Posts Tagged ‘fake Christianity’
IF ANY MAN BE IN CHRIST
*IF ANY MAN BE IN CHRIST*
The great preacher George Finney was walking down a sidewalk in a town he had preached. A man came staggering up to him. It was quite evident he was drunk. He said to Finney “I heard you preach the last time you were in town, I’m one of your converts”. Dr Finney replied “You must be one of mine, you certainly are not one of the Lords”.
(vs 17) “if any man be in Christ he is a new creature”
*God knows how to create. He created the world, the sun, the moon and the stars. He created man and when fallen sinful man comes to Him in repentance He creates a new man.
(1) If a man is in Christ he doesn’t enjoy sin anymore
*Here is the difference between a lost sinner and a child of God. When a lost sinner sins they enjoy it and stay in it. But when a true Christian sins, they are sorry and are broken over it and cry out for forgiveness. (I John 1:5-7 Read)
(2) If a man be in Christ he loves the gospel
(Rom 1:16 Read)
*The real Christian never tires of hearing about the Lord Jesus. The Good News stirs our heart, we remember the effects it had on our life when we first believed it.
*There is something wrong when a person professes to be a Christian but they do not come to hear the gospel preached.
1) He makes much about Jesus and little of himself.
2) He makes it plain that man is lost and magnifies the cross, the blood, the Christ.
(3) If a man is in Christ, he loves to see others saved.
(Luke 15:10 Read)
*There is a joy that cannot be put into words when you see or help one come the Christ. (I Thes 2:20) “For ye are our glory and joy”
(4) If a man is in Christ, he has a different attitude toward others. (John 13:34,35 Read)
*The real Christian has an attitude of Christ’s love in all their personal relationships.
*We can be talked about, criticized, blamed for something when we are innocent yet still we are motivated to forgive and love because we know Christ has loved us. (Eph 4:31,32 Read)
(5) If a man is in Christ, he transfers his major interest from Earth to heaven (Mat 6:19-21 Read)
*The unsaved lives only for this world. They look to life here and all it holds.
*I believe the closer the Christian gets to God, the less hold the things of this world have on him.
Are you in Christ?
Sins That Can Cripple a Church
Sins That Can Cripple a Church
I see some things which trouble me:
(1) Ministers not serious in the calling upon their lives.
(2) Teachers not burdened enough to feed their class the Truth.
(3) Members with very little commitment.
* Even though we are saved, there are sins which can creep into our lives that can cripple and weaken our church.1. Absenteeism
Sunday mornings are great, but Sunday night and Wednesday nights are a blow out.
2. Indifference
How’s your prayer life?
How’s your Bible study?
How’s your Testimony?
* Apathy is a deadly disease only God can heal.
3. Worldliness
Do you have anything of value? Would you be willing to lose it? Until you can, you love this world too much.
(Mark 10) – Rich Young Ruler
4. Unfaithfulness
Do you remember that first fire that burned is your heart? How much you loved Jesus and hated sin.
5. Contention
I Corinthians 1:10,11 and 3:3
* When God’s blessing, Satan will start messing!
Posted in Ever Mindful, Faith, False Prophets, Revival, The Church, Truth | 
Tags: commitment, fake Christianity, our testimony | 
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THE ACTS OF THE APOSTATES
*THE ACTS OF THE APOSTATES*
(Jude 1-3)
This small epistle is often overlooked. Yet if there is any book that relates to the days in which we live, it is this book.
*It is the only book that is devoted entirely to the great Apostasy that will take place before the return of Jesus Christ. Other books refer to it, but Jude majors on this theme.
*Apostasy means “an abandoment of what one has voluntarily professed”.
(I Tim 4:1) describes “a departure from the faith.”
(II Tim 4:3) speaks of those who are unwilling to endure “sound doctrine”.
(II Thes 2:3) speaks of the end of the age in which “the end will not come except there come a falling away first”.
*The writer is Jude, the brother of our Lord Jesus. It is noteworthy to notice this book begins and ends with a message of encouragement and comfort.
*Jude was moved to write to christians and charge them to vigorously defend the faith, to stand in the truth.
Notice four thoughts:
(1) Three marks of the Apostate
(Vs 4 Read)
*Please remember that an apostate is one who receives the Word, believes or accepts it for a while, then falls away.
Three characteristics:
1) They are Ungodly
*This does not mean that they are wicked or openly sinful. It means that person lives without the fear of God.
*This person may be morally good but there is no place for God and no fear of God.
2) They turn the Grace of God into lasciviousness.
*Because of sensual, fleshly desires they continue to sin knowing it’s wrong but believing God will forgive them even thought they continue to do them.
3) Denying the Lord God and the Lord Jesus Christ
*The meaning is simple: They refuse to bow to the rule of God in their lives.
Saying: If He’s not Lord of everything then He’s not the Lord at all.
(Luke 19) Parable of the Pounds make this statement “We will not have this man rule over us” which refers to Jesus Christ.
(2) Three groups of Apostates
(vs 5-7 Read)
1) The Israelites who were delivered from Egpytian bondage.
(I Cor 10) reveals how the Lord delivered them thru the sea, led by a cloud, identified with Moses, ate the same spiritual meat, and drank from the same spiritual rock. The rock symbolizing Jesus Christ. But they did evil things, were idolaters, committed fornication, murmured against God.
