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Deliverance: From Error to the Truth, Part 1 B

Grace To You / John MacArthur
The Cross Radio
January 12, 2022 3:00 am

Deliverance: From Error to the Truth, Part 1 B

Grace To You / John MacArthur

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January 12, 2022 3:00 am

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Being a true Christian is being delivered and it's being delivered from several very important realities.

The first one is true Christians have been delivered from terror to truth from error personality traits in common with them attributes that make it clear you're related well can the same thing be said for those in the Christian family. Other obvious features that all children of God share what should you see what identifies a person as a Christian. Those are challenging and timely questions that John MacArthur's addressing in his current study on grace to you. It's a look at what it means to be delivered by God.

So follow along. Now, as John begins the lesson one of the great words in the Bible is the word deliverance, though it is not commonly used in the Christian vocabulary. There are a number of categories in which we have to understand the nature of deliverance being a true Christian is being delivered and it's billed being delivered from several very important realities. The first one is the one I want to talk to you about is true Christians have been delivered from error to truth from error to truth, and others. New in the in the elite academia. You know the liberals who assault the Bible with her darkened minds and invented a new hermeneutic in it that it's given up a pretty inviting title is called a hermeneutics of humility hermeneutic is an English word comes from Airman Newell and the Greek, which means to interpret or explain and hermeneutics is to is basically up a word that refers to explaining the Bible and there are certain hermeneutical principle, certain principles that help us understand the Bible. The language in the grammar and all of that.

The history behind it. The context in which it's sitting in so we use all those hermeneutics to interpret the Scripture will the new hermeneutic is called the hermeneutic of humility. And this is what it is.

Oh I am to humble to ever think that my interpretation of Scripture is right, and I am too humble to ever think that your interpretation could be wrong is not magnanimous but that is a damning approach. There is a right and wrong interpretation to Scripture, but that's the climate, the hermeneutics of humility. It's really the hermeneutics of darkness.

Christianity is true and exclusively in anything contrary to his false, and the content of what we believe is the issue. I know this doesn't fly in the relativistic values of modern culture. I know that I know pluralism is a big deal and diversity is the issue of the day and we have enshrined pluralism and tolerance for higher throne than truth.

Seven Mooney to care for candidates battling out for political office.

Why doesn't matter to the society more than matter so used to lying leaders would feel uncomfortable if it told us the truth that we probably wouldn't believe him anyway so other people to think it doesn't matter what you believe as long as you call it Christianity just label it Christianity, that's all that's required is new. By the way churches fought for its own purity. For a long time, just new to evangelicals, modern evangelicals are eager to downplay doctrine. They say doctrine divides and they want to tolerate everything and you know that so clear in second Corinthians 6 what fellowship has light with darkness. What Concorde has Christ with Satan. How can two walk together except they be agreed come out from among them and be separate and don't touch that unclean lie. People who have been delivered. True Christians agree that there is a body of doctrine that is nonnegotiable. Okay, we might not agree on the mode of baptism, we might not agree on the timing of the second coming of Jesus Christ of the rapture the church we might not agree on all of the ways in which God acts in history with regard to the church and Israel. But I'll tell you one thing, there is a body of doctrine that is absolutely nonnegotiable that constitutes the necessary faith for salvation is the faith once for all delivered to the saints. There are real fundamentals of the faith that must be believed and when they're not believe we are to break fellowship, because light and darkness can't walk together, they can't enter in the common ministry together. Nothing is more serious and Scripture, then, that a boundary exists between the true and the false, and that Satan wants to confuse us as to that boundary is why Satan and all of his demons appear as Angels of what light they are darkness.

They are all darkness. They are nothing but darkness.

They are in the domain of darkness, and they want to appear as Angels of light. The blur the line when you blur the line. Then Satan sews his people in the church strips the church of its power strips. The church of the consistency of its testimony, because then the world looks at people who are in the church and sees that, obviously, Christ hasn't transformed him even the world can recognize what the church sometimes is unwilling to see and it undercuts our testimony. John the apostle in first John 41 beloved, do not believe every spirit, but test the spirits to see whether there from God because many false prophets have gone out in the world there everywhere. They're ubiquitous like ants.

They're all over the place that Satan strategy come out and build the fortresses of lying speculations, lying ideologies, lying, belief systems and make the people. Prisoners in those fortresses and keep them there until he dies it will go to hell and populate Satan's hell so you can't just accept everything.

This is the strategy of Satan. We got to be discerning in second John really says it.

