A Daily Walk

Guest (Male): Next on A Daily Walk, we’re talking about living in the last hour. Pastor John says anointing and abiding are a must in our daily walk.

John Randall: How does one navigate through the deception? With anointing of the spirit and abiding in the word of God. These are the things that are going to help us be able to see clearly. Your word is a lamp unto my feet and a light unto my path, the Bible says. One of the ways that we can discern the deception is through the anointing of the spirit.

As you look at all that's going on around us, comparing it to what we read in the Bible, it's not a stretch to conclude we are living in the last hour. So does that excite you or frighten you? Today on A Daily Walk, we’ll learn that as we’re abiding in Jesus and anointed by God, we have nothing to fear but every reason to be at peace. Pastor John Randall has an eye on 1 John chapter 2. So let’s open the word and get ready and prepared for the return of Christ.

Not only did Jesus affirm his deity, but even Jesus’s enemies understood his claims. The Bible tells us in John chapter 10, verse 30, "I and my father are one," Jesus said. Then right after he made that statement of equality with the Father, being one, being God, then the Jews took up stones again to stone him.

Jesus answered them and he said, "Many good works I have shown from my father, for which of those works do you stone me?" And the Jews answered him, saying, "For a good work we do not stone you, but for blasphemy, and because you, being a man, make yourself God." That's pretty obvious, it's pretty clear. They understood what he was saying.

So the Gnostics were denying the deity of Jesus, and there are others who deny the deity of Jesus. But the Bible says, "In the beginning was the Word, and the Word was with God, and the Word was God," John chapter 1, verse 1. It says in John chapter 1, verse 14, "And the Word," Jesus, "became flesh and dwelt among us, and we beheld his glory, the glory as of the only begotten of the Father, full of grace and truth." Jesus revealed his deity and proclaimed it.

Today, many counterfeit belief systems, practices, and ideologies appear similar to Christianity. They borrow from its language or themes, but they deviate from the core teaching of Scripture. Those counterfeits can be spiritual, they can be philosophical, or even religious. Let me give you some of the ones that are very prevalent in the days in which we are living to help you discern.

First of all, Prosperity Gospel. Prosperity Gospel teaches that faith, your faith, will lead to wealth, it'll lead to health and success. If you just have faith, you can name it and claim it if you want. You can gab it and grab it. You can reach out and touch it. Whatever the saying is, speak it into existence. You have a free will, say it.

It's very dangerous and false theology. It's a counterfeit and it's a counterfeit because it shifts the focus from Jesus to material gain as if that's the end all. It ignores suffering, it ignores sacrifice, and the biblical warnings against the love of money. Try to take the Prosperity Gospel into a third-world country and see how it goes. If you guys had faith, you wouldn't be in abject poverty. That's not the Gospel.

Another form to watch out for is legalism. Legalism teaches that righteousness is earned through strict rule-keeping. It's a counterfeit that undermines grace and the sufficiency of Christ's sacrifice, replacing faith and trust in the finished work of Jesus with your performance. I could never earn salvation. I am not worthy of it. There are not enough things that I could do to somehow earn salvation. It is a gift of God. It's grace through faith. Watch out for that.

Universalism teaches that everyone will ultimately be saved regardless of faith in Jesus Christ. That's counterfeit. It contradicts biblical teaching about judgment and the necessity of salvation through Christ alone. Jesus said in John chapter 14, verse 6, "I am the way, the truth, and the life, and no one comes to the Father but by me." Not everyone is to be saved. Universalism is a counterfeit, but it's popular.

New Age spirituality. "I'm just very spiritual." What do you mean? All paths lead to the divine. They emphasize self-deification, energy, and mysticism. I hear that a lot around here. Energy. "I just really loved your energy." What does that even mean? "When you preach, you preach with energy." Hopefully, it's the power of the Holy Spirit versus energy. But that whole mystic kind of a New Age thing is a counterfeit.

It denies again the exclusive claims of Christ and replaces God with the universe. Have you ever heard people say, "Well, the universe has spoken"? No, the universe doesn't speak. God speaks. Stop saying that. That's a New Age false doctrine and you hear it.

Here's one I hear a lot around here. Moralistic Therapeutic Deism. God wants people to be good, to be happy, and successful, but he doesn't need to be personally involved. It's a counterfeit because it offers a watered-down, impersonal version of God and removes the need for repentance and grace and relationship with Jesus. In other words, God just wants me to be happy and good and successful, but I don't need him to be involved. Or I'll have him involved as much as I want him to be involved. But he has boundaries. Scary.

Progressive Christianity teaches that Scripture in its extreme forms, they'll teach that Scripture is not authoritative and truth is relative. It's whatever, depending on your circumstance. It's a counterfeit because it denies the foundational Christian doctrines like the resurrection, like sin, or the need for salvation. And it ceases to be biblically Christian. It's progressive, but it's not Christianity.

Then you have something called syncretism. Syncretism combines Christianity with other religions or cultural spiritual practices like ancestor worship or astrology or the occult. It's a counterfeit. It compromises the uniqueness of Christ and introduces idolatry.

The common thread in all of these counterfeits that surround us today is that they either distort Jesus's person, they alter the Gospel message, or they reject the authority of Scripture. That means they are counterfeit. We need discernment today to test what we hear, to put what we hear through the grid of what's real. Handle it. Make sure the texture, make sure it's real what you're hearing. Run it through the grid of Scripture and see if it's accurate. If it's not, then you can dismiss it.

