WEBVTT 00:00:00.000 --> 00:00:02.399 Welcome to the Awakening Church podcast. 00:00:02.560 --> 00:00:07.040 We pray this message encourages you and provides the hope and light of Jesus Christ. 00:00:07.200 --> 00:00:08.640 Thanks for tuning in. 00:00:19.280 --> 00:00:20.640 Let me start off with this story. 00:00:21.199 --> 00:00:22.960 There's a gal named Charlotte Robinette. 00:00:23.039 --> 00:00:30.399 Maybe some of you heard this story before, but Charlotte Robinette was a nurse and she was packing her lunch for her shift and she gets a phone call. 00:00:30.559 --> 00:00:33.759 And she gets on the phone and all of a sudden she hears her daughter. 00:00:33.920 --> 00:00:36.079 And her daughter is completely freaked out. 00:00:36.320 --> 00:00:38.399 Mom, they've taken me. 00:00:38.719 --> 00:00:39.840 Mom, you've got to help. 00:00:39.920 --> 00:00:41.840 Do whatever they tell you to do. 00:00:42.079 --> 00:00:45.039 And then she's like, Kristen, what? 00:00:45.520 --> 00:00:47.840 Here's another voice come on the phone. 00:00:48.159 --> 00:00:49.759 We have your daughter. 00:00:50.240 --> 00:00:54.479 If you want to see her again, you'll do everything we ask. 00:00:54.880 --> 00:00:56.320 Or she's dead. 00:00:56.640 --> 00:00:58.719 She is in a complete panic at this moment. 00:00:58.880 --> 00:00:59.359 What do I do? 00:00:59.600 --> 00:01:00.079 What can I do? 00:01:00.320 --> 00:01:01.119 What do you need? 00:01:01.280 --> 00:01:03.039 I need you to go to the nearest bank. 00:01:03.119 --> 00:01:04.799 I need you to deposit funds to this account. 00:01:04.959 --> 00:01:06.400 Gives her the account information. 00:01:06.640 --> 00:01:13.280 She drives in a panic to the bank, rushes there, deposits some of the funds, gets another call. 00:01:13.439 --> 00:01:15.280 Now I'd like you to go to this other bank. 00:01:15.439 --> 00:01:18.400 We need you to deposit and withdraw other funds, same account. 00:01:18.560 --> 00:01:19.519 So she drives there. 00:01:19.680 --> 00:01:21.599 She's crisscrossing Phoenix. 00:01:21.840 --> 00:01:23.599 Her whole day is spent that way. 00:01:23.760 --> 00:01:29.359 She's just withdrawing funds, withdrawing funds, giving money away, giving money away, draining her account. 00:01:29.519 --> 00:01:34.159 And then they say, now we need you to go into Mexico and we'll name and they'll name the bank. 00:01:34.319 --> 00:01:36.400 We need you to give the rest of the money there. 00:01:36.640 --> 00:01:39.760 So she goes across the border into Mexico. 00:01:40.000 --> 00:01:45.120 And that final bank withdraws everything from her IRA, everything from her savings account. 00:01:45.200 --> 00:01:46.799 She's completely bankrupt at this point. 00:01:46.879 --> 00:01:48.480 She needs to see her daughter again. 00:01:48.640 --> 00:01:50.879 All of her funds have been dispersed. 00:01:51.120 --> 00:01:54.400 And now she and now she's given the demand. 00:01:54.560 --> 00:01:55.519 Now drive back. 00:01:55.599 --> 00:01:58.000 We'll tell you where you can meet your daughter. 00:01:58.400 --> 00:01:59.760 And she's driving back. 00:01:59.840 --> 00:02:01.599 She's in a complete panic. 00:02:02.000 --> 00:02:04.959 She tries again to call her daughter, Kristen. 00:02:05.280 --> 00:02:07.359 And this time she hears her voice. 00:02:07.920 --> 00:02:08.800 Kristen, are you okay? 00:02:09.039 --> 00:02:09.360 Where are you? 00:02:09.439 --> 00:02:10.000 Where can I meet you? 00:02:10.080 --> 00:02:10.879 Where are they getting? 00:02:11.039 --> 00:02:12.800 She goes, Mom, what's wrong? 00:02:13.120 --> 00:02:14.080 What's going on? 00:02:14.560 --> 00:02:15.680 Kristen, where are you? 00:02:16.560 --> 00:02:18.319 Mom, I'm at home. 00:02:19.360 --> 00:02:20.319 I've been here all day. 00:02:20.960 --> 00:02:22.080 What are you talking about? 00:02:23.039 --> 00:02:32.960 And all of a sudden, Miss Robinette realizes she's been a victim of something called virtual kidnapping. 00:02:33.280 --> 00:02:45.759 The FBI has claimed this, and it's a widespread pandemic across the and not just in America, but around the globe, where people will be imposters to try to get you to give your money and they'll come up with some story. 00:02:45.919 --> 00:02:51.360 Oftentimes it's from people within prison, and they'll do social media background research to know all about you. 00:02:51.439 --> 00:02:57.520 They'll use AI voice encoding, so they'll get your voice to sound exactly like yours, and they will scam people. 00:02:57.680 --> 00:02:58.639 It happens all the time. 00:02:58.800 --> 00:03:03.680 Last year the FBI said 26 million accounts had happened. 00:03:04.000 --> 00:03:12.000 The single most financially devastating scam was one person was scammed for$47 million. 00:03:13.360 --> 00:03:15.199 That's just one scam. 00:03:16.000 --> 00:03:19.199 And these virtual impostures are rampant. 00:03:19.520 --> 00:03:22.800 And oftentimes they'll pose as a family member. 00:03:23.039 --> 00:03:26.000 It's interesting because they know that'll that'll get you. 00:03:26.159 --> 00:03:27.599 Josh, it's your Uncle Jim. 00:03:27.759 --> 00:03:29.520 I'm I'm in a, you know, I need money. 00:03:29.599 --> 00:03:32.240 Oh my gosh, I gotta help Uncle Jim, right? 00:03:32.479 --> 00:03:40.159 That's that's just natural for us to reach out and all of a sudden be empathetic and then fall for a counterfeit truth. 00:03:40.960 --> 00:03:50.400 We get counterfeits all over the place, and and and the the worst kinds, oh gosh, they make my blood boil, but the worst kinds are the spiritual impostors. 00:03:50.960 --> 00:03:58.960 The ones who use emotion and manipulation to get you to believe something that's that that's truth adjacent. 00:03:59.039 --> 00:04:00.159 It's not quite true. 00:04:00.319 --> 00:04:04.240 It looks kind of like true, it smells like true, it feels like true, but it's not true. 00:04:04.479 --> 00:04:07.599 And they'll get you and I to believe that and buy into that. 00:04:07.759 --> 00:04:14.960 And before we know it, we've just we've just withdrawn all our money. 00:04:15.199 --> 00:04:23.360 We've drift withdrawn all of our morality, we've withdrawn all of our intellect, we've withdrawn all of our reasoning, we've withdrawn all of what matters. 00:04:23.600 --> 00:04:27.279 And we've bought in to this sort of spiritual deception. 00:04:27.439 --> 00:04:30.319 It's the it's the worst kind of deception. 00:04:30.639 --> 00:04:50.800 And John's gonna bring up how some people in the early church were getting deceived, and we're gonna talk a bit about how we're deceived in some different ways today, things like relativism that deceives us by showing us that sort of all truth is sort of based on our emotional opinion, or things like universalism, where sort of all paths lead to the same God, right? 00:04:50.959 --> 00:04:57.120 And things like Christian nationalism, where we conflate our our Christian identity with our identity as an American citizen. 00:04:57.199 --> 00:05:03.439 I mean, there's all kinds of ideologies swirling around, and we just we just buy into them if we're not careful. 