be gifted and charming. They may say some true things. Some helpful things. Then they break the deal. You know you can go to buy a car and then use all these things about it. But then there's a dealbreaker.

I mean, what if you going to buy a guard is a you know it will give you this excellent deal gets everything you have an a but we going to cut off your right hand. That's a dealbreaker to me their damning souls. To this day still goes on. It's always a subtle error at first, but beneath that subtle error is a serious one, and usually it's regarding the person of Christ. When Jesus and the men say that I am human. This was all about is if you deny me if you tell me I'm not who I am. You have a problem on me and here when they come along.

To this day they have a problem with the person of Christ Mormonism Jehovah witnesses, etc. there probably the Holy Spirit, they either over you and all inflated him to the point which Christ is no longer in the picture or later days mess him up some other way in their thinking or the trustworthiness of Scripture. It is fallible. This got these problems, you can't trust what it's saying is not self-correcting. That's how they do business and you are well. I'm so analytical tool fault.

You be damned in your analysis to just stick to the Scripture so simple. It is our personal responsibility to not be deceived. That's why I read Scripture verses.

When I make a point. I often give you one or two verses to give you what to do. Witnesses Colossians 2, verse 18. Let no one cheat you of your reward. Taking delight in false humility worship of angels intruding into those things which is not been been seen vainly puffed up by his fleshly mind.

Paul is saying to let them cheat you of what God wants to give you as well as nonsense they bring in your way, and again Coliseum was where the Gnostics was starting to take root. Early on, the Judaism was still the dominant bread, but there were pockets of Gnosticism growing with the Gentiles. So you go to the book of acts in the day of Pentecost and is this glorious time in the tongues of fire on the apostles in the wind all the stuff is happening, troubles coming.

The church was magnify the church was multiplied and Satan formed a plan to come against it. All that's just sobriety was being sober minded Christians fools trade Christianity for insanity very quickly look for that thrill. They're more interested in singing songs and ever learning what Jesus wants them to learn nothing wrong with songs that you can do to a fault that can become what's important to you while not being what's important to God or other otherwise ago I would've just left us with a hymnal you can get off centered begin majoring in the minors Isaiah puts it this way to the law and to the testimony of the do not speak according to this word, it is because there is no light in them and the Gnostics were boasting we've got the like you want to get saved you going to have to have this knowledge. It's not the cross of Christ that saves is the knowledge of spiritual things that God is so pure and holy. He would never put his hand on anything material because everything material is defiled, dualistic beginning stuff get out of my face.

Sounds good. If you have no relationship with the Lord, you know, Lord, if he's your Savior and your Lord God before he's your friend. Now you have power to handle deceivers. Thanks for listening to cross reference radio today cross reference is the teaching ministry of Pastor Rick Gaston of Calvary Chapel Mechanicsville, Virginia. If you're interested in more information about this ministry, you can visit our website cross reference radio.com. You'll find more of Pastor Rick's teachings available. We also encourage you to subscribe to our podcast by doing so you become aware of each new addition of cross reference radio. Just search for cross reference radio iTunes Google play music or your favorite podcast. You can also follow the links across reference radio.com. Glad we were able to spend time with you today to the next time to continue learning more this year's truth love test here on cross reference radio