True or False - Discerning the Authentic from the Counterfeit
1 John 2:18-27
Recognizing Counterfeit Christianity
They have
Departed the Fellowship (2:19)
Denied the Faith (2:22-23)
Deceived the Faithful (2:26)
Recognizing Authentic (genuine)Christianity
They
Acknowledgement of the Son (2:23b)
Abiding in the Word of God (2:24-26)
Anointing of the Holy Spirit (2:20,27)
Slide
Turn the TV on any given day and, if you have cable, you can find someone preaching some spirituality about how to have a better life.
You can get on the internet and find people and websites putting forth a spiritual answer to a better you.
You can go to the bookstore and find the latest book of the month about how you have the spiritual power to create a better now.
Often these people or shows or books will even use the Bible to try and support their claims. Sometimes they will even be talking about Jesus or claim Christianity, but some of the teaching seems far from what we have heard of Christian teaching.
And often in our efforts to be nonjudgmental, we think that as long as they mention Jesus or quote the Bible, then it must be ok.
But just because the name Jesus is used, does that make it Christian teaching?
Just because someone quotes a Bible passage, does it mean they are teaching truth?
And given this day of so much information and so many kinds of teaching, is there a way to discern what is True or False?
Slide
Or to discern who is teaching about
an authentic relationship with God versus
something that may appear real, but is really counterfeit?
Well, actually there is.
And actually, we are not the first to experience people coming with different teachings and using Scripture or the name of Jesus to support their false claims.
Back even when the apostles lived, there were those who were bringing false teaching even claiming that it was Christian teaching.
Turn with me to
1 John 2:18-27.
Slide
John wrote to help the people to be able to discern truth from error and gave some characteristics so we might be able to recognize the authentic Christians from the counterfeit.
1 John 2:18-27
18 Dear children, this is the last hour; and as you have heard that the antichrist is coming, even now many antichrists have come. This is how we know it is the last hour. 19 They went out from us, but they did not really belong to us. For if they had belonged to us, they would have remained with us; but their going showed that none of them belonged to us.
20 But you have an anointing from the Holy One, and all of you know the truth. 21 I do not write to you because you do not know the truth, but because you do know it and because no lie comes from the truth. 22 Who is the liar? It is the man who denies that Jesus is the Christ. Such a man is the antichrist-he denies the Father and the Son. 23 No one who denies the Son has the Father; whoever acknowledges the Son has the Father also.
24 See that what you have heard from the beginning remains in you. If it does, you also will remain in the Son and in the Father. 25 And this is what he promised us-even eternal life.
26 I am writing these things to you about those who are trying to lead you astray. 27 As for you, the anointing you received from him remains in you, and you do not need anyone to teach you. But as his anointing teaches you about all things and as that anointing is real, not counterfeit-just as it has taught you, remain in him.
The Last Hour
Ok, I want to take a look at the first part here where John says it is the last hour.
What does that mean that it is the last hour?
Throughout the NT, phrase like the last hour, or the last days means the time between Christ’s first and second coming.
John was in the last days or the last hour.
We are still in the last days or last hour, though we are closer to the end than John was and even than we were yesterday.
As we get closer with each day, Scripture teaches that more and more, there will be those who try to lead Christians astray.
Paul tells us this in
1 Timothy 4:1-2
4:1 The Spirit clearly says that in later times some will abandon the faith and follow deceiving spirits and things taught by demons. 2 Such teachings come through hypocritical liars,
Jesus tells us as we get closer to the end that “false Christs and false prophets will appear and perform signs and miracles to deceive the elect-if that were possible. 23 So be on your guard; I have told you everything ahead of time.” (Mark 13:22-23)
We definitely need to be on our guard in this day.
Because wherever we turn, there are more people teaching what seems to be like “good news” but in actuality is not good news at all, only the same counterfeit spirituality that has been being taught by false teachers and antichrist’s for 2000 years.
So how can we tell?
How can we know who the false teachers are and who those are that are teaching the truth about an authentic relationship with God?
Well, John gives us several characteristics of these Counterfeit Christians who are trying to lead others astray so we can recognize them.
First, he tells us that these counterfeit Christians
They have Departed from the Fellowship
Slide
1 John 2:18b-19
This is how we know it is the last hour. 19 They went out from us, but they did not really belong to us. For if they had belonged to us, they would have remained with us; but their going showed that none of them belonged to us.
