Spiritual Influences (Part B)

The devil cannot destroy God's word but he can intercept the dots interferes every single thing he can. Jesus said the seed is the word of God in the wall fell on the wayside and the birds of the air plucked it up goes by the wayside are the ones who hear then the devil comes and takes away the word out of their hearts, lest they should believe NBC.

This is cross-referenced with our pastor and teacher. Rick asked Rick is the pastor of Calvary Chapel Mechanicsville.

Pastor Rick is currently teaching through the book of first John, please stay with us after today's message here. More information about cross-referenced specifically how you can get a free copy of this teaching today.

Pastor Rick will continue his study called spiritual influences as he teaches through first John chapter 4, he says, but test the spirits. Many churchgoers and since insist on never doing this they never test the spirits. They never question when something is out of line with Scripture just accepted because of the pastor said or some musician saying on the song and was so lovely John the apostle. In this letter remembers going at a dead brand. At this point of Gnosticism, the ascetic denial. That's what he when he says, test the spirits.

These gnostics here with their mumbo-jumbo. In Christ name nonetheless was infecting the true believers even Paul writing to the Thessalonians. Many decades before he says test all things hold fast to what is good. First Thessalonians 521. Why would we have to test all things got everything going to test us. That's why it has to be a response to these things now. Sometimes our responses limited to prayer and personal obedience.

Other times God gives us a mouth to speak with we are to engage the enemy's lies with the truth. He says in verse one, whether they are of God, well, because the devil is in the business of hunting humans so we have to determine this influences it from God or is it from hell.

Because the consequence of it being from hell is not just a look at that. That's a devil like that that you little devil you consequence is again eternal separation from God and all the pain that's bundled into that too many make it easy for the devil. Every teaching about Christ originates from a spiritual source. There are foul and erroneous teachings and there are solid teachings.

Just because something is spiritual does not mean it is from God, the devil has the power to influence spiritually. This is illustrated for us in Exodus when Moses serpent gobbled up the servants of Pharaoh was illustrated for us is that Satan has spiritual influence, but God is greater.

That's what he's going to say that verse that we all love so much greater is he was in you than he was in the world were Satan can't really get to you. Not the way he'd like to we can harass, cause pain, but he cannot snatch you from the father's hand but still, the whole purpose of Satan is to deceive as many as he can in the human race. He continues in verse one, because many false prophets have gone into the world like bats out of hell they've gone into the world. Truly, like a flying out of a K to influence the damned souls. John's dealing with that. She's not ignoring it Asia. As I mentioned in this is Asia minor. It's got that name from the Romans when they divvied up the land. Just a long story how it got to be cold as we think of Asia. We think of the Orient within China and Japan and things that places like that, we come to the Bible and succumb to turkey. It is we find called Asia minor. We scratch our heads out to get what I've talked too much about that anyway. Syncretism was at work that is that is again the mixing of religions. This was there a hotbed for that broad mindedness wrong love that again wrong solution was you all all gods are welcome long as you remember, Caesar is a God to they wanted everybody to play fairly with one another in there for God world and the Christians came along. Of course said no were not doing so when Paul writes to the Ephesian elders in this part of the world, he says, also from among yourselves, men will rise up, speaking perverse things, to draw away the disciples after themselves.

He's talking to the Ephesian elders to the pastors of that church and he saying to them, listen, this is a prophecy. This is not speculation, I'm telling you this is going to happen. Coming into your church will be Gentiles. They will get save some of them.

Many of but there will also be those that are wolves and they will try to consume you. They will bring an evil influence in you better watch out for them because they going after the disciples to draw them away for their own purposes. He also wrote this to Timothy this you know that all those in Asia have turned away from me.

They were getting away with it. There were those that were coming to the church listen to Pres. Depaul loving M's message of them being swayed away is a real risk to Moses bogey God is not giving you the spirit of fear is no time for that of love and of power and of sound mind. Why love the power and I love that sound mind that love thing well without it, you get nothing you cannot have the love and and and the sound mind and be pleasing to God. Lord said look I don't care if you martyred you got more moderate.

He said this to Paul. I don't get you give your life to be burned for me. If you don't love anybody them was the difference between you and them because unbelievers get martyred for their causes. I need you to be a martyr of love says my flesh, my spirit is never disagreed with a single thing coming from the word of God from God that is because of course in Scripture there's things that come from the enemy we hear the voice of the devil in Scripture. For example, but the carnal man that old nature must be engaged must be defeated well because they depart from Christ because they follow a spirit of error. It doesn't stop them from continuing to use than the Lord's name.

