I read this story about a Chinese boy who wanted to learn about jade so he went to study with a talented old teacher. This gentle man put a piece of the precious stone into his hand and told him to hold it tight. Then he began to talk of philosophy, men, women, the sun and almost everything under it. After an hour he took back the stone and sent the boy home. The procedure was repeated for several weeks. The boy became frustrated. When would he be told about the jade? He was too polite, however, to question the wisdom of his venerable teacher. Then one day, the old man put a stone into the boy’s hands. “Hey! That's not jade!”
I have heard that to recognize counterfeit money, banks don’t have their tellers study counterfeit bills, but instead have them become very familiar with the real.
REV 3:7-13 “And to the angel/messenger of the church in Philadelphia write: He who is holy, who is true, who has the key of David, who opens and no one will shut, and who shuts and no one opens, says this: 8 ‘I know your deeds. Behold, I have put before you an open door which no one can shut, because you have a little power, and have followed My word, and have not denied My name. 9 Behold, I will make those of the synagogue of Satan, who say that they are Jews and are not, but lie—I will make them come and bow down before your feet, and make them know that I have loved YOU. 10 Because you have KEPT My word of perseverance, I also will KEEP you from the hour of the testing, that hour which is about to come upon the whole world, to TEST those who live on the earth. 11 I am coming quickly; HOLD FIRMLY to what you have, so that no one will take your CROWN. 12 The one who overcomes, I will make him a pillar in the temple of My God, and he will not go out from it anymore; and I will write on him the name of My God, and the name of the city of My God, the new Jerusalem, which comes down out of heaven from My God, and My new name. 13 The one who has an ear, let him hear what the Spirit says to the churches.’
How would you feel if you were donating money to a Missions organization that turned out to be non-Christian? That there was NO mission to tell people about Jesus or minister in HIS NAME? Sure they do good, they help supply people with means, opportunities, food, shelter–but say nothing about Jesus Christ and how He wants to transform their lives if they will repent and turn to Him? Would you really want to support such an organization?
I have just heard that two organizations formerly supported by GMC are no longer doing so because of such a thing–they are no longer a mission in the name of Jesus nor hold to the Bible as supplying all the answers for life–eternal or otherwise. Are we really going to do that as a body dedicated to Jesus? NO! We want to be SURE the funding we supply as a Church body is going to a group that is Christ-centered and Gospel-driven in their mission. Amen?
Otherwise it is a counterfeit Mission. You would be shocked to find out, I know I was, and the GMC church on the other side of town has pulled funding for one of those so-called ministries because it is NO LONGER faithful to the core values of Christ. I went to the website and typed in the word Jesus and God. The name of Jesus isn’t exalted at all–not even ONE TIME! The word God showed up once and I had to dig for it and it was only used in a title of a book.
And it makes you wonder - how much do you really know people? IN a world of clicking and thumbs up or down, and popular opinion rules–who invented the LIKE button anyway? I think it was Fonzie. But if we get too wrapped in being LIKED it can make us into fakers.
Jesus used the word Hypo-krites, two words = “hypo,” meaning UNDER and “Krites” where we get our word Critic from.
Put the two words together and you get “Hypocrite” and it comes from the world of theater. In Greek plays, men were actors only so when they had to play the part of a woman they held up a mask, so their face was UNDER the mask interpreting (or pretending) from underneath to be something he was not.
And if you are really a good “actor” you can pretend so well that people don’t see the real you of who you are–like Tom Cruise, but instead they see Ethan Hunt, who he is pretending to be.
A “wolf in sheep’s clothing” is not a good thing - Scripture warns of a counterfeit God, counterfeit salvations, counterfeit gospels void of Lordship. This is seen when a person claims Jesus but does not obey his word. This produces a fictitious Jesus, a false Jesus, one that gives Jesus a TITLE as Lord, but not the position at a person's core.
