The Battle for Truth
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The Battle for Truth
The Battle for Truth
How many in here are writers
Maybe written short story
Maybe a play
Its not easy to say the least
But I got to be honest
When a story is well written
Has the proper formatting
Has excitement
Has Suspense
Maybe a few curve balls,
It can captivate you
Reel you in
Make you feel as though you are apart of the story
Can we all agree on that
There really is no substitute for a good story line
Maybe a good movie script
But you know who does this very well?
Disney...
I mean you have to admit it,
Disney can take a cartoon
Made for 5 year olds
And turn it into a global sensation
Have 40 and 50 year old men
Dancing around with there daughters
Singing at the top of their lungs
A song
That they wouldn’t dare admit they know by heart
Am I wrong?
But Disney is so good at this
They take in millions of dollars of revenue
Simply because of how they tell a story
Take Frozen for example
That movie right there
I mean they took a story about a princess and lumberjack who talks to a reindeer
and turned it into a 1.265 Billion dollar hit
Thats right,
world wide this movie made 1.265 billion dollars
Its incredible
That movie
Its captivating
Holds your attention
Keeps you suspense
Even gets you routing for the main characters
Think about it
How many guys in here
Know the words to the songs by heart
Don’t be ashamed its ok
I know the words
I’ll be honest
I’m man enough to admit
I do have a daughter
So I have my excuse,
Whats your’s…hahahahaha
Ok ok, but seriously ask yourself what makes this movie so good?
Its the format
Its how its laid out
Every good story starts off like this
First it starts with a perfect beginning
Then something happens
Or the antagonist enters the scene
and the rest of the story is how the hero’s of the story
Making there way back to the perfect beginning
Or at least some resemblance of it
And it’s in the middle of the story
Where all the good stuff is
We call that the moral of the story
How many in here knew the Bible does the same thing?
Literally I’m telling you
Once you get this
The Bible shrinks
It becomes interesting to read
And in fact easy to read
Think about it,
The Bible opens in the Garden of Eden
Everything perfect
The world without sin
Man is in perfect harmony with God
But then by the 3rd chapter, everything changes
Sin enters the scene
A serpent, the antagonist trick Eve, convinces Adam to sin against God
But then
For the rest of the Bible
You see characters struggling
You see that
Throughout time
As a direct result of what went wrong in the Garden
Everything is thrown out of balance
But then you turn to the book of revelation 21
You see we are back in perfect relationship with God
God has won
Everything is as it should be
Sin is gone, God’s perfect creation has come back
Everything is just as it was in the beginning
Or a resemblance of what it was
But you know the difference between this story and Disney?
This is real
This is actual history
And what makes this even more fascinating
You’re in the thick of it right now
You are one of the characters
Which means you have to live by the story line
By the guidelines
By the rules of the Bible
What makes this story even more interesting, is its validation...
Because this isn’t some kind of Jumanji thing here
One author put it in amazing perspective
listen to this
Consider the fact that the Bible is comprised of 66 Books written over a period of about 1,500 years by over 40 authors from all walks of life, with different kinds of personalities, and in all sorts of situations. It was written in three languages on three continents, and it covers hundreds of controversial subjects. Yet, it fits together into one cohesive story with an appropriate beginning, a logical ending, a central character, and a consistent theme.
It’s almost as if this book was written by God through man
Think about it
Many of these authors didn’t have the other books to go off of
To catch onto the central theme
And yet they all match
I mean some had never read or heard of the other books
And yet what they wrote down matches perfectly
The Bible you have today
The Bible you can just download on your phone for free
That wasn’t put together into one massive collection until centuries later
Just a few hundred years ago
You may have only had one book
And yet the theme is consistent
They didn’t have a reference point
Something to make sure everything matched
They simply wrote as God directed
It’s like you actually have the work of God sitting in the palm of your hand right here.