We see this today in the cults that are around. They continue to talk about Jesus Christ but is not the Jesus Christ of Scripture is a Jesus Christ that they have sought to embellish to make better. This is of course Jehovah witnesses and Mormons. Another groups like that, why would Christian scientist even associate the name of of Christianity with them when they have nothing to do Christianity totally against Christianity. There's nothing about Christian science that we sit with this and certainly not science. You would think this would be a basic part of reasoning, and it's not because the spiritual influences override the system when someone false prophets now in the when someone says I have the gift of prophecy. They probably don't because you don't need to announce that the outcome will do that for you or disqualify you know Mulligan's okay for those of you don't know golf your Geico steps up to the baldheaded and goes off in the woods. He slices his hair cut and work and the fees with the guys really don't care too much or go right ahead. Those golf zealots though they'll never give your Mulliken your Mulligan all right anyway when this gift of prophecy. As I mentioned, is exercised in truth, there are two things that always go with it the outcome matches the prophecy and it matches Scripture because Satan can pull off foretelling from time to time, but he doesn't match the Scripture, the antichrist will be known because he will be such an unrighteous character.

Well anyway, this is illustrated for us in that story with Ahab became such a wicked king and all the prophets all the false prophets were going up seashore King will do whatever you want. Yahweh is with you.

Of course, Jehoshaphat, the good king who always found himself with the wrong people. It just that they just gravitated you on as a bad boy I'm working, you might be a friend and he gets in trouble numerous times God bailed them out. He does not always do that. Sometimes she's fine you insist on being with the bad boys you going to get what, what's coming to them well. Jehoshaphat has presence of mind to say is they are not, is there not a prophet of Jehovah. He asked true God of true prophet of God and of course the king said they had the games are yet is that my Kia but I hate him. It's almost comical and McKay of course says you shall go right ahead and know that sarcasm and he's back spasms that will tell you tell the truth. Okay, I'll tell you the truth, and he says I saw Israel and nailing one of the Ula die. Then he ends with this Michalak said if you ever return in peace. Yahweh has not spoken to me and he said, take heed.

All you people.

That's a man of God. If I am not prophesying the truth that it will happen if I am telling the truth. Pay attention. I B's Amana God and that's what happened. The devil cannot destroy God's word but he can intercept and he does it interferes with every single thing he can.

Jesus said the seed is the word of God and the war fell on the wayside and the birds of the air plucked it up nose by the wayside are the ones who hear then the devil comes and takes away the word out of their hearts, lest they should believe NBC reject Christ.

You will find that Christ will reject you that the message but in messages it doesn't have to happen this way, you have no say so in your first birth none, only one has had anything to do with their birth and that is Jesus Christ which were coming to moment, not Christ. Of course, but the birth of Christ. Well you have everything to do with your second birth being born again verse two by this you know the Spirit of God.

Every spirit that confesses that Jesus Christ has come in the flesh is of God. This is an undeniable truth. The pre-apostle says ask the Gnostic is Jesus Christ. Was he born of the Gnostic has to say no to cookie ideas thing all well you know a good job Jesus was one person in Christ was another Christ was born, but a regular birth and then Christ came into Jesus at the baptism of John and then Christ departed from Jesus at the cross before he was crucified and you're basing this on what will we like it people the following as we getting money for this. John says I was there. That's the estimate happen. So the decision is up to the individual who you gonna believe John the apostle, or these Johnny-come-lately that we been over that going through this letter of John's to the church. But this does ascetic denial. Christ was not born of the virgin see this is a big problem.

See this more to Christmas than war. There's more to the birth of Christ in Christmas, taking going to take a chance to beat up on Christmas is not my my purpose I can do it later if you'd like, but not right now. If you deny the virgin birth and you saying the prophets of the Old Testament and the apostles of the New Testament.

A raw the liars or their incompetent and therefore all of God's word is now destabilized and untrustworthy in the mind of the one who falls for that and this is why many of those who are the intelligent ones.

The liberal theologians have come along and said the virgin birth did not happen. John is dealing with it with these gnostics. They were a menace in the first church and they were determined to bring to their side as many as they could.

And you know when God told the Jews. I don't want you getting familiar with those for God's because a form of familiarity breeds sympathy, sometimes contempt, sometimes sympathy and that sympathy brings familiarity by necktie tolerance and acceptance, and the next thing you know you're with them and we watched it in the universe is almost all the seminaries are compromised almost every single seminary, if not all of them in this country can forget about Europe have on their staff, professors teaching young men coming to learn so that they can enter pulpits and teach the word of God. The professors do not believe that the word of God is infallible, not every single professor, but that you got one and you know about it is way too much and that's what's going on and is what was seeing so many pastors now coming out of seminary entering pulpits and teaching lies in teaching heresies and making everybody feel that their love while doing it.

How do you do that how do I love you by attacking God's word and saying it's not true.

This Satan did this to Eve and we should beware of these things not tolerant of them. When a loved ones are family members may side with them. We are not supposed to give in, not an inch and so the net result again. Is this insidious teaching that the virgin birth was a lie.

When Jesus said what do you think about the Christ, whose son is he sees gnostics, adults, and listen to us, not the apostles listen to us. Mark's gospel speaking of the man Jesus gave his eyesight to when he heard that it was Jesus avarice. He began to cry out and say Jesus son of David, have mercy on me. There was a birth it was according to the prophets.