GAL 1:6-12 NLT - Paul writes, 6 I am shocked that you are turning away so soon from God, who called you to himself through the loving mercy of Christ You are following a different way that pretends to be the Good News 7 but is not the Good News at all. You are being fooled by those who deliberately twist the truth concerning Christ. 8 Let God’s curse fall on anyone, including us or even an angel from heaven, who preaches a different kind of Good News than the one we preached to you. 9 I say again what we have said before: If anyone preaches any other Good News than the one you welcomed, let that person be cursed. 10 Obviously, I’m not trying to win the approval of people, but of God. If pleasing people were my goal, I would not be Christ’s servant. 11 Dear brothers and sisters, I want you to understand that the gospel message I preach is not based on mere human reasoning. 12 I received my message from no human source, and no one taught me. Instead, I received it by direct revelation from Jesus Christ.
Counterfeit Jesus, counterfeit faith, counterfeit gospels have been around since the resurrection!
But we have learned, even since childhood, how to live a righteous life by hearing the Words from Jesus himself, and DOING THEM. Jesus taught us about differences in people – about those who HEAR what he says and DOES them. It was illustrated for us in that children's song = The wise man builds on the ROCK but the foolish man builds on the SAND.
On the outside, both Houses look the same, but are DIFFERENT at the point of what is unseen = The foundation.
The unseen is built on the ROCK by those who walk intimately with God vs those who do not.
NLT 1 COR 3:10-16 Paul testifies, “Because of God’s grace to me, I have laid the foundation like an expert builder. Now others are building on it. But whoever is building on this foundation must be very careful. 11 For no one can lay any foundation other than the one we already have—Jesus Christ.
12 Anyone who builds on that foundation may use a variety of materials—gold, silver, jewels, wood, hay, or straw. 13 But on the judgment day, fire will reveal what kind of work each builder has done. The fire will show if a person’s work has any value. 14 If the work survives, that builder will receive a reward. 15 But if the work is burned up, the builder will suffer great loss. The builder will be saved, but like someone barely escaping through a wall of flames. 16 Don’t you realize that all of you together are the temple of God and that the Spirit of God lives in you? 17 God will destroy anyone who destroys this temple. For God’s temple is holy, and you are that temple.
Paul said there is NO OTHER foundation than Jesus to build on.
But the counterfeit mess continues: Jesus said, NOT everyone who says to me LORD LORD shall enter into the kingdom --ONLY THOSE who do the will of my FATHER - what is his will?
NLT - John 17:1b-3 - “Father, the hour has come. Glorify your Son so he can give glory back to you. 2 For you have given him authority over everyone. He gives eternal life to each one you have given him. 3 And this is the way to have eternal life—to KNOW you, the only true God, and Jesus Christ, the one you sent to earth.
In his sermon on the mount, and just before he taught about the wise man and foolish man, Jesus spoke about counterfeit prophets! He said to beware of them, but then described them: They come disguised as harmless sheep but are really vicious wolves. You can identify them by their fruit, that is, by the way they act. Yes, just as you can identify a tree by its fruit, so you can identify people by their actions. And then he speaks about counterfeit converts.
Matt 7:21-23 NLT - “Not everyone who calls out to me, ‘Lord! Lord!’ will enter the Kingdom of Heaven. Only those who actually DO the WILL of my Father in heaven will enter. 22 On judgment day many will say to me, ‘Lord! Lord! We prophesied in your name and cast out demons in your name and performed many miracles in your name.’ 23 But I will reply, ‘I never KNEW you. Get away from me, you who break God’s laws.’
But wait. These people called him LORD. These people had done so much FOR the name of Jesus, IN the name of Jesus! The prophesied and preached, they cast our demons and performed miracles. ALL of it was IN HIS NAME.
How could it happen then that JESUS himself would say, "I never knew you." Wouldn’t you want to know? Would you want to have the chance to CORRECT your relationswip with Jesus and be sure it was not COUNTERFEIT!
The OT word for KNOW is “Yada” and in the NT it is “Ginosko.”
It is more than just head knowledge. The word is used when men went into the bridal chamber and there he “knew” his wife.
It is a deeply intimate and experiential way of knowing something, and honestly, beyond comprehension. There are some things in life you can experience and never understand but still KNOW.
