The Truth Tester

[0:00] John 8.13-32 If you continue in my word, then are you my disciples indeed.

[0:36] And you shall know the truth and the truth shall make you free. The truth, the truth is something that we can actually come to know. To know the truth and to know it personally.

[0:48] To know the truth. It gives us the sure confidence. Not a trusting in our own fickle feelings, but a trusting in his truth. Not in our own understanding, but in his truth.

[1:01] And that truth, he says to you, his truth shall make you free. It says in the word, Trust in the Lord with all thine heart, and lean not unto thine own understanding.

[1:14] Even our own understanding, we can get it wrong, can't we? But the truth is something that doesn't change. It doesn't get revised with time. It's constant. Not everything is as it seems.

[1:28] And our only reliable way is to test things. So that we can be sure that they are true. And this is the truth tester. The truth tester.

[1:39] The word of God is the truth tester for us. And our Lord warns of, in these days as we know, of this present time, days of deception, of peril.

[1:50] Days of deception. I believe they're upon us now. And we see the evidence all around us. We see where the scriptures are being sidelined as the ultimate authority of faith.

[2:02] The gospel itself. The very gospel. The good news of salvation. Is being replaced by humanistic methods. The soon coming of Christ.

[2:14] Has been downplayed. The judgment to come. They're downplaying that. They're disregarding that. They think it's kingdom now. Experiential Christianity is replacing Bible based Christianity.

[2:30] And people are saying that Christianity, it needs to be reinvented for the modern generation. As if the truth changes with the opinions or fads of man.

[2:41] But we will need to test things to see if they are true. Now, I've got some money here.

[3:00] Or, is one of them a counterfeit? Can you tell? It looks like money.

[3:13] I've got a colour copier at home and I can make my own money. I can print my own money like the US government's doing at the moment. And it's probably not worth much to it really.

[3:25] But a colour copier can do wonderful things. Is this money? Or is it a counterfeit? Can you tell which of these are a counterfeit?

[3:41] They both are. They both are counterfeits. A counterfeit is a copy. An imitation. Designed to deceive or defraud.

[3:56] A fake, a fraud, a forgery. False. The opposite of the counterfeit is the real thing. The reality.

[4:07] That which is genuine. That which is true. What do we look for? How can we know? How can we know? How can we know this is real? How can I know that what you put in the offering today is real?

[4:21] How can we know that it is real? There's certain marks to look for in the counterfeit. And you see that that is not plastic. You can see that you can't see through that.

[4:33] You can see, as in some, they've got a line in them imprinted inside. They note, don't they? You can note. And fact tellers, you feel the real thing can tell. That's something different about that one.

[4:45] Something different about it. What do we look for? How can we know? How can we know? Who's your counterfeit? And who's the real deal today? The truth.

[4:56] There are things that we can look for. There are certain signs, certain marks that we can look for. Whether it's the hologram. Whether it's the feel. Whether it's the plastic. Whether it's the fact that it's not real.

[5:09] It's false. It's fake. It's a fraud. It's a counterfeit. And do we see that today? In Christianity today. The real versus the counterfeit.

[5:19] We can see there is truth in all of these things that I'm going to talk about. But today we've got to be guarded.

[5:31] Is it the real or is it a counterfeit? Our Lord Jesus wants of these days, of these times, of signs, of wonders, of anointing.

[5:41] Anointing. You know, we had the, what they called the Toronto blessing or the Toronto anointing or all kinds of the Lakeland anointing or whatever it might be.

[5:53] The Lord Jesus Christ wants us. He says, take heed. Be careful. Watch out that no man deceive you. Deceive you. He says in Matthew 24 from verse 4.

[6:05] For many shall come in my name. In my name. Saying, I am Christ. And shall deceive many.

[6:15] It's interesting as some have observed where it says, I am Christ. It's the word Christos meaning anointed. I am anointed. Come and get the anointing.

[6:28] And they shall deceive many. Deceive. False anointing. For there shall arise false Christ, false prophets, and shall show great, great signs and wonders.