00:05:03.680 --> 00:05:05.680 And John's gonna give us a grid. 00:05:05.839 --> 00:05:17.600 He's gonna give us a one-word strategy so that we can come against this counterfeit truth, and we can see through it so that we don't end up bankrupt. 00:05:17.839 --> 00:05:18.879 We can see through it. 00:05:19.040 --> 00:05:24.240 He's gonna give us this grid, and it's a one-word grid, and it's this simple word, remain. 00:05:24.720 --> 00:05:25.600 Remain. 00:05:25.759 --> 00:05:28.879 And he's gonna use it five times in the passage that we'll read. 00:05:29.040 --> 00:05:32.319 He's gonna say, remain in community. 00:05:32.959 --> 00:05:39.519 He's gonna say, remain in God's word, and remain in Jesus. 00:05:39.920 --> 00:05:41.120 Can you say those with me? 00:05:41.279 --> 00:05:47.920 So remain in community, remain in God's word, and remain in Jesus. 00:05:48.079 --> 00:05:48.720 Yeah. 00:05:48.959 --> 00:06:02.720 Those are the three remains that John's gonna give us, and it's the antidote, it's the spiritual antivirus for your mind so that when this counterfeit truth comes around, when this ideology hits you, you can go, wait a second, is that true? 00:06:02.959 --> 00:06:04.800 Well, I don't I want to remain in community. 00:06:04.879 --> 00:06:06.560 What's the community saying? 00:06:07.120 --> 00:06:08.399 I want to remain in God's word. 00:06:08.560 --> 00:06:09.839 Is that what God's word says? 00:06:10.079 --> 00:06:11.360 I want to remain in Jesus. 00:06:11.519 --> 00:06:13.759 Is that what Christ is calling me to? 00:06:14.800 --> 00:06:23.439 And so John's gonna give us this strategy because you and I don't have to be victims of spiritual identity theft. 00:06:24.319 --> 00:06:26.240 We don't have to be victims of it. 00:06:26.720 --> 00:06:28.480 We don't have to go bankrupt. 00:06:28.560 --> 00:06:31.839 We don't have to buy into counterfeit truth. 00:06:32.160 --> 00:06:43.519 We can know the difference and we can navigate life, and we won't do it perfectly in those times where we'll get caught up in something, we'll make some withdrawals here or there, but we don't have to go bankrupt. 00:06:43.759 --> 00:06:55.279 We can keep coming back to the source and find our reality by remaining in community, by remaining in God's word, and by remaining in Christ. 00:06:55.680 --> 00:06:58.399 So let's pray and then dive into the passage. 00:06:58.959 --> 00:07:07.920 God, thank you for this church, thank you for these men and women who are after you or pursuing you, thank you for the ones that are here just exploring, wondering, is this even real? 00:07:08.079 --> 00:07:09.040 Is this true? 00:07:09.279 --> 00:07:10.560 Why did I come here? 00:07:11.040 --> 00:07:13.120 I'm here, I guess I'll try to listen to this guy. 00:07:13.360 --> 00:07:16.319 Lord, thank you for this community. 00:07:16.480 --> 00:07:28.639 And thank you, God, that you haven't just left us to kind of wander through the fog of this life with all these different swirling ideologies, but you've given us some things that we can hold on to so we can navigate and have clarity. 00:07:28.879 --> 00:07:34.079 And God, that our life might lead to flourishing and peace and shalom and goodness. 00:07:34.560 --> 00:07:39.920 God, we ask that you would steer us and lead us and speak to us today, and we pray it in Jesus' name. 00:07:40.240 --> 00:07:40.879 Amen. 00:07:41.279 --> 00:07:45.040 Okay, we're gonna get to this passage, but first, just a little bit of a little bit of context. 00:07:45.120 --> 00:07:46.480 I know Dave shared a little bit of it. 00:07:46.639 --> 00:07:49.199 Here's John, he's in his 90s, he's an old guy. 00:07:49.360 --> 00:07:52.079 He's like one of the closest people to walk with Jesus. 00:07:52.160 --> 00:07:54.160 He was there when Jesus was killed. 00:07:54.480 --> 00:07:56.480 Only disciples that were there when Jesus was killed. 00:07:56.639 --> 00:07:58.480 He was there when he rose from the dead. 00:07:58.720 --> 00:08:00.160 He walked with them for three years. 00:08:00.240 --> 00:08:01.920 He intimately knew Jesus. 00:08:02.240 --> 00:08:04.079 He knew Jesus. 00:08:04.639 --> 00:08:16.240 And here he is, he's talking to these first century, you know, believers that have been, you know, it's been decades since the ascension, since Jesus ascended to heaven, so they're probably discouraged, they're probably getting a little maybe maybe apathetic with their faith. 00:08:16.399 --> 00:08:24.319 And then some people have been in their community trying to sway them with some counterfeit truth, trying to kind of persuade them about some weird thoughts. 00:08:24.480 --> 00:08:26.319 And so John's gonna warn them. 00:08:26.560 --> 00:08:27.680 So that's the context. 00:08:27.759 --> 00:08:28.399 So check it out. 00:08:28.480 --> 00:08:34.720 So get to your Bible, 1 John chapter 2, and we'll start in verse 18. 00:08:34.960 --> 00:08:38.240 It's kind of near the back of your Bible if you bring your Bible. 00:08:38.480 --> 00:08:44.960 And you can turn to that or look on your device, 1 John 2, starting in verse 18. 00:08:45.120 --> 00:08:47.679 So we're just gonna read the whole passage, okay? 00:08:47.840 --> 00:08:49.519 So take a deep breath. 00:08:50.159 --> 00:08:53.600 We're gonna read the whole passage, and I'm gonna just dive through it, okay? 00:08:53.759 --> 00:08:55.600 One little section at a time. 00:08:55.919 --> 00:09:00.320 It says this Dear children, this is the last hour. 00:09:00.559 --> 00:09:05.679 And as you have heard that the Antichrist is coming, even now many Antichrists have come. 00:09:05.919 --> 00:09:08.320 This is how we know it is the last hour. 00:09:08.559 --> 00:09:11.440 They went out from us, but they didn't really belong to us. 00:09:11.679 --> 00:09:15.919 For if they had belonged to us, they would have remained with us. 00:09:16.080 --> 00:09:18.559 But their going showed that none of them belong to us. 00:09:18.879 --> 00:09:22.879 But you have an anointing from the Holy One, and all of you know the truth. 00:09:23.120 --> 00:09:29.440 I don't write to you because you don't know the truth, but because you do know it, and because no lie comes from the truth. 00:09:29.600 --> 00:09:30.960 Who's the liar? 00:09:31.200 --> 00:09:33.840 It is the man who denies that Jesus is the Christ. 00:09:34.000 --> 00:09:37.679 Such a man is the Antichrist, he denies the Father and the Son. 00:09:38.000 --> 00:09:44.000 No one who denies the Son has the Father, whoever acknowledges the Son has the Father also. 00:09:44.480 --> 00:09:48.399 See that what you heard from the beginning remains in you. 00:09:48.559 --> 00:09:52.320 If it does, you also will remain in the Son and in the Father. 00:09:52.480 --> 00:09:56.000 And this is what he promised us: even eternal life. 00:09:56.240 --> 00:10:00.480 I am writing these things to you about those who are trying to lead you astray. 00:10:00.720 --> 00:10:06.480 As for you, the anointing you receive from him remains in you, and you don't need anyone to teach you. 00:10:06.720 --> 00:10:18.639 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. 00:10:19.360 --> 00:10:20.159 Follow his reasoning. 