These counterfeit Christians were part of a believing Christian Church, though they never were true believers. Now they have left this true believing church.
Earlier I quoted Paul as saying that “The Spirit clearly says that in later times some will abandon the faith and follow deceiving spirits (1 Timothy 4:1)
Many of these counterfeits, these false teachers, were raised and part of a church or a home that said they believed true Christianity.
But somewhere along the line, they departed from that church and those teachings to teach other things.
Now, this is not to say that anybody who ever leaves a church and goes to another church is a counterfeit Christian.
But, some of the most famous cults or false religions were started by those who where part of the Christian community at some point and then departed to lead others astray.
David Koresh – the leader of the Branch Davidians in Waco Texas.
Jim Jones – the leader of the people’s temple.
Joseph Smith – Founder of the Mormon Church
All of these had some connection with the Christian church before attempting to lead others astray.
But the truth that they were not Christians is shown by their departing from the fellowship and the true Christian teaching.
But counterfeit Christians not only depart from the fellowship,
They have Denied the Faith
Slide
1 John 2:22-23a
22 Who is the liar? It is the man who denies that Jesus is the Christ. Such a man is the antichrist-he denies the Father and the Son. 23 No one who denies the Son has the Father
These counterfeits will preach another gospel or another Jesus other than the Biblical gospel or the Jesus of the Bible.
Paul talks about this when writing to the Corinthian church
2 Corinthians 11:3-4
3 But I am afraid that just as Eve was deceived by the serpent’s cunning, your minds may somehow be led astray from your sincere and pure devotion to Christ. 4 For if someone comes to you and preaches a Jesus other than the Jesus we preached, or if you receive a different spirit from the one you received, or a different gospel from the one you accepted, you put up with it easily enough
All counterfeits or false religions will claim something different than Jesus as the Christ.
They will either claim that they are the Christ, the Messiah.
David Koresh, Jim Jones, Sun Myung Moon (the moonies) claimed to be the Messiah.
Or they will talk about a Jesus that is not the Christ that the Bible talks about.
The doctrine that Jesus is the Christ is essential to Christianity.
What does it mean that Jesus is the Christ?
The word Christ, is the Greek Translation of the Hebrew word Messiah.
To be the Christ carries along with it some essential beliefs that cultists or false religions will deny.
One of the things it means to be the Christ is to be God in the flesh.
To deny any aspect of Jesus being God or Jesus, as God, becoming man, is to deny that Jesus is the Christ and so deny the faith.
The Old Testament prophesied that the Messiah, the Christ, would be God.
Isaiah 9:6
6 For to us a child is born,
to us a son is given,
and the government will be on his shoulders.
And he will be called
Wonderful Counselor, Mighty God,
Everlasting Father, Prince of Peace.
Listen to what John writes a little later in this letter
1 John 4:2-3
2 This is how you can recognize the Spirit of God: Every spirit that acknowledges that Jesus Christ has come in the flesh is from God, 3 but every spirit that does not acknowledge Jesus is not from God.
Well that only means that Jesus had to be human, not God.
Cross reference that with what John writes in his gospel in
John 1:1, 14
1:1 In the beginning was the Word, and the Word was with God, and the Word was God… 14 The Word became flesh and made his dwelling among us.
Those who deny that Jesus is God or deny that, as God, he became man are false teachers.
Mormons, who claim to be Christian, deny that Jesus is God.
Jehovah’s Witnesses will talk about a Jesus who was a perfect man, but not God.
They are preaching a different Jesus than what the Bible teaches.
Even beyond that though, those who claim a relationship with God or that you can know God outside of Jesus are teaching falsely.
There is no relationship with God outside of through His Son.
No one comes to the Father but through Jesus.
Not through Muhammad,
Not through Joseph Smith,
not through Buddah,
not through Oprah’s book club, and
not through being awakened to a new you.
You need to be awakened to the true you
a sinner in need of a Savior,
in need of a God who became man and died for your sins on the cross and
defeated death by rising 3 days later.
You cannot be in relationship with God without believing that Jesus is the Christ, that He is God in the flesh
Anyone who claims otherwise denies the true Faith and is opposed to Christ, is one of the small “a” antichrists that John speaks of here.
Lastly, a final characteristic of a counterfeit Christian is
They have Deceived the Faithful
Slide
1 John 2:26
26 I am writing these things to you about those who are trying to lead you astray.
These antichrist’s not only don’t believe and have denied the faith themselves, they are seeking to lead others astray.