[6:40] If so much that, if it were possible, they shall deceive the very elect. Signs, wonders, prophets, apostles, angels. Our enemy himself.

[6:51] Our very enemy. The very enemy of your soul. Satan. He is cunning, crafty and sly. And his cronies too. He wears a disguise. He comes clothed as a divine messenger of the truth.

[7:06] Agents of deception are at work today. We read that in 2 Corinthians 11 from verse 13. For such are false apostles, deceitful workers, transforming themselves into the apostles of Christ.

[7:19] They dare to call themselves apostles of Christ. And no marvel for Satan himself. Satan himself is transformed into an angel of light.

[7:32] Therefore it is no great thing that his ministers also be transformed into ministers of righteousness, whose end shall be according to their works.

[7:42] They look and sound very convincing. From a glance you think, yeah, that sounds pretty plausible. They're using the Bible.

[7:54] They've seen an angel. They've spoken to one. The angel's given them some golden plates. The angel's given them another testament of Jesus Christ. And if you pray about it, you get a warm, buzzy, fuzzy feeling inside.

[8:09] And that must make it real. That must make it true. That's what the Mormons will tell you. Lovely people. They look nice. But, friends, they're sadly wrong.

[8:22] Sadly deceived. Deceived and being deceived. And our Lord warns us of such false prophets who will be as well dressed in sheep's clothing. There's a false gospel, a false prophet.

[8:37] False unity, too. Unity can be. There's true and there's false. There's real and there's counterfeit, friends. There's a good unity. How blessed it is for brethren to dwell together in unity.

[8:51] There God has commanded the blessing. But there's a dangerous kind of unity and a trend today of ecumenism and increasing unity with the Roman Catholic Church.

[9:02] Friends, the Roman Catholic Church has got some great errors. For example, one, just to name one alone. Ask a Catholic, who is the Holy Father?

[9:19] Jesus says who it is in John 17, verse 11. The one time in all of Scripture where it is used of the Holy Father where Christ prays and speaks of God the Father.

[9:34] He is the Holy Father. How dare, how dare a man assume that title? It's blasphemy for a man to claim himself as the Holy Father. And as our word says, we're not to call any man Father.

[9:47] So the priests who follow him likewise, it's blasphemy to declare that, to claim that. It's false. It's false. Worship. There's real and there's counterfeit.

[10:01] There's great danger in some of what is called Christian music today. Sensual, doctrinally shallow, experience-oriented and repetitious.

[10:13] Not to say all modern praise music is wrong, but we need to be discerning of the real and the counterfeit. Of the gradual slight. It's a deception.

[10:24] We need to be guarded. Now we've got a clip just now that we're going to show. So we'll just do the lights here. Deception. It abounds on the church front.

[10:35] Here's a little clip that illustrates deception on the government front. Just as an aside. To think something so small can connect you to everything that matters.

[10:57] When your life and all you love are on the line. HealthLink is always with you. When every second counts in the emergency room. Providing immediate access to your medical records.

[11:12] Because Bob has trouble remembering all his medications. Because I'm in love with my kids' kids.

[11:27] Because my car lost control while driving. Because now I'm looking out for both of us. Because I have diabetes.

[11:40] But it doesn't have me. Because I spend my life in the ER. Trying to save yours. Because I'm in love with my kids. This is just to illustrate what's going on. Now this was an advert. When I first saw it I thought, oh this is the conspiracy theorist kind of making something up about the microchip.

[12:01] But it is a real advert that is being shown in America at the moment where there's this wonderful little microchip. A microchip that can get injected into your body so that the doctors can sweep over it and you're identified. You're marked. They know who you are. They know your medical history. It sounds great. It sounds good. I work in the health industry as my day job and there's already lots of work going on for an Australia wide identification number for your health records so people can look up your health records. It sounds good.

[12:39] And I'm not saying this is the mark of the beast. But I'm saying that this is something that you could see leading to a worldwide identification mark. Something that is in your body. Something that without which you can't buy or sell. And the Bible says that such a mark will happen.