00:10:20.320 --> 00:10:22.480 You see that remain coming up a bunch of times. 00:10:22.720 --> 00:10:23.039 Ah. 00:10:23.679 --> 00:10:25.279 So let's work through it together. 00:10:25.519 --> 00:10:29.360 Dear children, this is the last hour. 00:10:29.519 --> 00:10:32.159 He's in his 90s, but as sharp as a tack. 00:10:32.320 --> 00:10:34.240 He loves the people he's speaking with. 00:10:34.399 --> 00:10:35.519 Dear children. 00:10:35.759 --> 00:10:38.080 I mean, he sees them as his own kids. 00:10:38.799 --> 00:10:40.240 This is the last hour. 00:10:40.399 --> 00:10:43.039 He's not talking chronology or he's talking eschatology. 00:10:43.200 --> 00:10:45.519 Big word just means study of the last days. 00:10:45.759 --> 00:10:49.279 Eschatos, the last ology, study of. 00:10:49.759 --> 00:10:52.559 The study of the end times, the study of the last days. 00:10:52.639 --> 00:10:55.679 He's like, it's the last days, it's the last hour. 00:10:55.919 --> 00:11:01.360 John's like, I know you've been waiting around for decades and Jesus hasn't returned yet, but he said he was gonna return. 00:11:01.440 --> 00:11:06.320 We don't know if it's gonna be like this afternoon after awakening, or it's gonna be like a thousand more years. 00:11:06.559 --> 00:11:09.759 We don't know, but we do know that Jesus is gonna come back. 00:11:09.919 --> 00:11:15.200 And so John is like, hey, I know it's difficult and it's hard, and maybe you're looking around the world going, is this worth it? 00:11:15.279 --> 00:11:17.679 Look at my friends, they seem to be having more fun. 00:11:18.000 --> 00:11:20.399 Here I am waiting for Jesus and living for him. 00:11:20.559 --> 00:11:22.879 And John's like, no, no, no, it's gonna be worth it. 00:11:23.039 --> 00:11:23.759 Stick with it. 00:11:23.919 --> 00:11:25.120 It's the last hour. 00:11:25.279 --> 00:11:26.399 Jesus is gonna come. 00:11:26.480 --> 00:11:30.960 Let's live for what matters most, and let's watch out for deception. 00:11:31.360 --> 00:11:32.559 It's the last hour. 00:11:32.720 --> 00:11:35.440 And as you have heard, that the Antichrist is coming. 00:11:35.759 --> 00:11:36.639 Antichrist. 00:11:36.879 --> 00:11:39.360 I don't know what comes to your mind when you hear Antichrist. 00:11:39.519 --> 00:11:42.240 It's kind of like, I think of like the old omen movie. 00:11:42.480 --> 00:11:49.759 Antichrist, it's like dating me, but it was about like Damien, this devil kid who grows up and it's gonna be, he's gonna be the Antichrist. 00:11:50.080 --> 00:11:53.679 The Bible talks about this Antichrist that's gonna come one day. 00:11:53.919 --> 00:11:58.080 And and so I remember watching the Omen, getting super freaked out as a junior high kid. 00:11:58.159 --> 00:12:06.960 I don't know why my parents let me watch that movie, but there's a scene in it where like the mom, I think, is like looking, because it's there's like the mark of the beast is gonna be on the antichrist. 00:12:07.120 --> 00:12:08.879 666 is gonna be on there. 00:12:09.120 --> 00:12:15.600 So she's looking in his hairline to like see it, and then all of a sudden she sees the 666, and she's like, It's my son. 00:12:15.840 --> 00:12:17.039 And then I'm like, oh my gosh. 00:12:17.200 --> 00:12:20.080 And I started watching it like, could I be the Antichrist? 00:12:20.240 --> 00:12:25.759 And I remember running into the bathroom that night, and I'm like looking through my hair, like, do I have the 666? 00:12:26.000 --> 00:12:29.600 And then I'm like, I didn't find it, and then I looked at my brother, I'm like, maybe it's him. 00:12:29.840 --> 00:12:32.240 So I'm like looking through him, I'm like, he could be it. 00:12:32.320 --> 00:12:35.519 I remember just seeing so scared, nightmares for weeks. 00:12:35.679 --> 00:12:41.360 But the Bible does describe there's gonna be this character, but it won't be like Damien from the Omen. 00:12:41.679 --> 00:12:48.639 It's gonna be this character that is very attractive, and they're gonna be brilliant, and they're gonna attract nations to them. 00:12:48.799 --> 00:12:54.720 They'll be a global leader, and it'll be very intriguing, like maybe I should follow this person. 00:12:54.960 --> 00:12:59.919 And so that's what the Bible, it's not this diabolical, insidious character that shows up with a pitchfork. 00:13:00.000 --> 00:13:04.240 It's this really brilliant, engaging, compelling individual. 00:13:04.559 --> 00:13:08.159 Everyone's like, wow man, they seem to have the answers. 00:13:08.480 --> 00:13:11.840 So the Bible talks about that character coming one day. 00:13:12.080 --> 00:13:14.639 They'll come, it'll be global, it'll be a wild event. 00:13:14.799 --> 00:13:19.120 It'll be very clear what's happening to people who follow Jesus. 00:13:19.679 --> 00:13:24.159 John says, even the antichrist is coming, but then he says lots of little antichrists. 00:13:24.320 --> 00:13:26.000 Many antichrists have come. 00:13:26.240 --> 00:13:27.120 Many antichrists. 00:13:27.200 --> 00:13:28.320 What is he talking about? 00:13:28.720 --> 00:13:30.320 And we just jump into the word there. 00:13:30.480 --> 00:13:35.600 Antichrist is just against Christ or in place of Christ. 00:13:36.000 --> 00:13:37.279 That's what that word means. 00:13:37.440 --> 00:13:41.200 So it's just the person in place of Christ, the person against Christ. 00:13:41.440 --> 00:13:45.360 John's the only one who uses this word, by the way, for this character, Antichrist. 00:13:45.519 --> 00:13:48.159 You don't hear any other biblical author say that name. 00:13:48.320 --> 00:13:55.360 You hear him called by different titles like the beast of the sea or the little horn or the man of lawlessness or the deceiver. 00:13:55.840 --> 00:14:02.240 But John uses it here, and it's the only time that you see it in the Bible, is in John and his writings. 00:14:02.480 --> 00:14:03.360 The Antichrist. 00:14:03.440 --> 00:14:04.960 But then there's these little Antichrists. 00:14:05.120 --> 00:14:09.759 Well, that's just anybody who's against Christ or anybody who is in place of Christ. 00:14:10.000 --> 00:14:16.399 John later in the passage, you'll see he defines it as anybody who denies that Jesus is the Christ. 00:14:16.480 --> 00:14:18.879 And that word Christ is not like Jesus' last name. 00:14:18.960 --> 00:14:20.720 I know it's kind of confusing, but Jesus Christ. 00:14:20.799 --> 00:14:22.320 It's his last full name. 00:14:22.480 --> 00:14:24.080 But Christ is like a title. 00:14:24.240 --> 00:14:28.240 So it's like Jesus, the anointed one, Christ. 00:14:28.879 --> 00:14:36.159 Christos, the anointed one, Jesus Christ, Antichrist against Christ. 00:14:36.480 --> 00:14:39.120 So lots of little anti-Christs are gonna come. 00:14:39.360 --> 00:14:43.440 And John's referring there, it's like he's referring to a specific group. 00:14:43.600 --> 00:14:47.039 And it's this group of people that were in the community and they were deceiving them. 00:14:47.200 --> 00:14:48.960 Well, what were they deceiving them with? 00:14:49.200 --> 00:14:54.080 They were talking, they didn't believe that Jesus was the Messiah, the anointed one. 00:14:54.320 --> 00:14:58.480 They believed that Jesus was a man, normal man, normal human. 