Second John verses nine, 10 and 11 anyone he goes too far. Doesn't abide in the teaching of Christ that is the true doctrine of Christ, the true teaching of Christ and the gospel. If he doesn't, he does not have God be if the person doesn't have the truth that he doesn't have God. If anyone comes to you and doesn't bring this truth don't receive them in your house. Don't put them on your platform don't make it a part of your meeting or conference or your crusader, whatever. Don't put them on your TV program don't receive them in your house. Don't give them agree to a greeting that some kind of affirming welcome if you do that you are participating in his evil deed and I don't how you can say it. Anybody comes along and doesn't have the truth about Jesus Christ. Don't let them in your house. Don't affirm him and don't greet him. If you do you are a co-conspirator on these verses, command us to keep spiritually separated from those are corrupt, the essential truths of the gospel. This is a very stern language. Second, John very stern is a severe curse. There are people people who preach a corrupted gospel of people who believe darkness and propagated as if it was light but there's also a stern and severe warning against those of us who blithely let those people in false Christianity accepted by true Christians is one of the most heinous sins imaginable. According to that text. You cannot justify any spiritual union with anyone whose belief system and teaching corrupts the New Testament gospel that leads to the final question, what is the body of truth which delivers what is the body of truth that must be believed. Does the Bible clearly identify specific truths as essential. The answer is yes loudly firmly yes and the strongest words of condemnation are reserved for those who corrupt those essential truths. There are truths in the Bible that if you don't believe you'll go to hell. The gospel of salvation must be believed and embraced and loved and so it first of all, must be understood. What is essential. First and fundamental give you several things you must believe that all divine truth has its origin in Scripture. Those who been delivered believe that God's revelation is contained in Scripture, not tradition, not modern visions, not prophecies, not intuition, not any other source of authority.

Those are the been delivered believe Scripture is able to make you wise and the salvation but the Scriptures to make you adequate, equipped for every good work. We believe that the word of God contains all that is fundamental. All that is necessary for salvation. That's what start so you start with the conviction about the Scripture that the spirit of God. I believe, works in the heart of an individual that is one of the great marvels of the work of the Holy Spirit. In fact, I think it's a sure test of a true Christian how they react to the Scripture.

Do they desire it, like the psalmist of the Levitt, the hunger for it. See unregenerate undelivered people. They don't have that kind of response to the Bible. They don't have any moral ability to respond to the Bible.

They don't have any faculty to love it.

I don't have any capacity to obey it. If they don't have any interest in the natural man understand not the things of God. To him, they are foolishness. First Corinthians 2 verse 14 C undelivered people don't respond to the Bible. Jesus said in John eight because I tell you the truth, you do not believe me is not an interesting statement if I told you a lot. You believe it because you're tuned into lies you're in the domain of darkness, you understand, lying and deception. It's the truth. You can't compute industrial said to me, not really like to go into university system and teach the truth. You can't do that. I suppose maybe here and there. There's an occasion where you can sort of let it leak in but you step into that environment teach the truth and nobody's gonna get it published and understand the resentment resisted, hated because I tell you the truth, you do not believe me and then he goes on to say he was of God hears God's words, therefore you don't hear because you're not of God.

If you're not of God. During the dark, you're in error. You can even understand the truth on the other hand, that's why.

First Thessalonians 213, Paul said to the Christians at Thessalonica.

For this reason, we thank God without ceasing, because when you received the word of God which you heard from us, you welcomed it not as the word of men, but as it is in truth, the word of God C1 regeneration takes place when the life is change. The word comes and you hear it, and you understand it and you embrace it and you love it and Yolanda will be first John four verses five and six. They are of the world so they speak as those of the world and the world hears that we are of God, he who knows God hears us.

He who is not of God does not hear us. Then he says. By this we know the spirit of truth in the spirit of error. You know how I know who is a true Christian, they hear the word they understand the word they grasp the word they embrace if they love it they obey true Christian sponsors were so it starts with believing Scripture we we ought to be a true Christian you must believe that the word of God is authoritative and that it speaks the truth of God Sola Scripture to be a true Christian you must believe that all that pertains to salvation comes from the Scripture.

Secondly, we only believe that the Bible is the source of these truths. But secondly, that the truth is fundamental to salvation are clearly set forth in the Bible that is right on about some secret hidden thing some mystery some cryptic message somehow written backwards upside down or cross at angles. Jesus said he didn't. He didn't reveal these things to the wise and prudent, but he hid them from the wise and prudent. Matthew records and he revealed them to babes, not riddles is not cryptic. It's not secret code. It's not backwards writing. It's not something that is hard to understand testimony, the Lord assured. It makes even the simplest wise so there are very clearly revealed truths in Scripture.