[13:01] Every man and woman will be marked in the end of the world. And we know that I understand it that the church will be gone before such a mark happens. But we see that the mark will be for those who worship the beast and follow him. And friends, it's just to illustrate is it a good thing or is it bad? Is it helpful or is it harmful? And we see deception at work even on the government stage, even in the government scene where there's a move towards a one world government. President George H. W. Bush, the first Bush, he said, what is at stake is more than one small country. It is a big idea, a new world order where diverse nations are drawn together in a common cause to achieve the universal aspirations of mankind. Peace and security, freedom and the rule of law. Such is a world worthy of our struggle and worthy of our children's future.

[14:02] Another president, Theodore Roosevelt said this, behind the ostensible government, in other words, behind the government that you see, sits enthroned an invisible government, owing no allegiance and acknowledging no responsibility to the people. What we see isn't always the truth. What we hear about isn't always the truth. And we need to be discerning is the point I'm making. I'm not making some alarmist names here. I'm just saying there's moves afoot, as you heard on the news of late, to identify the whole human race.

[14:42] Everyone will be marked. And we see the word of God says such a thing will happen in the end of the world. It would be inconceivable that such a thing could have been thought about, but it's something that is not inconceivable in our world today. Mark an ID chip, sounds good. Health benefits. What then? Tracking?

[15:02] We need to be guarded, friends. That's the point I'm making today. We need to be guarded against deception. How do we test? How do we test the counterfeits? How do we test what is real? What is the truth?

[15:18] The truth is not always evident, and we must search it out and follow it. So, we've heard about these false things, these counterfeit things on the church scene, even in regular day-by-day events. We're seeing things aren't always as they would seem.

[15:35] We need the source of truth, the source of truth, and for us it's the word of God. It's the word of God. Be sure you have it. Be sure you have it. One danger we're seeing is where modern versions can weaken the authority of the Bible in people's minds, because sometimes people have only half a Bible. They've only got bits and pieces of it. There's pieces missing.

[15:59] Counterfeit Bibles is another thing we need to be guarded about. Sanctify them through thy word. Thy word is truth. Friends, today, sadly, so many on the church scene are leaning onto their own understanding.

[16:16] That's why we're seeing such a plethora of different views and ideas. They're following their own heart's desire, their own warm and fuzzy feelings, rather than the word of God, the scriptures.

[16:27] Following their emotions and their feelings instead of God's word. And Paul writes in Ephesians 4, of winds of doctrine, blowing people here and there, of craftiness, of people deceiving.

[16:41] There's well-meaning people holding onto books that they revere and regard, the Book of Mormon for one. But where feelings and emotions contradict the Holy Bible, we must say no to it. We must refuse it.

[16:54] It is not of God. It doesn't matter what our heart feels like when we might read such things or join in such things. He that trusteth in his own heart is a fool. It says in Proverbs 28, 26.

[17:09] Jeremiah 17, it says, Cursed be the man that trusteth in man. And Proverbs 16, 25, it says, There is a way that seemeth right unto a man, but the end thereof are the ways of death.

[17:23] Some folk have got misplaced faith. Be careful what you place your faith in. Friends, all of us, we need to be careful what we trust in. Hinduism, Mormonism, Buddhism, Catholicism, Islam, or false doctrines of all kinds.

[17:39] To the law and to the testimony, Isaiah 8, 20, if they speak not according to this word, it is because there is no truth in them.

[17:50] No light in them, rather. No light in them. It's not spiritual experiences that dictate what truth is to. We can have all kinds of spiritual experiences.

[18:02] Our experience is not what we stand on. It's what the word says. If you continue in my word, he says, the truth shall make you free. Ephesians 1, it says that the gospel is the word of truth.

[18:17] Ephesians 1, 13. The gospel of our salvation is the word of truth. And it's a safety for us. The word of God is for our faith and practice.

[18:30] It guides what we believe and how we live. He says, judge righteous judgment. How do we do that? This is the rule of faith and conduct.