00:14:58.799 --> 00:15:07.919 And then when he was baptized by John the Baptist in the Jordan River, he got the spirit of the divine Messiah that came onto him all of a sudden. 00:15:08.080 --> 00:15:13.039 And now he had the power to heal people and speak really wise things. 00:15:13.279 --> 00:15:16.720 He had authority from this divine spirit. 00:15:17.039 --> 00:15:21.519 And then right before Jesus went to die, the divine spirit left him. 00:15:21.759 --> 00:15:25.759 And now he died a human normal death, never rose again. 00:15:26.559 --> 00:15:32.639 And these people were saying, Hey, we've got access to the divine spirit that came onto Jesus. 00:15:32.879 --> 00:15:34.639 We've got access to that now. 00:15:34.879 --> 00:15:40.240 And we can give it to you if you do what we tell you and you follow our teaching. 00:15:40.480 --> 00:15:43.039 And it's like, oh, whoa, you've got access? 00:15:43.200 --> 00:15:44.000 That sounds good. 00:15:44.080 --> 00:15:45.600 I want some of that, right? 00:15:45.759 --> 00:15:47.679 You kind of fall into it. 00:15:48.000 --> 00:15:49.360 And so that's what was happening. 00:15:49.519 --> 00:15:52.399 And some of these people also kind of bought into the Gnostic idea, right? 00:15:52.480 --> 00:16:00.480 That the body or anything physical was terrible, bad, evil, and only what was good was the mind and the intellect and the ideas. 00:16:01.279 --> 00:16:03.519 So therefore, hedonism, right? 00:16:03.679 --> 00:16:06.960 Live for pleasure, live to do whatever makes you feel good. 00:16:07.200 --> 00:16:08.240 Or the body's bad. 00:16:08.320 --> 00:16:12.799 So beat it into submission and self-flagellation and all kinds of terrible, destructive things. 00:16:13.039 --> 00:16:18.240 So there's these people that infiltrated the community, and they're like, look, this is what's true. 00:16:18.559 --> 00:16:21.679 And so John's like, oh, they're antichrists. 00:16:22.000 --> 00:16:23.440 He just calls them what they are. 00:16:23.600 --> 00:16:24.799 They're against Christ. 00:16:24.960 --> 00:16:28.639 They don't believe that Jesus is the Messiah, God in the flesh. 00:16:28.879 --> 00:16:30.559 So they're antichrists. 00:16:30.799 --> 00:16:32.799 And they came in within. 00:16:34.399 --> 00:16:35.679 Let's keep going. 00:16:36.480 --> 00:16:43.039 If they had really belonged to us, they would have remained with us. 00:16:43.200 --> 00:16:45.279 There's the first time he uses that word remain. 00:16:45.440 --> 00:16:48.080 But their going showed that none of them belong to us. 00:16:48.320 --> 00:16:51.039 So here's this first principle that we can grab onto. 00:16:51.279 --> 00:16:59.360 That if you want to understand counterfeit truth and be able to see through it and not kind of fall prey to, you know, spiritual identity theft, you remain in community. 00:16:59.679 --> 00:17:03.600 And John says the reason they're antichrist, they they they pulled away. 00:17:03.679 --> 00:17:04.559 They pieced out. 00:17:04.720 --> 00:17:06.160 They're like, these people aren't into it. 00:17:06.240 --> 00:17:10.880 We're going to the next group to see if we can sell some of our wares to them. 00:17:11.119 --> 00:17:15.920 And John's like, no, no, they truly showed us that they weren't one of us because they left us. 00:17:16.240 --> 00:17:22.319 So if you want to be able to discern counterfeit truth, remain in community. 00:17:22.559 --> 00:17:24.000 Now, sometimes, of course, right? 00:17:24.160 --> 00:17:28.160 If you've watched the cult shows, it's like, oh, this is what they tell the cults like you can't leave the group. 00:17:28.240 --> 00:17:30.319 And if you do, blah blah blah blah blah blah blah blah. 00:17:30.720 --> 00:17:34.880 But cults are different because it's always about a cult leader. 00:17:35.119 --> 00:17:44.799 And you can't move the group because you know then you're gonna, you know, it's like that, it's all about the leader in charge who needs the power, who will trick everybody and get them to do weird stuff. 00:17:45.039 --> 00:17:47.440 But see, see, the community of faith is different. 00:17:47.599 --> 00:17:56.160 It's never about the leader, it's always about Jesus, it's never about a human, it's not celebrity culture, it's so different. 00:17:57.119 --> 00:18:03.200 The person leading is the most sacrificial servant who's just it's different. 00:18:03.920 --> 00:18:10.400 So, so unlike occult groups, we as the followers of Jesus go, what's the community say? 00:18:10.799 --> 00:18:12.079 What's the community say? 00:18:12.480 --> 00:18:19.680 And as you depart from community, you become way more susceptible to falling into all kinds of crazy ideologies. 00:18:20.319 --> 00:18:21.200 He goes on. 00:18:21.359 --> 00:18:25.680 He says, But you have an anointing from the Holy One. 00:18:26.319 --> 00:18:28.640 And all of you know the truth. 00:18:28.799 --> 00:18:30.480 He goes, You're not like them. 00:18:30.720 --> 00:18:31.920 You didn't fall for it. 00:18:32.079 --> 00:18:36.000 He makes this major pivot and he goes, Ah, there's spiritual identity theft going on here. 00:18:36.079 --> 00:18:38.400 I'm gonna remind you of your true identity. 00:18:38.640 --> 00:18:44.160 Your true identity is you have an anointing, you have the Holy Spirit in you. 00:18:44.720 --> 00:18:50.880 That when you place your faith in Jesus, all of a sudden the Spirit of God comes to dwell in you. 00:18:51.440 --> 00:18:54.079 And he says, Oh, you have the anointing. 00:18:54.319 --> 00:18:55.680 And all of you know the truth. 00:18:55.839 --> 00:19:01.920 I was at a church service once in Santa Cruz, and there was this guy who came up to me right after kind of the worship time. 00:19:02.000 --> 00:19:04.240 He's like, he's like, look at my hands, Pastor. 00:19:04.400 --> 00:19:05.440 And I'm like, what? 00:19:05.920 --> 00:19:09.440 And uh his hands look kind of weirdly wet, and I'm like, What's wrong with you? 00:19:09.599 --> 00:19:11.119 He's like, it's oil. 00:19:11.359 --> 00:19:14.079 I'm like, okay, what's what are you doing? 00:19:14.240 --> 00:19:18.960 And he's like, that that God gave me oil, and it showed up on my hands. 00:19:19.119 --> 00:19:22.559 Look at it, and I'm like, huh! Like, okay, it's yeah, I can see it. 00:19:22.640 --> 00:19:23.440 Maybe that happened. 00:19:23.519 --> 00:19:23.920 I don't know. 00:19:24.079 --> 00:19:25.279 That's that's amazing. 00:19:25.519 --> 00:19:26.799 He goes, it's supernatural. 00:19:26.880 --> 00:19:28.799 I'm like, okay, very cool. 00:19:29.039 --> 00:19:29.519 Wow. 00:19:29.680 --> 00:19:35.839 Uh and then he said, No, I need to get up in front, and I need everyone to have the oil on their hands. 00:19:36.000 --> 00:19:41.680 I need everyone to to to have this oil appear, and God's gonna make it appear. 00:19:41.920 --> 00:19:43.200 Let me go up now. 00:19:43.359 --> 00:19:46.160 And I'm like, oh my gosh, no, like we're not doing this. 00:19:46.240 --> 00:19:47.440 You're not going up front. 