Some of them with proof text, some of them just the composite of Scripture and they are clearly set forth anything pertaining to salvation is crystal clear in Scripture we may not understand what it means to be baptized for the dead. In first Corinthians. That's an obscure thing. We may not understand all of the nuances of passages in the Old Testament because we can't reconstruct all of the historical background but anything pertaining to salvation is crystal clear in Scripture. So one, we believe the Scripture is a source of salvation truth to we believe it's clear.

Three. The doctrines that must be believed are those upon which eternal life depends so we go to the Scripture go to the Scripture and find was clear and what pertains to eternal life and what is you must believe. According to Hebrews 11, you must if you come to God, believe that he is, what is that mean you must believe in the God who is God, that means you have to believe in the Trinity after believe in the God who became flesh in Jesus Christ, the incarnate God so you have to believe Jesus was God in human flesh fully human, fully divine that he lived a sinless life that he died on the cross. A substitutionary death for sinners that he rose again, sickly and bodily.

The third day he ascended to heaven sent the Holy Spirit now intercedes for us will come back in glory. That's the drivetrain of salvation. Truth. Jesus is the true God revealed incarnate human flesh that he is God of very God member of the Trinity that he is to be worshiped and honored and loved and adored equally with God the father and God the Spirit must believe in his substitutionary death on the cross as a perfect sacrifice with no sin in his own life.

He was not a sinner and he didn't go to hell to suffer for his sins. He was a perfect spotless lamb.

He died there, though he didn't deserve to die in our place is a perfect substitute he atone for our sins which are imputed to him that his righteous life might be imputed to us.

He was raised from the dead to conquer death for us if you confess with your mouth that Jesus is Lord. Romans 10 nine. Believe in your heart. God raised from the dead will be what saved you believe that he is God, member of the Trinity incarnate virgin born. That's the only way God could come into this world that he lived a perfect life.a substitutionary death and rose from the dead.

If you believe that your say if you believe it to the point where he was sent to it, embrace it and love the Lord Jesus Christ. First Corinthians 1622 says, if any, does and he doesn't love the Lord Jesus let them be devoted to destruction anathema. You must also believe that salvation is by faith alone. The justification is by faith Romans four, four and five not of the one who works, his wages not reckoned as a favor. But what is due, but to the one who doesn't work but believes in him who justifies the ungodly, his faith is reckoned as righteousness. Great statement. You don't get saved by works, not of works as any man should boast. Saved by grace through faith. And what happens is great statement you believe in him who justifies the ungodly, isn't that he justifies the good justifies the godly who have the good work, he justifies the ungodly, he justifies the wicked and evil in the sinner who believes in him will comes and says I have no good of my own.

I have no godliness of my own cast himself on the mercy of God who justifies the ungodly, that is one of the great phrases in the entire New Testament Romans four, five, he justifies the ungodly, that takes works out of it. You have to be good to get justified just have to recognize your bad cry out to God an error in understanding justification is the very reason that Israel was set aside the very reason Israel was apostate for not knowing about God's righteousness.

They went about to establish their own righteousness and were not subject to the righteousness of God.

Romans 10 three. You must believe in the doctrine of sin, you must believe that man is a sinner.

If we if we say we have no sin, we make God what a liar and his truth is none us. If you say you're not a sinner you're not a Christian because if you say you're not a sinner than God's word is menu first John 18 verse verse 10 as well if you say you haven't sinned, you make him a liar's word is menu verse eight says if you say you have no sin, you deceive yourselves. Truth is in and you so we we we affirm our sinfulness and we affirm our ungodliness and then we affirm that we can't do anything to be saved and we affirm that Jesus Christ paid the price for our salvation and we desperately cry out as the ungodly to have God put the righteousness of Christ to our account. See that's the that's the body of truth that must be believed if you believe somehow that all you have to do is say I believe in Jesus and your and go to heaven and you don't know the Jesus you're talking about who he is what he did and by what accomplishment on the cross he purchased your salvation and you don't embrace that as it's revealed in Scripture. You don't under have to understand the fullness of it, but you have to understand the clarity of it. You may understand all the implications of the doctrine of justification, but you must understand this, you're a sinner you're unworthy. You can't do anything. He did everything every spirit that confesses that Jesus Christ is come in the flesh is from God. Every spirit that doesn't confess Jesus is not from God spirit of antichrist. If you're wrong about who Jesus is and why he came in your spirit of antichrist seek really everything that we need to believe to be saved is summed up in Christ right we see in him the Trinity because he's a member of the Trinity incarnate human flesh we see in him the perfect righteous standard of God lived out we see in him the substitutionary death on the cross, the power of resurrection over death. Everything is summed up in Christ. That's why it pulses enforcement industry for you can't lay any other foundation. The foundation which is Jesus Christ.