[18:41] In other words, it's a measuring stick. It's a ruler. It's that by which it's the plumb line. It's that by which we measure everything else, whether it adds up. It's like, I know, there's some folk building a shed lately and another folk have got a shed that's built and it's not plumb.

[18:59] It's not straight up and down. It's a little bit wonky. They didn't have the plumb line. The Bible is spoken of to us as a plumb line. So that line that by gravity, it sits straight up and down.

[19:11] There's no deviation. We know Brother Stuart uses a plumb line for his kind of work. It's got to be straight up and down. Amen? And this is how you know whether something's straight up and down and you can believe it.

[19:23] It's the word of God, the truth of the gospel. Has it set you free? That's the question please to think of, to apply this. I could be saying all these things and you're lost and going to hell because you don't have the truth of the gospel.

[19:38] Friends today, be urged to know the truth. The truth shall make you free. Do you know him? He says, I am the way, the truth and the life.

[19:50] No man cometh unto the Father but by me. Friends, do you have the truth? 1 John 4, 6 it says, Hereby we know the spirit of truth and the spirit of error.

[20:01] There's two spirits at work on planet earth today. The spirit of truth and the spirit of error. And the context there is of hearing the word. In 1 John 4, verse 6.

[20:12] That's how we know the truth and the error. Do you have the spirit of truth or the spirit of error? Our Lord speaks in Matthew 13 of tears and weeds.

[20:25] Tears are kind of a weed that looks like wheat. And the Bible says that there are tears and weeds.

[20:36] And we see that as referring to the gathering together of people in fellowship.

[20:47] Where not everyone who walks in those lovely doors today and goes out of them will enter into the door of heaven. You could come to church day, night, mid-week, whenever the doors open and still be lost for eternity.

[21:05] Without Christ you're lost. And friends, the only hope for us is not some kind of religious experience. It's putting our faith and trust in the Lord Jesus Christ personally as our Saviour and Master and Lord.

[21:20] It's bearing the knee in repentance, in trusting Him and what He has done on the cross in dying for our sins. And yet today, the some that sit amongst us in churches, they sing like you do.

[21:36] They carry a Bible like you do. They pretend to pray the same way you do. They may serve in church or even preach or do a manner of service, but they aren't even saved.

[21:47] Don't make that mistake today. Don't make that mistake. Some of them are ending in aยยยยยยยยยยยยยยยยยยยยยยยยยยยยยยยยยยยยยยยยยยยยยยยยยยยยยยยยยยยยยยยยยยยยยยยยยยยยยยยยยยยยยยยยยยยยยยยยยยยยยยยยยยยยยยยยยยยยยยยยยยยยยยยยยยยยยยยยยยยยยยยยยยยยยยยยยยยยยยยยยยยยยยยยยยยยยยยยยยยยยยยยยยยยยยยยยยยยยยยยยยยยยยยยยยยยยย spirits and doctrines of devils. Is it the faith or is it a counterfeit? Make sure you know that you're saved. Make sure you know that you know that you know the truth and the truth shall make you free. Where do lies come from? Who is the father of lies? The devil. Lies come from the devil, Satan. If a teacher teaches something that's contrary to the Bible, he is a what teacher? A false teacher. A false teacher. And if we cooperate with a false teacher, we're trying to cooperate with Satan. So we must not join in a false unity with those who do not preach the gospel. Now this is not a popular message. You might say, preacher, you're going on again, just attacking, criticizing, critical. Someone said that one day to a preacher. They said to their pastor one day, I wish you would preach on love more often. And the pastor said, thank you for pointing this out. I'll do that tonight.

[23:32] And so that night, as he promised, the pastor preached on love. Love not the world. Neither the things that are in the world. For the love, you know, don't love the world. Love Christ.

[23:45] Love Him. Don't get deceived. Don't get sucked into that which is error. The fact is, these are days of deception, friends. And we need to ask ourselves, you need to ask yourself of whoever speaks or preachers or whatever you listen to on MP3, on radio, or read from Christian bookstores.