00:19:47.599 --> 00:19:50.799 We don't need the oil to appear on our hands. 00:19:51.119 --> 00:19:53.440 So that we can have some mystical experience. 00:19:53.759 --> 00:19:59.359 We have the Holy Spirit of God in our bodies. 00:19:59.839 --> 00:20:02.400 I don't know how much more mystical you can get. 00:20:02.559 --> 00:20:06.960 You've got God, the creator of the universe, living in you. 00:20:07.359 --> 00:20:09.839 I don't need oil to show up on my hands, bro. 00:20:10.319 --> 00:20:13.279 We don't need the whole community to have oil show up on our hands. 00:20:13.519 --> 00:20:17.519 We have the anointed one in us. 00:20:19.039 --> 00:20:24.079 You have an anointing from the Holy One, and all of you know the truth. 00:20:24.640 --> 00:20:32.319 I don't write to you because you don't know the truth, but because you do know the truth, and because no lie comes from the truth. 00:20:32.559 --> 00:20:36.400 I love how John's just like so juxtaposition. 00:20:36.720 --> 00:20:47.279 He's just like, children of God, children of the devil, light, dark, truth, lies, righteousness, sin. 00:20:47.920 --> 00:20:56.799 Whoa, he's just constantly contrasting things in extremes because so much gray had settled into the community. 00:20:57.039 --> 00:20:58.480 He's like, oh, no, no, no, no, no. 00:20:58.799 --> 00:21:03.759 There's contrasts so that you can know right from wrong. 00:21:04.079 --> 00:21:06.960 And here he's contrasting truth with lies. 00:21:07.119 --> 00:21:08.720 He says, Who's the liar? 00:21:09.279 --> 00:21:12.240 It is the man who denies that Jesus is the Christ. 00:21:12.480 --> 00:21:14.400 Such a man is the Antichrist. 00:21:14.559 --> 00:21:16.559 He denies the Father and the Son. 00:21:16.799 --> 00:21:18.720 No one who denies the Son has the Father. 00:21:18.799 --> 00:21:20.960 Whoever acknowledges the Son has the Father also. 00:21:21.119 --> 00:21:22.079 He's just making it really clear. 00:21:22.480 --> 00:21:23.759 Here's who the Antichrists are. 00:21:23.920 --> 00:21:26.720 It's just the ones that deny Jesus is God. 00:21:26.960 --> 00:21:31.839 So we've got like thousands of Antichrists, millions in the Bay Area. 00:21:32.000 --> 00:21:36.880 If you look at the globe, we've got about 5.5 billion people, John would say, they're antichrists. 00:21:37.119 --> 00:21:38.240 They don't believe that Jesus was God. 00:21:38.319 --> 00:21:40.960 We've got about 2.5 billion that say, no, Jesus is God. 00:21:41.039 --> 00:21:42.720 He is the Lord of the universe. 00:21:43.119 --> 00:21:45.599 That's the ratio in our globe today. 00:21:46.079 --> 00:21:51.680 So to John and how he's describing it here, we've got a lot of people that are antichrist. 00:21:53.519 --> 00:21:58.559 And then he says, See that what you have heard from the beginning remains in you. 00:21:59.039 --> 00:22:01.680 If it does, you Will remain in the Son and in the Father. 00:22:01.839 --> 00:22:05.359 And this is what He promised us, even eternal life. 00:22:05.599 --> 00:22:11.119 So remain in community and then see what you heard from the beginning remains in you. 00:22:11.279 --> 00:22:13.200 Well, what is it that you heard from the beginning? 00:22:13.359 --> 00:22:27.279 Well, you heard this good news that John writes previously that you see at football stadiums that God so loved the world that he gave his one and only son that whoever would believe in him would not perish but have everlasting life. 00:22:27.440 --> 00:22:28.720 This is what you heard from the beginning. 00:22:28.799 --> 00:22:30.240 This is the apostolic teaching. 00:22:30.319 --> 00:22:31.680 This is Jesus' message. 00:22:31.839 --> 00:22:35.599 This is what the entire Bible all points to. 00:22:35.759 --> 00:22:39.839 This unified storyline, all directing everybody to Jesus. 00:22:40.079 --> 00:22:47.359 And this incredible good news that although we're sinful people, because in the beginning we just said no to God. 00:22:47.519 --> 00:22:48.240 He gave us free will. 00:22:48.319 --> 00:22:49.599 We said, we don't want to do your thing. 00:22:49.759 --> 00:22:51.200 We want to do our thing. 00:22:51.440 --> 00:22:53.440 And we're deceived in different ways. 00:22:53.680 --> 00:22:55.440 And then sin enters the world. 00:22:55.519 --> 00:22:58.720 And God doesn't say, well, I'm going to scrap that world and try something different. 00:22:58.880 --> 00:22:59.680 That didn't work. 00:22:59.839 --> 00:23:02.240 God enters the brokenness in the person of Jesus. 00:23:02.400 --> 00:23:27.039 He lives a perfect life, demonstrating what love really is, and then goes to the cross and pays our debt of sin onto himself, dies, rises again from the grave, defeats death, defeats sin, and makes a way for us to know him and be in relationship with him and be washed clean and be made new and be filled with meaning and purpose and to have a new identity and to be in community and to have purpose in our world. 00:23:27.279 --> 00:23:30.079 This is the good news, the gospel. 00:23:30.240 --> 00:23:32.000 This is what you heard from the beginning. 00:23:32.240 --> 00:23:34.319 And everything in the Bible points to it. 00:23:34.559 --> 00:23:36.960 Jesus knew the scriptures inside and out. 00:23:37.200 --> 00:23:42.559 John knew the scriptures inside and out, and all of it points to Jesus. 00:23:48.319 --> 00:23:55.839 I was hanging out with some Christian leaders some years ago, and they were saying, you know, we can't really know. 00:23:56.160 --> 00:23:58.960 I don't know if I'd call them Christian leaders, actually, now I think about it. 00:23:59.119 --> 00:24:02.160 They're like, we can't really know if what the Bible says. 00:24:02.319 --> 00:24:04.559 I don't know if we can be certain about any of it. 00:24:04.720 --> 00:24:08.559 Because we're reading it through a 21st century Western Anglo-Saxon view. 00:24:08.640 --> 00:24:15.920 And so because we're imperfect readers, we can't really interpret a perfect text, so therefore the text is imperfect because we're imperfect. 00:24:16.000 --> 00:24:17.599 We can never really be certain about anything. 00:24:17.759 --> 00:24:19.119 And I was like, huh. 00:24:19.839 --> 00:24:22.720 That kind of sounds true, but kind of not. 00:24:22.880 --> 00:24:23.119 Right? 00:24:23.279 --> 00:24:25.680 I was like, do I withdraw some of my money? 00:24:25.920 --> 00:24:27.599 And then I had another friend that was there. 00:24:27.759 --> 00:24:29.119 He started like literally crying. 00:24:29.200 --> 00:24:31.920 He's like, I can't know anything anymore. 00:24:32.160 --> 00:24:36.400 I'm like, everything I've learned, there's nothing I can be certain about. 00:24:36.640 --> 00:24:37.359 And he's crying. 00:24:37.440 --> 00:24:39.839 I'm like, oh my gosh, this doesn't seem right. 