But why even mention this
Why even go over this
Because what we are going to go over today
Is the very heart of the Bible
The central theme
That once you get
The Bible opens up in a whole new way
So today I want to quickly go over 4 points
First we are going to talk about the Antichrist
Followed by understanding deception
The importance of understanding what you believe
Why your relationship with God is absolutely vital
So if you would please open your Bibles to
Dear children, the last hour is here. You have heard that the Antichrist is coming, and already many such antichrists have appeared. From this we know that the last hour has come. These people left our churches, but they never really belonged with us; otherwise they would have stayed with us. When they left, it proved that they did not belong with us.
But you are not like that, for the Holy One has given you his Spirit, and all of you know the truth. So I am writing to you not because you don’t know the truth but because you know the difference between truth and lies. And who is a liar? Anyone who says that Jesus is not the Christ. Anyone who denies the Father and the Son is an antichrist. Anyone who denies the Son doesn’t have the Father, either. But anyone who acknowledges the Son has the Father also.
So you must remain faithful to what you have been taught from the beginning. If you do, you will remain in fellowship with the Son and with the Father. And in this fellowship we enjoy the eternal life he promised us.
I am writing these things to warn you about those who want to lead you astray. But you have received the Holy Spirit, and he lives within you, so you don’t need anyone to teach you what is true. For the Spirit teaches you everything you need to know, and what he teaches is true—it is not a lie. So just as he has taught you, remain in fellowship with Christ.
Prayer,
You know this is a very tough passage to teach
Not only because of the depth
Not only because of the odd topics
But this passage truly encompasses what the entirety of the Bible is all about
I mean if you truly get whats going on here
If you truly understand what John is saying here
Then you understand that this is the plumbline
The center
The theme
Of the entire Bible
You ever heard a story that just didn’t make sense
Until you heard that one line
That one phrase that brought everything together
This is it!
This is the piece of the puzzle that brings it all together
Thats what makes last weeks message so important
Remember what we talked about?
Where do your loyalties lie?
Are you with God or the world
Are you with God or Satan
Remember take a side
There are no traitors allowed when it comes to war
And yes we are war
Really think on that
Because when you look at the opening line of this verse
You see something unique
Something that should stir your curiosity to say the least
1 John 2:18 (NLT)
Dear children, the last hour is here....
Lets stop right there for just a second...
The last hour
What is John actually referring to.
It’s not exactly a specific hour as we would understand it
No John is saying that the stage is set for the culmination of everything the Bible warns us about
or as one commentator put it
1, 2, 3 John ((2) Beware of the Antichrists (2:18–28))
That point of time in history that will usher in the termination of all time and the revealing of the final salvation promised by God, is here.
In other words everything in God’s word
That tells us His Kingdom is coming
The defeat of satan
The battle of Armageddon
The coming of the Antichrist
All of those apocalyptic themes
It’s happening
It could be any moment
As one of my professors put it
Now is the time to bend the knee
Not later
Because honestly you may not have another chance
The stage is set and Jesus could come at any moment
And I know for those of us
That aren’t living right
The Bible gets a bit uncomfortable
Remember when you were a kid
You tried to sneak that cookie
Maybe sneak that piece of Candy before mom came around the corner
In reality what were you doing?