NLT 1 John 2:3-4 And we can be sure that we know him if we obey his commandments. 4 If someone claims, “I know [yada] God,” but doesn’t obey God’s commandments, that person is a liar and is not living in the truth.
There are many people who say they know "Jesus," but it is not the REAL Jesus. He is a counterfeit Jesus. He is not the real Jesus who is the Son of God. This Jesus is holy, who is true, who has the key of David, who opens and no one will shut, and who shuts and no one opens.
So go ahead and ask the question: Is the Jesus you are believing in today the same Jesus reveal in the true gospel.
The danger in all of these Scriptures (and I would want to warn you about) is you can believe in A Jesus, but never actually know THE REAL Jesus. The Galatians started with the real Jesus, but then were later tricked into following another brand of Jesus. And believe me there are plenty of BRANDS of JESUS out there. And in my heart I know that we as a Global Methodist Church have left one false brand of Jesus behind!
It is so easy to alter the nature of Jesus.
Let me remind you as to how this can happen: Israel did it with Aaron's idol = he called it "Yahweh-God."
Ex 32:5 NLT - Aaron saw how excited the people were, so he built an altar in front of the calf. Then he announced, “Tomorrow will be a festival to the Lord!” They worshiped God by an image that wasn't God but that is what its name was.
NKJV - Prov 14:12, commit this verse to memory - There is a way that seems right to a man, But its end is the way of death. But God shares his desire with Moses and it is expressed in NKJV - Deut. 5:29 - Oh, that they had such a heart in them that they would FEAR Me and always keep all My commandments, that it might be well with them and with their children forever!”
The Galatians started following a different Jesus.
The Corinthians served a different Jesus;
The Israelites worshipped a different God.
This Philadelphia church was being tempted to follow counterfeits outside the church!
Anybody can say they KNOW Jesus, but Jesus says don’t just listen to what they claim; watch what they do.
Jesus said, It is by their fruits you will know them.
There is something to be said about a trained eye. It isn't judgey to refuse an audience with such people. How often do you pass by overripe fruit? Or underripe fruit?
DO WE WANT TO BE GUILTY of living a fake life, telling people it is for Jesus, only to be leading all of those people astray? Have we created a deity of Jesus, an idol only of Jesus, and actually do not know the real Jesus?
The ripening power comes from a love for God rooted in holy fear and reverence for an awesome and holy God.
I went to CROSS AMERICA’s website and typed in the name JESUS and the word GOD, on their HOME page, 3x mentioned, on their story page, 25 times mentioned, on their WHY SALVATION page, 15 times.
Let’s take a moment to get back on track. Let’s ask Jesus to open us up, to unlock areas we are trying to keep him out of, and trying to control ourselves, and give hi EVERYTHING!
Will you surrender 100% to him today?
Pray with me: JESUS, we come to you, the one who is holy and true, the one who has the key of David and opens all mysteries, and all rewards, and holds all the promises in the OT and NT within himself - would you OPEN us up completely to you? Would you reveal the true nature of our relationship with you? Would you take away anything and everything that is counterfeit so that we would KNOW the real YOU!
OPEN our hearts so that it will never close to you; close my heart to things that are NOT about you.
YOU know all the things, you know me better than I know myself. I am so weak; Be the strength in my weakness. I want to obey YOUR word completely; I don’t ever want to deny you!
Drive the devil back so I can be merciful to my enemies and love them as you love me.
Give me the strength to persevere, protect me from great times of testing to come upon the whole world–I don't want to belong to the world at all–not even 1%!
Jesus, Please come soon!
I will Hold on to what I have so no one will take away my crown. I want to be like an immovable pillar in the new Temple of your God so that I will never have to leave it.
Write on me the name of your God so that I can be a citizen in the new Jerusalem that is coming down from heaven.
How many of you prayed that prayer?
Receive the BENEDICTION:
May the REAL Lord JESUS bless you and keep you;
the REAL JESUS make his face shine on you and be gracious to you; the REAL JESUS turn his face toward you and give you peace - shalom shalom.