00:24:40.319 --> 00:24:42.480 And then I was uh I was in college at UCSC. 00:24:42.559 --> 00:24:49.359 I'm like, well, you know, maybe this will work for me because I've got a big essay due on John Steinbeck's East of Eden. 00:24:49.519 --> 00:24:59.519 And maybe I'll just submit a paper with just a little sentence at the top, like, I can't really know, I can't be certain about anything from John Steinbeck's East of Eden because I'm reading it from hundreds of years after his life. 00:24:59.599 --> 00:25:04.720 And, you know, I mean I'm kind of near Salinas Valley, but I didn't live there, and you know, and so I don't really know. 00:25:04.799 --> 00:25:06.799 I can't be certain about anything about this. 00:25:06.880 --> 00:25:08.799 So could you please understand? 00:25:08.960 --> 00:25:15.359 You know, I've I've got an imperfect lens, and therefore I can't know, and uh, but can you please give me a good grade? 00:25:16.240 --> 00:25:22.640 I was like, wait a second, just because there are uncertainties that we have doesn't mean that there are things we can be certain about. 00:25:22.960 --> 00:25:28.480 Or as a mentor of mine who's passed away now, but he would always say to me, Josh, you gotta doubt your doubts. 00:25:29.200 --> 00:25:33.279 You gotta doubt your doubts sometimes, and you gotta believe your beliefs. 00:25:33.839 --> 00:25:35.519 I was like, huh, okay. 00:25:37.200 --> 00:25:44.000 And so just because I don't am not certain about you know who exactly John Steinbeck was, there are things I can know. 00:25:44.480 --> 00:25:55.359 Like he based the novel off two biblical characters from Genesis 4, Cain and Abel, or that he wrote about the Salinas Valley, because he really wanted his four-year-old and his six-year-old to understand how beautiful the Salinas Valley was. 00:25:55.440 --> 00:25:58.160 That's why he was so descriptive and amazing in his literature. 00:25:58.640 --> 00:26:00.480 But these are things I can be certain about. 00:26:01.119 --> 00:26:10.640 There are things I can be certain about about Giant Steinbeck's East of Eden, and there are hundreds of things I can be certain about when it comes to God's word. 00:26:12.160 --> 00:26:14.400 Hundreds, thousands of things. 00:26:14.640 --> 00:26:21.200 And just because I have an imperfect lens that I read it through doesn't mean that it's not perfectly trustworthy. 00:26:22.000 --> 00:26:23.119 So there's a little difference. 00:26:23.279 --> 00:26:32.720 We've got to be aware of it when it comes to remaining in God's word or letting God's word remain in us. 00:26:34.079 --> 00:26:38.559 This will help us to decipher a counterfeit truth. 00:26:39.039 --> 00:26:44.160 So read it, pray through it, memorize it, live it. 00:26:44.880 --> 00:26:46.960 This is one of those big remains. 00:26:47.200 --> 00:26:48.559 Remain in community. 00:26:48.960 --> 00:26:50.559 Remain in God's word. 00:26:51.119 --> 00:26:56.000 And then John's gonna say, and remain in Jesus. 00:26:57.440 --> 00:26:59.680 See that what you've heard from the beginning remains in you. 00:26:59.839 --> 00:27:04.319 If it does, you'll remain in the Son, the Father, and this is what he promised us, even eternal life. 00:27:04.480 --> 00:27:05.279 I skipped that part. 00:27:05.359 --> 00:27:06.160 That's a big deal. 00:27:06.319 --> 00:27:08.880 We get eternal life in Jesus. 00:27:09.119 --> 00:27:12.160 I am writing these things to you about those who are trying to lead you astray. 00:27:12.319 --> 00:27:15.519 As for you, the anointing you receive from him remains in you. 00:27:15.920 --> 00:27:18.079 And you don't need anyone to teach you. 00:27:18.400 --> 00:27:26.559 But as his anointing teaches you about all things, and as that anointing is real, not counterfeit, just as it is taught you, remain in him. 00:27:26.880 --> 00:27:29.839 The final remain: remain in Jesus. 00:27:30.160 --> 00:27:31.279 Remain in Christ. 00:27:31.440 --> 00:27:37.839 Remain in community, remain in God's word, and remain in Christ. 00:27:38.160 --> 00:27:45.039 These are the three remains that will help us from falling prey to spiritual identity theft. 00:27:45.359 --> 00:27:49.039 So now let's talk a little bit about, you know, what are the ideologies today? 00:27:49.200 --> 00:27:51.279 What are the counterfeit truths that we battle? 00:27:51.519 --> 00:27:55.680 Well, one of them is probably top five, I would guess, is relativism, right? 00:27:55.839 --> 00:27:58.799 Relativism where, you know, truth isn't really true. 00:27:58.880 --> 00:28:05.519 It's it's based on your societal norms and your cultural context and your sort of personal emotional opinions. 00:28:06.079 --> 00:28:08.960 That is what determines uh truth. 00:28:09.359 --> 00:28:12.240 We don't really have objective truth. 00:28:13.200 --> 00:28:14.640 It's more about what you feel. 00:28:14.880 --> 00:28:18.160 And so you have things like, you know, follow your heart or live your truth. 00:28:18.240 --> 00:28:25.920 And if you have a desire for something, it's a goal, a dream, a relationship, a sexual urge, you you should pursue that goal. 00:28:26.160 --> 00:28:27.839 I mean, that's that's your truth. 00:28:28.079 --> 00:28:34.079 In fact, if someone tells you not to pursue one of those things, they are harmful. 00:28:34.240 --> 00:28:35.519 You should watch out for them. 00:28:35.759 --> 00:28:39.279 So that's that's what culture is saying today. 00:28:39.680 --> 00:28:43.920 If someone tells you to suppress that, that's evil. 00:28:44.640 --> 00:28:48.319 Sounds a little bit like the hedonism of John's day. 00:28:48.559 --> 00:28:53.039 Whatever feels right, that's what's, that must be what's good. 00:28:53.440 --> 00:28:54.799 But what does the Bible say? 00:28:55.279 --> 00:28:56.319 That sounds actually pretty cool. 00:28:56.400 --> 00:28:59.440 Like I if I'm really honest, I'm like, wow, relativism. 00:28:59.599 --> 00:29:00.559 I kind of like it. 00:29:00.720 --> 00:29:06.000 Because I like to get along with everybody and I don't want to disrupt anyone's life, and and I want things that make me feel good. 00:29:06.079 --> 00:29:10.240 So I'm like, God, seriously, I'm like, I want relativism to be true. 00:29:10.480 --> 00:29:11.599 But is it true? 00:29:11.839 --> 00:29:16.400 And I look at scripture and I go, ah, John 17, sanctify them by the truth. 00:29:16.559 --> 00:29:17.759 Your word is truth. 00:29:17.920 --> 00:29:18.400 Uh-oh. 00:29:18.799 --> 00:29:21.359 That that doesn't sit right with relativism. 00:29:21.519 --> 00:29:23.599 All your words are true, Psalm 119. 00:29:23.759 --> 00:29:25.680 All your righteous laws are eternal. 00:29:25.839 --> 00:29:26.319 Uh-oh. 00:29:26.640 --> 00:29:27.839 That sounds different. 00:29:28.160 --> 00:29:32.480 John 14, 6, Jesus says, I am the way, the truth, and the life. 00:29:32.799 --> 00:29:34.799 Jesus embodies truth. 00:29:35.119 --> 00:29:36.480 He says, He's the truth. 00:29:36.720 --> 00:29:42.720 Well, how could everybody's truth be true when Jesus says, I am the truth? 00:29:42.960 --> 00:29:51.839 So relativism kind of creates this moral fog, and we're trying our best to do what feels right, but then it oftentimes sort of ends us in difficult, broken places. 00:29:51.920 --> 00:29:55.759 And Jesus says, I am the truth, and God says his word is true. 00:29:55.839 --> 00:29:58.400 So he creates a very clear path. 00:29:58.559 --> 00:30:02.960 It's a narrow path, but it's very clear, and it leads to flourishing life. 00:30:04.160 --> 00:30:08.480 The Bible says something really different than relativism of our culture. 