Anyone trying to lead you away from believing that
Jesus is the Christ or
that you don’t need to follow Him or
that you don’t need to be in fellowship with the body of Christ, the church,
is counterfeit.
Do not follow them.
So that is how you recognize counterfeit Christians, but what about the authentic?
What are the characteristics of an authentic Christian?
Characteristics of Authentic Christians are
They Acknowledge the Son of God
Slide
1 John 2:23
23 No one who denies the Son has the Father; whoever acknowledges the Son has the Father also.
Authentic Christians acknowledge Jesus as the Christ, the Son of God.
They recognize Him as God Almighty who put on flesh and came and lived a perfect life being fully God and fully man.
Anyone who claims something else about Jesus is not a Christian and in fact is seeking to lead you astray.
Another characteristic of Authentic Christians is
They Abide in the Word of God
Slide
1 John 2:24-25
24 See that what you have heard from the beginning remains in you. If it does, you also will remain in the Son and in the Father. 25 And this is what he promised us-even eternal life.
The word of God records the Apostles teaching about Jesus, about His teaching, about the things we need to know about Jesus, about living this life upon earth and how we can inherit eternal life.
As we abide in the word of God, we are going to remain in close and connected relationship with the Lord and be able to discern truth from falsehood, Christian teaching from the teaching of those opposed to Christ.
Abiding in the word is not about emptying your mind or disengaging from your thoughts.
In fact it is just the opposite. We need to be thinking clearly and understanding our thoughts so we can discern truth from error.
Satan is real and is using all of these cults and false religions to try and lead you astray.
We need to be abiding in the word and thinking and staying focused so we can be strong in the faith.
A final characteristic of Authentic Christians is that
They are Anointed with the Holy Spirit of God
Slide
1 John 2:27
27 As for you, the anointing you received from him remains in you, and you do not need anyone to teach you. But as his anointing teaches you about all things and as that anointing is real, not counterfeit-just as it has taught you, remain in him.
If you have believed in Jesus as the Christ and received Him as your Savior, you have been anointed with the Holy Spirit, He indwells you and as you abide in the word of God, He will teach you and help you discern between truth and error.
But we need to constantly be testing the spirits.
Listen to what John writes in
1 John 4:1-6
1 Dear friends, do not believe every spirit, but test the spirits to see whether they are from God, because many false prophets have gone out into the world. 2 This is how you can recognize the Spirit of God: Every spirit that acknowledges that Jesus Christ has come in the flesh is from God, 3 but every spirit that does not acknowledge Jesus is not from God. This is the spirit of the antichrist, which you have heard is coming and even now is already in the world.
4 You, dear children, are from God and have overcome them, because the one who is in you is greater than the one who is in the world. 5 They are from the world and therefore speak from the viewpoint of the world, and the world listens to them. 6 We are from God, and whoever knows God listens to us; but whoever is not from God does not listen to us. This is how we recognize the Spirit of truth and the spirit of falsehood.
Christianity is not some faith that calls you to blindly follow despite all evidence to the contrary.
Christianity is reasonable when you stop and consider it and test it against reality.
It has stood for 2000 years because the Holy Spirit of God continues to move and work in the lives of those who believe in Jesus as the Christ and receive Him as their Savior.
Maybe you are here today and have just been on the edge of Christianity looking in. Maybe some of this teaching is new to you.
That is ok. We want you to know that you are welcome to investigate Christianity here.
But we would be remiss in not telling you that this is the most important decision of your eternity. You don’t want to put off entering into a relationship with God through Jesus Christ.
When we depart this physical life, our decision is set.
The Bible tells us that it is “destined to die once, and after that to face judgment” (Hebrews 9:27)
Don’t let that time come upon you unexpectedly.
Instead do as
Romans 10:9-10 says
9 That if you confess with your mouth, "Jesus is Lord," and believe in your heart that God raised him from the dead, you will be saved. 10 For it is with your heart that you believe and are justified, and it is with your mouth that you confess and are saved.
If you are here today and believe the truth that Jesus is the Christ, that He is God in the flesh and accept that He died for your sins and rose 3 days later, then just confess that to the Lord and receive Jesus as your Savior.
Acts 4:12
12 Salvation is found in no one else, for there is no other name under heaven given to men by which we must be saved."
Pray with me now if you desire to receive Jesus as your Savior.