2) The Angels that sinned
*Simply these angels did not like the positions given to them by God.
3) The wicked cities of the Plain
*These cities were very wicked but they were not ignorant of the truth. They knew the history of the flood, 450 years had passed, Noah’s kin still living but also Lot. They knew of God’s mercy but rejected it.
*How is this different from King David’s sin? He repented, they refused to.
(3) Three individual Apostates
(vs 8-11 Read)
1) Cain (Genesis 4)
*Cain sought forgiveness thru works of his hand and when God made a way to him, he refused to repent.
2) Balaam
In Numbers 22-24 Israel’s enemy Barak hired Balaam to curse Israel but God would not allow him to do so. But according to Numbers 31 He enticed Israel with two sins: 1) maring strange women, 2) the sin of idolatry. In (vs 8 ) we are told that Balaam was killed with other enemies of Israel.
3) Core-Korah
Again in Number 16 we are told this man along with 250 others murmured and rebelled against the authority God gave Moses. God opened up the earth and they were destroyed.
(4) Words of Encouragement
(vs 20-25 Read)
*As these days approach we are to do several things:
1) We are to grow spiritually into mature believers (vs 20A)
2) We are to pray (vs 20B)
3) We are to live in the light of the second coming of Jesus (vs 21)
4) We are to try to get as many folks saved as possible (vs 22,23A)
5) Develop a holy hatred for all sin and impurity (vs 23B)
6) Be assured of the fact that the Lord is able to keep us even in this Apostate Times (vs 24,25)
Posted in Ever Mindful, Faith, False Prophets, Obedience, Truth |
Tags: Ever Mindful, fake Christianity |
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THE PARABLE OF THE WHEAT AND THE TARES – COUNTERFEIT CHRISTIANITY
*THE PARABLE OF THE WHEAT AND THE TARES*
COUNTERFEIT CHRISTIANITY
(Matt 13:24-30 & Matt 13:36-43)
I have preached on parables in chpt 13 that deal with real Christianity and fake Christianity, true doctrines and false doctrines.
*The Lord is not repeating Himself by these parables with similar truth but is giving a Great Warning.
(For every good thing that God gives us, Satan attempts to create a counterfeit)
1) God Gave us music, satan has ruined the blessing of music. Lyrics are filled with cussing and is degrading.
2) God gave us His Word, satan has sought to corrupt it with half-truths.
*Question: What is one thing we think about when we hear the word counterfeit.
(Money) The bestway and the only way to train bank tellers to identify counterfeits is to make them familiar with the real thing. The more they handle real money, the less likely a counterfeit will be accepted. They can see and feel the difference.
What is counterfeit christianity? It is satan’s deceitful ways of corrupting True Salvation with a Counterfeit Salvation.
*Counterfeit salvation makes a counterfeit christian.
*A counterfeit christian is someone who looks saved, talks saved, acts saved, but is not saved.
*They say the right things, wear the right clothes, some read their bibles.
What about you? Are you the real christian?
*Notice this parable (vs 37-39) (Explain this parable)
1) The sower is the Lord Jesus.
2) The good seeds are the saved, the real.
3) The tares are the counterfeits, lost.
4) The enemy is the devil.
5) The harvest is the end of the world.
6) The repers are God’s angels.
*According to this parable, Jesus says there are false, counterfeit christians in our midst. How can this be?
*Wheat countains grain in the head, but the weed does not. But the main problem is it’s almost impossible to tell the difference until harvest.
Tares although in a wheat field are not wheat, they are fakes. Tares in Jesus’ day were called darnel, a seed which is considered poison. It bears such a resemblance to wheat, it cannot be discovered until the wheat gets what is called the ears. (Harvest time reveals the truth.)
(II Cor 13:5) “Examine yourselves whether ye be in the faith, prove your own selves, know ye not your own selves how that Jesus Christ is in you, except ye be reprobates.” (Void of judgement)
(Are you saved? Are you sure?)
*Notice three thoughts revealed:
(1) They were planted together.
(Vs 24,25 Read) Vs 25 insinuates that that very night tares were sown.
How tragic that something so good, would end up corrupted by weeds, counterfeit.
Listen to the devil’s lies to those he fools with counterfeit salvation:
1) I’ve been going to church since I was a child.
2) I’ve been baptized.
3) I’m a church member.
4) I sing in the choir.
5) I teach Sunday School.
6) I preach a sermon every week.
7) I pray and read my bible.
(You may look the part but you know you are not real, you are religious but lost.) (Luke 18:9-14 & Matt 5:20)
(2) They progressed or grew toether.
(vs 26 Read) (7:20) “Wherefore by their fruits ye shall know them.”
*This parable proves the wheat and the tares can grow together.
*Counterfeit chirsitians can appear to grow also:
1) They can give more.
2) They can do more.
3) They can act better.
(John 3) “ye must be born again”
(II Cor 5:17) Apostle Paul said “Therefere if any man be in Christ, he is a new creature, old things are passed away, behold all things become new.”
(3) They were processed together
(vs 28-30 Read)
*There is coming a day when time runs out. You can fool:
1) The pastor
2) The teacher
3) Your friends
4) Your parents, even yourself.
*God knows who is real today.
(II Tim 2:19 Read)
Beloved, our Lord spoke this parable so you and I could be sure we are saved by His grace.
Are you real?