Testing the system
Seeing if you will get caught
But thats the point here, you don’t know when He’s coming
We all know what happens if he does come and we aren’t ready
You don’t have to be a genius to figure this out
But then look what John does here
Because this is where a certain character is introduced called the Antichrist
But
what exactly are we talking about
when it comes to the antichrist
or the purpose of the antichrist
Here’s where the plot thickens
Here’s where the storyline of the entire Bible
Begins to make sense
In fact it goes all the way back to the book of Genesis
Where the antichrist is introduced as a key character
That becomes fundamental to the entire Bible
In fact just as Adam and Eve are caught in their sin
God comes on the scene and introduces two new characters
One will be the savior and the other will be in direct opposition to the savior
What am I telling you,
That from the beginning of time
God’s plan for salvation has always been in play
So throughout time
Throughout the Old Testament we are waiting for this promised Messiah
This individual that was guaranteed in Genesis 3
This is what John was referring to in the first chapter
This is what the theme of the Old Testament was promising
That one day
Someone was going to come on the scene
And correct what happened in the Garden
Correct the sin problem and bring us back to the beginning
But at the same time there would be this character in direct opposition
To this Messiah
To this savior
And so when John opens up and says here that you have heard that the Antichrist is coming
and that many antichrists have already come,
He’s not saying the antichrist is on the scene just yet
But what he is saying is that Satan’s minions are already at work
He’s referring to false teachers, false prophets
He’s referring to people that are perverting the Word of God
To say things it doesn’t say
Just as Jesus our Messiah has called us to preach the Gospel
Just as we have been commanded to spread the Good News
Just as we are told to share the Gospel
Satan has his foot soldiers as well
Only there entire mission
Their entire goal in eternity
Is to lead you away from the truth.
I mean do you get that
Everything in this world
Is purposed in leading you away from Christ
Your sin leads you away
Your desires lead you away
That’s why last weeks message was so powerful
Satan’s ultimate goal is to lead us astray in any way possible
and that’s the point that I want to make here
Deception is real
It’s not some kind of joke or games we’re going through here
This is war
Look at Ephesians
For we do not wrestle against flesh and blood, but against the rulers, against the authorities, against the cosmic powers over this present darkness, against the spiritual forces of evil in the heavenly places.
Bet you weren’t expecting this today
Guys I have been trying day and night to get us to understand
This book right here,
Is more than just a set of morals
Its more than just a way to live
This is a war for your very SOUL
We are talking about eternity here
There is a reason every single book in the NEW TESTAMENT
Warns against false teachers
Against false prophets
Against believing in the wrong thing
In the wrong Jesus
You have any idea how many different views on Christ there are?
Think on this for a moment
Seriously pay attention right here
Because
Nearly every single monotheistic religion
Or every single religion that has one God
Is centered on Christ
Did you know that?
You think that’s by accident?
The catch is they all have a different view of Christ
Some say he is a prophet
Some say he was just a man
Some say he is an angel
Others say he is the brother of Satan
But this passage right here
This book right here
Tells me that he is God in the flesh!
And thats why John is making this so clear
Look what he says here in verse 22
1 John 2:22 (NLT)
And who is a liar? Anyone who says that Jesus is not the Christ.
Guys we live in a world that not only denies Jesus
Not only denies he is the Christ
But has twisted His purpose
His sacrifice
His death
Into something it was never meant to be
We have Christian pastors,
Telling the world
That Jesus died on that cross
So that you can have every sinful desire of your heart
So that you can have every material desire
Every financial desire
Every momentary desire of your heart
Not once will mention sin
Not once will they mention repentance
Not once will they mention a life change
As a matter of fact we have pastors using his sacrifice
To justify our sin
To justify our immorality
Guys this is a deception from the very pits of hell
From Satan himself
This book right here is telling us there are people out there
That will deceive you
Lie to you
Tell you all kinds of things about Jesus
That have nothing to do with what the Bible says
When you take away the divinity of Christ
When you make Him a created being
Just a prophet
Some moral teacher
Then you are taking away any possibility of forgiveness
You have to understand that the cross
That forgiveness of sin
Could only be accomplished by God in the person of Jesus THE Christ
The promised Messiah of written Word of God
That’s why the story line of the Bible is so unbelievably important
Genesis 3 tells us that sin entered the world
and that one day a certain individual
A messiah
would come to correct the sin problem
To make everything right again
Guys we have billions of people that believe
Jesus is less than He actually is
And there are demons working over time to deceive you
To lie to you
To play with your conscience
Lead you into a life of sin
Do you see whats going on here?
Do you see what Satan is trying to do?