00:30:08.880 --> 00:30:11.119 Deconstructing is kind of a popular thing today. 00:30:11.200 --> 00:30:14.160 I'm glad it is, because it's really, there's a lot of deconstruction we need to do. 00:30:14.240 --> 00:30:17.200 There's some things I grew up with that's like, whoa, that is not from this Bible. 00:30:17.359 --> 00:30:18.640 I need to deconstruct that. 00:30:18.799 --> 00:30:22.960 I think the question is, what are we rebuilding on once we've deconstructed? 00:30:23.200 --> 00:30:27.119 And I find a lot of friends are kind of rebuilding on this sort of neo-relativism. 00:30:27.279 --> 00:30:33.119 That's just like, well, you know, this wasn't true from whatever I learned, but so now I'm gonna base it on this. 00:30:33.279 --> 00:30:35.680 And recently I had a friend conversation with a friend. 00:30:35.839 --> 00:30:37.599 I'm like, so so what do you think about the Bible? 00:30:37.759 --> 00:30:39.440 Well, I can't really trust the Bible. 00:30:39.599 --> 00:30:40.799 So, okay, anymore. 00:30:40.960 --> 00:30:42.160 All right, well, what are you living for? 00:30:42.240 --> 00:30:42.880 What are your values? 00:30:43.039 --> 00:30:48.799 Well, you know, I really value justice and equality and sacrificial love and dignity of human beings. 00:30:48.960 --> 00:30:51.359 I'm like, wait a second, that's from the Bible. 00:30:51.599 --> 00:30:55.119 And she's like, well, yeah, I know, but you know, but I don't really trust it. 00:30:55.279 --> 00:30:56.720 How can you really trust this book? 00:30:56.799 --> 00:31:00.799 And but everything you've just talked about is from the Bible. 00:31:01.039 --> 00:31:03.119 Well, okay, so what? 00:31:03.440 --> 00:31:05.680 That's like, oh, whoa, interesting. 00:31:06.400 --> 00:31:16.480 It seems that we value the Father's values and world that he's created, but we don't want to credit him as the author, nor do we want to yield our lives to him. 00:31:17.359 --> 00:31:21.680 We in our culture today, I think we want the kingdom without the king. 00:31:22.319 --> 00:31:28.319 And so we all are building, rebuilding, but it's all building on stuff we think is right versus on what is true. 00:31:33.279 --> 00:31:35.759 Relativism often leads to universalism, right? 00:31:35.839 --> 00:31:37.200 The idea that all paths lead to God. 00:31:37.279 --> 00:31:38.240 It's all really the same, right? 00:31:38.400 --> 00:31:47.039 My Hindu friend, my person who believes in uh, you know, Allah over here, and my Mormon cousin, and you know, everybody's just it's all the same, right? 00:31:47.200 --> 00:31:48.400 Everything goes up to the same. 00:31:49.200 --> 00:31:51.599 By the way, that's a that's a truth statement, right? 00:31:51.759 --> 00:31:53.839 Everything goes up to the, can't you see it from my perspective? 00:31:53.920 --> 00:31:55.920 Then you'll know the truth. 00:31:56.640 --> 00:31:57.839 Uh-oh, uh-oh. 00:31:58.720 --> 00:31:59.039 Right? 00:31:59.200 --> 00:32:01.599 The error and logic there is pretty clear. 00:32:01.920 --> 00:32:03.440 And so, but we fall into it. 00:32:03.519 --> 00:32:05.839 It's like IKEA, the last part of IKEA, right? 00:32:06.160 --> 00:32:14.720 Three times the size, four times, five times this building, 25 aisles, 40 feet high, every item a different religious belief, every item valid. 00:32:15.279 --> 00:32:17.680 Just depending on what you believe. 00:32:17.920 --> 00:32:20.000 It's all the same. 00:32:20.319 --> 00:32:22.319 And then I go, well, what does the Bible say? 00:32:22.480 --> 00:32:23.440 That sounds awesome. 00:32:23.599 --> 00:32:26.720 Gosh, I want that to be true so badly. 00:32:27.119 --> 00:32:29.279 And yet I go, what does the Bible say? 00:32:29.519 --> 00:32:32.000 And I look at Isaiah 45, 20. 00:32:32.079 --> 00:32:35.359 There's no God apart from me, a righteous God and a savior, there's none but me. 00:32:35.519 --> 00:32:36.400 1 John 5. 00:32:36.559 --> 00:32:40.079 We know the Son of God has come so that we may know him who is true. 00:32:40.160 --> 00:32:41.359 And then Jesus' words. 00:32:41.440 --> 00:32:42.799 Oh, why'd you have to say that? 00:32:42.960 --> 00:32:44.720 I am the way, the truth, and the life. 00:32:44.960 --> 00:32:48.000 No one comes to the Father except through me. 00:32:49.039 --> 00:32:52.880 Our culture bristles and says, Oh, you bigot. 00:32:53.759 --> 00:32:56.480 But it's not arrogant if it's true. 00:32:58.160 --> 00:33:07.039 Another thing that's kind of crept into our ethos is Christian nationalism, where we identify, you know, it's like, well, I'm a Christian, therefore I'm an American. 00:33:07.200 --> 00:33:08.880 Or I'm an American, therefore I'm a Christian. 00:33:08.960 --> 00:33:14.079 And we conflate our identity as followers of Jesus with our identity as American citizens. 00:33:14.319 --> 00:33:16.640 And it's a very destructive thing. 00:33:16.880 --> 00:33:18.319 It doesn't just happen here in America. 00:33:18.400 --> 00:33:21.200 You could be a Chinese nationalist, Christian nationalist there. 00:33:21.279 --> 00:33:22.880 You could be a Christian nationalist in Brazil. 00:33:23.039 --> 00:33:24.720 I mean, it could be anywhere, right? 00:33:24.880 --> 00:33:28.640 But you see it here in our country start to pop up and boil up, and you go, ugh. 00:33:28.880 --> 00:33:36.640 And you see throughout the history of our country, it's the Christian nationalism where Christians sort of cuddled up to power so they could be safe. 00:33:36.880 --> 00:33:44.480 And then they fell into weird, false teaching from scripture that where they justified atrocious things to human beings like slavery. 00:33:44.720 --> 00:33:47.279 And it's Christian nationalism that led to that. 00:33:47.519 --> 00:33:51.839 And all of a sudden you see it in our culture, and it's like, uh-oh, what does the Bible say? 00:33:51.920 --> 00:33:52.880 Is that right? 00:33:53.119 --> 00:33:58.079 And you look at the scriptures and you go, Philippians 3, our citizenship is in heaven. 00:33:58.319 --> 00:34:03.599 You know, it's not about our national heritage, it's about our heavenly citizenship. 00:34:03.839 --> 00:34:09.119 Our citizenship is in heaven, not in this country or any country. 00:34:09.360 --> 00:34:10.159 It's different. 00:34:10.320 --> 00:34:11.679 It's in heaven. 00:34:12.880 --> 00:34:18.960 Our ultimate allegiance is to God's kingdom, not some government. 00:34:19.440 --> 00:34:21.360 And it's different than patriotism. 00:34:21.519 --> 00:34:23.920 Patriotism is just simply the love of country. 00:34:24.079 --> 00:34:27.199 Patriotism is actually really good no matter where you live. 00:34:27.360 --> 00:34:30.480 You could be a Christian living in Indonesia. 00:34:30.719 --> 00:34:34.079 It would be great if you were a patriot of Indonesia. 