It was foretold, it was predicted by God. And it happened, and yet these folks were determined to tell others that it did not happen and that part you can say okay I get that part. The part I don't get is that people were believing them. How do you choose these guys over the over the apostle John with that. Maybe this is why God let John live so long, basic move of Satan, but real and very serious, and the day has come when we have apostate assemblies more and more calling themselves Christians with Christ left out another prophetic word of Scripture we know. When Jesus said to the church at Laodicea unit C of the word. The word means the people's church, not the Lord's church the people's church, they vote on everything over that place and the people like it that it doesn't happen. And so Jesus says to that church. Behold, I stand at the door and knock exam on the outside edge of the inside but you locked me out and that's an illustration of these assemblies that are calling themselves Christians with Christ locked out ordaining perverts to lead flocks disregarding with the Scripture clearly teaches about everything they don't like. So as I mentioned, familiarity with Antichrist breeds that sympathy that we don't need to have their other sympathies we can invest ourselves in that are meaningful this thing. One of them in the menace of secular the secularized nation of Christianity, one of the great menaces is rationalistic thought this newfound influence to slow it used to be a slow, secularized nation. What I will for those of you men not familiar with the word secular. It's of the world worldly influence, not scriptural, contradictory to Scripture.

Many many most of the times and this secularized nation of the church is no longer slow Internet is spread this up for us is happening everywhere like a percolator, a coffee pot more and more it's becoming difficult to find a church to just simply stands up and says we believe in all of the Scripture. And I'm telling you, if I were visiting the church and they didn't believe it.

I would stop visiting it instantly. I hope I would do so in the heads of many lies remain unchecked and unchallenged, and what happens when a lie remains unchecked and unchecked saving of poison ivy. Whatever the future leave and go. It takes over its invasive by nature and is not enough is certainly not advised to grab hold of it and pull it out.

Got a note you doing is you want to get it. I learned that the hard way. I have been in the pulpit were poison ivy because I'm a professional. You've never noticed it, but inside I was going all you thought I was making points. She's being emphatic anyway. Too much information.

The I'm sorry. So we have produce new kinds of assemblies. These false this false Christianity and for many, many Christians because the lies are being challenged. They sort of just concentrate on things that are pleasant for instance, family has now become more important than doctrine in place. My family what you have for my teams about the book of John Mike and get that at home yet pizza and what I know I need hours of babysitting I don't want them to come and learn the truth. They Mike? Lifestyle choosing a Churchill example Christianity without truth without Scripture without genuine worship without God without Jesus Christ more interested in social approval and pleasing God. And so Paul said now the Spirit expressly says that in latter times some will depart from the faith, giving heed to deceiving spirits and the doctrines of demons because there's influence spiritual influence and you better pick up on it when it's happening to priest the wrong Jesus is to not preach Christ at all, but some hell born rendering in order rendering is false representation in this case, verse three and every spirit that does not confess that Jesus Christ is come in the flesh is not of God.

And this is a spirit of antichrist, which you have heard was coming and is now already in the world. Doctrinal fact is what he's getting to now as I'm standing here talking about these things, thinking about all the Satan is getting away with in churches I have to guard my own spirit that I don't get self-righteous, get the Eliza complex. I'm the only one to discharge the other one is about the need about is true, but not not, but we have to guard against that because Satan is a master at adapting to our response. You think he's retreating will, he may be so that he can regroup and attack again and so if if you say yeah I know over churches doing this.

I hate wealth. Of course that's not what were promoting we don't want that response we want strong disdain for the tactics of the enemy, but we've got to still remember their real people being subjected to this nonsense and the only way were going to reach them is to genuinely care to care enough you know II believe you really can't pray long term for someone in or something unless you care in this. You genuinely invested in the fight and to do that you going to have to have love because love listeners won't do that event that I can say is stay attached to something but love. We got a work at the prayer. For instance, prayer takes work. If it didn't, we would doubt Sunday morning prayer would be loaded with people. Prayer is hard work, especially when you don't see the results. Well, we gotta stick with this and every spirit does not verse three confess that Jesus Christ is come in the flesh is not of God.

And so there it is again.

In contrast to the previous verse.

Believers believe he is come visit these gnostics they were denying the virgin birth.

Of course, in which was shutting down all the other Scripture though if you don't care for that you like to change because now they become the authority on what is God and what is not, not the apostles who words assigned this duty to the church so you still hammering their influence and infiltration and were glad there are some who do not deny the virgin birth, and yet they are anti-Bible. Nonetheless, these are headquartered in the Vatican. They tell you they believe in the virgin birth, but you better not open had Bible up. That's for them to do or not to do so. Satan, of course, has a flavor for everyone. How can anyone claim to be a child of God and remain in spiritual fellowship with someone who denies the virgin birth.

I don't know how to do that if you're telling me I'm a Christian. I love Jesus Christ but I don't believe in the virgin birth, and I'm going to say back to you then.

I don't know what Jesus Christ you believing into that but I do know it ain't the one I believe in from the Bible and that's what John is saying just to say they deny that is come in the flesh have nothing spirit of antichrist.

Second Timothy chapter 4 Alexander the coppersmith did me much harm.

May the Lord repay him according to his words. You also must beware of him, for he is greatly resisted our word. Thanks for tuning in to cross reference cross reference is a ministry pastor Rick Gaston of Calvary Chapel Mechanicsville in Virginia.

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