This is war
This is a battle for the very SOUL of man
But then what does John tell us in verse 27
Because here comes the good news
Here where the hope comes in
Our weapon against the enemy
But you have received the Holy Spirit, and he lives within you, so you don’t need anyone to teach you what is true. For the Spirit teaches you everything you need to know, and what he teaches is true—it is not a lie. So just as he has taught you, remain in fellowship with Christ.
The point that John is making here
A true believer in Christ
A honest to God follower of Jesus
Will simply know when things are off
I felt this before,
I’ve been in churches like this before
Where I just knew something wasn’t right
Where the truth wasn’t being preached
Where the sermon was more about this life
Where the sermon was more about how to manage your finances
Instead of teaching about the Gospel.
And I’m not saying we shouldn’t be fiscally responsible
But that’s not what a Sunday service is for
But then heres the problem,
So many of us aren’t at that level where we can discern what is right
or what is wrong
So many of us hear the Holy Spirit
Telling us to leave
Telling us to get out
To find a different church
To make better choices
But we ignore Him
And If I was to be completely with you
Many of us that claim the label of Christianity
Aren’t in fact Christians
Aren’t honest to God followers of Christ
We never made that commitment against sin and for Jesus
We simply saw the benefits of the faith
But never fully committed
He is our Lord and Savior
Lord meaning our king, our boss, the ruler over our lives
Remember what I told you at the beginning of this series
This is going to test you,
Ask you that question, are you saved
Are you following the right Jesus
Or are you following the materialistic
The carnal dreams of the here and now
are you willfully going against what this book is teaching.
Or are you dying to self
Presenting yourself as you should be?
That’s what John is saying here in this book
When you are a true believer of Christ
When you have the Holy Spirit living within you
Convicting you
Teaching you
Guiding you
You will be able to discern
To just instinctively know what is wrong
And don’t get me wrong
I’m not saying to stop reading your Bibles
I’m not saying to stop coming to church
To sit there and say, well I have the Holy Spirit, I’m good to go
No
What I am saying is that there is no relationship between light and dark
There is no relationship between sin and righteousness
There is no relationship between God and Satan
And when you are rooted
Grounded
Cemented in the Word of God
Of His truth
Then there is symmetry within your life that is indescribable
There is a happiness
A sense of security
Of love
Of joy
Of total acceptance
That can only come from God
Guys as we leave out here today
Put your faith in the truth
Put your faith in what this book says
Jesus is the Christ
The promised Messiah
Who came and died on that cross
For your sin
For my sin
To correct the wrong that happened in the Garden
So that you can be with God in eternity
Thats the Gospel
Thats the good news
and by faith in what He did on that cross
By faith in the validation of His resurrection from the dead
proving that he is God
By repenting of your sins
Surrendering your life over to Him
You can be saved
You can be re assured you are guaranteed a spot in heaven
Make understanding this book a priority
Pray every single day
And I truly mean that
Prayer is dependence on God
Do you realize that?
Ask yourself, what is prayer really doing?
You are asking God to help you
You are trusting that He will handle it
It builds that relationship
I really think thats one area we all need help in
Always be joyful. Never stop praying. Be thankful in all circumstances, for this is God’s will for you who belong to Christ Jesus.
Pray without ceasing,
I can’t emphasize that enough
Read this book every single day
Understand it,
learn from it,
grow in it.
Become that expert in the word of God
Guys the enemy is alive and active
And he is doing everything possible to pull you away
From the truth
God has given you a weapon
But so many of us don’t know how this thing
Get in here daily
Finally
I want to close with this verse 24
So you must remain faithful to what you have been taught from the beginning. If you do, you will remain in fellowship with the Son and with the Father.
Be determined this week guys
We are war
This is your weapon
Let’s start to qualify expert
Let’s not let the enemy win
And as cheesy as this may sound
Let’s become God’s special forces
Close in prayer.
Benediction
‘May the Lord bless you
and protect you.
May the Lord smile on you
and be gracious to you.
May the Lord show you his favor
and give you his peace.’
Now this is not to down play the understanding of Scripture