So we believe in the Bible true Christians believe in the word of God. You know what happens when you're when you're delivered God plants and you will love for his truth.

We also believe in the great doctrine of justification by grace through faith alone. We believe Jehovah to decay new in Hebrew, the Lord is our righteousness because we have none of our own. We believe in the virgin birth of Jesus Christ we believe in his perfect deity. We believe in his sinless humanity we believe in his atoning death we believe in his resurrection. We believe in the truth of every word he spoke in the reality of every miracle. He did go back a second John nine anybody who doesn't abide in these teachings about Christ does not have God anybody does abide in these has both the father and the son is not great. Will summing it up. There are nonnegotiable truths the absolute authority of Scripture sole a scriptural justification by faith alone.

Sola feeding in Christ alone, the perfect God man Sola Christus, the reformer said it all right those were the issues and true Christians beloved have been delivered out of error into this truth and whoever does believe a lie is not of God. And here is the church back where we started blurring the line between the true Christian and the non-Christian. We have no business receiving into the communion of the church, the Fellowship of the church forging spiritual bonds with people who are in the darkness and are guilty by by doing that we become guilty of the heinous sin we become partakers of their evil deeds, like the arrogant Corinthian's you know who had embraced the man who was living in the grossest kind of sin having a sexual relationship with his father's wife Paul said him have to turn that man over to Satan if it pollutes the church for somebody to be having a sexual relationship inside the church. What is it due to the church to embrace those who bring in lies all teachers never were signed declaring themselves as false teachers and they always come according to certain printed 1113 disguises an angel of what they always tell you they have the truth we have to keep our church pure and we have to keep people alerted to the reality of what it is to be a true Christian.

Nothing is more desperately needed in the church right now than to restore biblical discernment and to restore it at the level it starts at and that is who is a Christian and who is not the first realm of deliverance than is to be delivered from error to truth, but Lord, your word is light and it has shone brightly on us and we remember the words of Jeremiah, who said I didn't send these prophets, but they ran. I didn't speak to them, but they prophesied in Lord the world is so full of those you didn't send in those to whom you never gave a message and they are disguised as angels of light and the church is so gullible for this other. We pray that you protect your people that you give them a passion for the light for the truth and help us to know the true Christians because they're the ones who come out of the lies out of the deceptions out of the darkness into the clear shining brilliant bright light of truth.

Thank you for that deliverance and you did it, we could never have done because in our darkness and in our deadness we couldn't see the light.

We couldn't perceive the light we were blind to death to dead you gave us life and light. We thank you for that deliverance payment. This is grace to you with John MacArthur. Thanks for being with us. John's current study is taking a closer look at what you are saved from and save to when you become a Christian.

It's titled delivered by God. You know John to get this study on radio and the many others that we will air this year we have a special group of our listeners to think because without their commitment to grace to you.

Will your Bible teaching would not be getting very far beyond the walls of our headquarters as we move into 2022 while you're absolutely right, and we are profoundly profoundly grateful for the supporters who are the connection between us and the listening world.

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That's what were all about. Can't do much of anything without the financial backing of you listeners so thank you for caring. Thank you for supporting us as we enter this new year were beginning a new year healthy and that's not the case with all ministries and churches these days. You have upheld us because of your love of the truth and so on behalf of all of us. We want to thank you and let you know, you're a real partner and what this ministry is going to do in 2022. Yes, you are a real partner and friend if you'd like to really stay connected with grace to you in 2022. Asked to receive John's monthly letters. You get regular updates on the ministry stay informed on how you can be praying for John and for the staff and you will be offered free resources by John every month to start receiving John's monthly letter, contact us today. Send an email to letters@tty.org or drop a note to Grace to you. Box 4000 panorama city, CA 91412 or give us a call and say you'd like to get John's monthly letters and free offers. Just call us our toll-free number 855 grace again.

That's 805 five grace@tty.org. You also find thousands of free Bible study resources that will help you understand God's word and in particular more than 3500 sermons by John available in MP3 and transcript format and if you are not sure where to start. Check out grace stream. That's a unique way to listen to John's teaching through the New Testament we started in Matthew and run it through revelation and then started all over again and it's a great way to immerse yourself in God's word. The sermon archive grace stream and much more are all available@tty.org now for John MacArthur on Phil Johnson encouraging you to take some time with your family and watch grace to you television it airs Sundays on DirecTV channel 378 and also be here tomorrow when John continues his series delivered by God with another half hour of unleashing God's truth one verse at a time on grace to you