[24:04] Is it the truth or is it a counterfeit? Are they telling me the truth? There's days of weak and tears. There's days of real and false. We hear today as many preachers who rabbet on in glowing terms of angels. Angels coming and telling them all these wonderful things or trips to heaven and back again and some of them multiple times and all these wonderful experiences. False anointing. False angels. False apostles. False prophets. False signs.

[24:39] False wonders. A false gospel. God forbid a false gospel. That you would be deceived to believe a false gospel. A gospel that is insufficient to save you. Just pray this prayer. Rather, give your heart and soul to Him. Repent of your godlessness, of your sinfulness, of your lost estate. Give your heart in weeping and contrition over your sin. To trust Him alone and nothing of yourself.

[25:16] Everything of Him. Everything of His blood. Of His cross. Of His penalty. Paid for you. Of His payment. Of His life's blood shed for your sin. Rather that. Rather that you have the truth.

[25:31] And then you won't settle for a false gospel. Or false conversions. Not some shallow kind of neglect of the gospel. A preacher was asked one day. It was a pastors conference. A lot of preachers getting together. And they were asking the question, what percentage of your congregation people are saying? Is trying to actively live what the Bible teaches? How many are actively living what the Bible teaches? And an overwhelming majority of these preachers, they said, nearly 80% of them replied that fewer than one quarter, fewer than one quarter of their church members were trying to obey the Bible. The question must be asked, are these people saved? If they're not actively seeking to obey the Bible. Now that's not to say it's of works lest any man should boast. But to obey the Bible you must call out and realise your great need of Him. You must realise it's only by His saving grace and His wonderful mercy that you can be saved. And you'll think to live in the light of that day by day by day, thanking Him for His grace. Friends, the question is, are you even saved? Where there is no evidence of the real birth, of the new birth, of conviction, of saving faith, of repentance, we could be like those in Titus 1.16, but in works they deny Him. They profess that they know God, but in works they deny Him. So we need to be careful. Use the truth finder. Search the scripture, see if it is so. Search your own heart and seek

[27:14] His face today to find the truth, to go by that plumb line against which we measure everything else. Friends, think of it now. It's true today that many churchgoers, the average churchgoer, is biblically ignorant. Uneducated in spiritual issues, weak and ineffective, oblivious to the dangers. When they go to the Christian bookshelves, wow, that's a nice colourful book, I'll buy that one. They don't realise what it's for, of error. Or what they hear over Christian radio stations.

[27:47] We've got to be careful brothers and sisters. That's the message I'm taking to you today. Build up some practical learning for yourself. Take time to discerningly buy some Christian books and build up your own Christian library of material to help you. Don't absorb the world's culture and the world's ways. Be guarded, be cautious, be careful. The average churchgoer is caught up in worldliness and blinded by the music, the ways of the world. Friends, be guarded. Let us aspire to be above the average. Above the average. To be excellent at those things that are good and godly. To be people of the book. Friends, to close, recognise the signs of the counterfeit. Watch out. Check everything. Check everything. Everything you hear on the media, but especially on the Christian front. Don't believe every preacher you hear. Don't believe what is said without checking it out. We must. We must. We must. We must. We must. We must. Our Lord urges us. He warns us to, to recognise the signs of the counterfeit. Recognise the marks. Reject the counterfeit. Reject it. And instead receive the truth. Use the truth finder. Enrol in some good Bible teaching opportunities. We've heard of some today. You've got no excuse. No excuse at all to be biblically ignorant today. There's much opportunity to be in the word at every opportunity. Don't live your Christianity lightly and carelessly. There's no time for such a thing. There's no time to be a careless Christian, friends, today. Don't settle for being an average churchgoer. Aspire to be one who's in the word and in fellowship at every opportunity.

[30:00] Don't settle for being an average churchgoer. Aspire to be one who's in the word and in fellowship. Don't settle for being an average churchgoer. Aspire to be one who's in the word and in fellowship.