00:34:34.159 --> 00:34:37.679 You'd want Indonesia to be the best country that it could possibly be. 00:34:37.840 --> 00:34:44.079 You're a citizen of heaven, you're a citizen of Indonesia, and you want it to be the best country it could possibly be. 00:34:44.239 --> 00:34:48.400 When we're inspired by the country we live in, we want to bring our best to it. 00:34:48.480 --> 00:34:51.199 And when it's in error, we want to hold it up and critique it. 00:34:51.280 --> 00:34:52.159 That's good. 00:34:52.400 --> 00:34:57.519 So if you're living in the United States and you love your country, this is actually not a bad thing if you're a Christian. 00:34:57.760 --> 00:35:05.599 It's a good thing, including holding it up and holding up values and critiquing when you need to. 00:35:06.159 --> 00:35:12.000 So those are some ideologies that we kind of got to look through: relativism and universalism and Christian nationalism. 00:35:12.320 --> 00:35:14.960 What kind of posture should we have as we're sort of looking at this? 00:35:15.119 --> 00:35:18.400 I think Mark Yarhouse has some really good helpful posture ideas. 00:35:18.639 --> 00:35:27.440 He says, one, we can be cultural warriors where we sort of war against anything that comes against that's that's a little anti-uh scripture, and we can just go to battle with people. 00:35:27.519 --> 00:35:28.960 You know, you've seen that. 00:35:29.119 --> 00:35:30.639 I've been sort of guilty of that at times. 00:35:30.800 --> 00:35:35.840 You can be a Christian, you can be a cultural capitulator where it's just, well, yeah, just go along with whatever culture says. 00:35:35.920 --> 00:35:37.440 I've been sort of guilty of that at times, too. 00:35:37.679 --> 00:35:41.679 Yeah, just, I don't know, we'll just let everything just happen however people want it to. 00:35:41.840 --> 00:35:55.760 Uh or you can be a kingdom ambassador where you can say, wait a second, how do I hold these values from Scripture and then lovingly and with compassion in my heart, you know, persuade people toward Jesus. 00:35:56.000 --> 00:36:01.119 Knowing that my mission ultimately is to share Jesus with everybody, with every nation. 00:36:01.360 --> 00:36:06.079 We're a faith-based group that is for all nations. 00:36:06.559 --> 00:36:08.400 It's the original call to Abraham. 00:36:08.559 --> 00:36:13.119 You'll be a blessing, and all nations will be blessed through you. 00:36:14.480 --> 00:36:18.800 Those are the postures that we can take, and I'm hoping we can take that last one. 00:36:19.119 --> 00:36:20.480 Kingdom ambassadors. 00:36:20.639 --> 00:36:22.079 All kinds of false ideas. 00:36:22.320 --> 00:36:23.679 Woo! Right? 00:36:23.840 --> 00:36:27.360 It's like, man, there's hundreds, there's probably well not hundreds, but there's probably hundreds more. 00:36:27.519 --> 00:36:28.800 There's several more I can think of. 00:36:28.960 --> 00:36:32.880 But that's the only, that's that's how much time we got today, just to kind of look through a few. 00:36:33.039 --> 00:36:36.880 And to have this posture as we're as we're wrestling through it. 00:36:37.440 --> 00:36:45.119 Uh you won't, you won't fall for these, for these false, false truths, for these counterfeit counterfeit truths. 00:36:45.199 --> 00:36:47.280 Because awakening church, you have the anointing. 00:36:47.440 --> 00:36:50.639 You have the Holy Spirit in you if you've placed your faith in Jesus. 00:36:50.880 --> 00:36:52.480 And you'll walk with Jesus. 00:36:52.559 --> 00:36:59.199 And there's three things you can do to make sure you don't fall for it and bankrupt yourself and withdraw all your money. 00:36:59.360 --> 00:37:06.639 You can remain in community, you can remain in God's word, and you can remain in Jesus. 00:37:06.880 --> 00:37:07.840 And it's personal. 00:37:08.800 --> 00:37:21.039 I've got a few friends that were in my wedding that they would say, I don't believe in this. 00:37:21.599 --> 00:37:24.639 I don't think Jesus is the Messiah, I don't think Jesus is God. 00:37:25.280 --> 00:37:32.000 And I look at their lives and where that trajectory led them, and it is so heartbreaking with each one of them. 00:37:32.559 --> 00:37:37.599 One of them won't even talk with his spouse or his three daughters. 00:37:37.679 --> 00:37:39.920 They're separated and there's just no communication. 00:37:40.000 --> 00:37:41.760 He's totally isolated. 00:37:42.079 --> 00:37:44.400 And that's the trajectory where that led him. 00:37:45.679 --> 00:37:48.159 And I think of the others, and I just go, wow. 00:37:48.639 --> 00:37:52.239 As we pursue these things and fall for these things, it doesn't end well. 00:37:53.679 --> 00:38:00.159 And so I want to encourage you, and I want to encourage myself to hold to this and to remain. 00:38:00.800 --> 00:38:07.360 And if you're here today and you're like, I've never said hello to life, you know, I've never, you know, I've never known, I don't know Jesus. 00:38:07.679 --> 00:38:11.599 I would just encourage you today to go, maybe there's something to this. 00:38:13.679 --> 00:38:15.440 To say hello, life. 00:38:15.760 --> 00:38:16.960 Hello, Jesus. 00:38:17.199 --> 00:38:20.960 I trust that you came, that you died, that you rose again. 00:38:21.199 --> 00:38:23.119 And I want to put my faith in you. 00:38:23.360 --> 00:38:24.800 I'm done living my life. 00:38:24.960 --> 00:38:27.039 I want your life instead. 00:38:27.360 --> 00:38:32.000 And as we do that, as we remain, as we turn to Christ, we don't just say hello to life. 00:38:32.159 --> 00:38:36.320 I mean, we say hello to forgiveness when he cleanses us. 00:38:36.480 --> 00:38:42.880 You know, we say hello to purpose when he shows us what we're made for and how we're wired. 00:38:43.280 --> 00:38:51.280 You know, we say hello to meaning when he starts to make sense of our lives, even the difficult, painful parts. 00:38:51.519 --> 00:39:00.320 You know, we say hello to belonging when we realize there's a God who loves us and knows us, everything about us, and loves us even still. 00:39:00.639 --> 00:39:06.800 We say hello to love when we realize the sacrificial love that Jesus demonstrated on the cross. 00:39:07.039 --> 00:39:10.159 And as we say hello to life, we also say goodbye. 00:39:10.320 --> 00:39:20.880 We say goodbye to shame, we say goodbye to regret, we say goodbye to we say hello to life. 00:39:22.159 --> 00:39:24.000 God, thank you for your life. 00:39:24.159 --> 00:39:30.320 Thank you for the truth of your word, thank you for the community of faith, and Jesus, thank you for you. 00:39:30.719 --> 00:39:38.559 God, thank you for loving us, for knocking on the door of our lives, our hearts, for saying hello to us. 00:39:39.920 --> 00:39:50.320 I thank you that we can say hello back and we can say goodbye to sin, goodbye to death as we say hello to life. 00:39:50.960 --> 00:39:52.159 We love you, Lord. 00:39:52.320 --> 00:39:53.679 Help us to remain. 00:39:53.840 --> 00:39:55.599 We pray it in your name. 00:39:56.400 --> 00:39:57.039 Amen. 00:39:58.320 --> 00:40:00.639 We hope you are blessed by this message. 00:40:00.800 --> 00:40:05.199 Please subscribe to our podcast for access to every episode as they're uploaded. 00:40:05.440 --> 00:40:07.519 And hey, we'd love to connect with you. 00:40:07.679 --> 00:40:13.599 Take a next step by filling out our virtual connection card at awakeningchurch.com slash card.