We could go on and on about this, but understand that those who walk away from the Lord, following false doctrine, denying Jesus Christ as the one true and living God, embracing and also presenting a lie, a false gospel, a different Jesus. Here's what the Apostle Paul says about all of this in Galatians chapter 1.

"But even if we, or an angel from heaven, preach any other gospel to you than what we've preached to you, let him be accursed." It literally means to be cut off. "As we've said before, I say it again, if anyone preaches another gospel to you than what you received, let him be accursed." So the Apostle John firmly states that those who advocate such things and teach false doctrine, he says clearly, they're liars. They're liars.

With all of the lies surrounding us and the deception that seeks to undermine the work of the Gospel, what can we do? How are we able to have this kind of discernment? Two things that John points to that are significant and important for us and found in two words: anointing and abiding.

How does one navigate through the deception? With anointing of the spirit and abiding in the word of God. These are the things that are going to help us be able to see clearly. Your word is a lamp unto my feet and a light unto my path, the Bible says. One of the ways that we can discern the deception is through the anointing of the spirit.

Notice what John says in verse 20. He said, "But you," talking to the believers, "you have an anointing from the Holy One, and you know all things. And I have not written to you because you don't know the truth, but because you know it, and no lie is of the truth." So now he's directing his attention toward those who actually do believe the truth, those who have embraced the truth. You have within you an anointing that comes from the Lord. It's the anointing of the Holy Spirit.

Jesus promised to his disciples that when he ascended back to glory, he would not leave them orphans. He said, "I'm promising you, I'm going to leave you the Holy Spirit." You remember John chapter 14, in John chapter 14 and verse 16, Jesus said, "I will pray the Father, and he will give you another helper, and he will abide with you forever, the spirit of truth, whom the world cannot receive because it neither sees him nor knows him; but you know him, he dwells with you and he will be in you."

The anointing that you have as a born-again believer is the Spirit of God is upon your life and he is the spirit of truth. And therefore with the spirit of truth, I'm able to discern the lies. In John 14, verse 26, Jesus went on to say, "But the helper, the Holy Spirit, whom the Father will send in my name, he will teach you all things and bring to your remembrance all things that I said to you."

So the Spirit of God, the spirit of truth, is upon our life providing a discernment for that which is deceptive, and he reminds us of what we've learned, of what we've taken in when deception presents itself. You've probably had this experience as a Christian. If you read through the Bible and something is false and it comes up, you're like, "Something's not right about that. I may not be able to fully identify what's wrong, but something's not right."

Recently, I had some young men in our fellowship send me a link to some cult that was circulating. And they said, "What do you think of this? These people are everywhere." They were witnessing, they all had yellow shirts. That was the first thing that made me concerned. But they were all going around and saying this and that. I just looked up the link and it said, "Father God and Mother God." I was like, "There it is, right there." I mean, it's just in the first sentence. There is no Mother God. When you pray, pray, "Our Father," Jesus said. So you just immediately you just put it right to the Scripture and go, "Scrap it, that's bad."

In John chapter 16, Jesus said this concerning the Holy Spirit, "I still have many things to say to you, but I cannot bear them now. However, when he, the spirit of truth, has come, he will guide you into all truth. He won't speak of his own authority, but whatever he hears he will speak, and he will tell you things to come. He will glorify me and he will take of what is mine and declare it to you."

So with the anointing of the spirit of truth upon your life, sealed by the spirit, born of the spirit, empowered by the spirit, you're able to discern through the work of the spirit what is true and what is false. As a child of God, the spirit grants us discernment. He helps us spot counterfeits. He reminds us of truth, provides us with warnings. John's confident his readers knew this.

Here's a great test, by the way, when things come into question concerning doctrine: Was it taught or modeled by Jesus? Was it taught or modeled by the apostles? Was it taught or modeled in the epistles? If it's not, set it aside.

Besides the anointing of the spirit, there's something else: abiding in the word. The anointing of the spirit of God and abiding in the word of God. This is the second thing that will help us to be able to discern what is true and what is false. Look at verse 24. "Therefore," or in light of all of this, "therefore let that abide in you which you heard from the beginning. If what you heard," concerning the word of God, "from the beginning, it abides in you, then you will abide in the Son and in the Father. And this is the promise that he's promised to us, eternal life."

John says if what you heard from the beginning, he's talking about the word of God, what was presented to you, what you heard in the very beginning is abiding in you, then you're not going to be deceived because God's word is right there. The word of God is the sword of the spirit. It's that offensive weapon. It cuts through all of the lies. And as you hear or you're in a place where you hear God's word, John said you've heard it from the beginning and you apply it, it points us to Jesus. You're abiding in him and abiding in God's word will keep us from deception.

And you know what else it'll keep us from? This is something that concerns me as well. Not only deception but also spiritual novelty. Novelty meaning a new or original idea, teaching, or practice that departs from established biblical truth or orthodox Christian doctrine. Novelty isn't just something new in time, it's something new in content, often not rooted in Scripture and usually presented as, "I have a fresh revelation I'm going to share with you guys right now. I have something you've never heard this before, so get ready." That really concerns me.

"It's new, it's fresh, no one's ever said this before." And there's probably a reason for that, because it's not in here. That should just be immediate red flags everywhere. It's so novel, no one's ever said it before.

I remember years ago being informed, this is many years ago now, but of a pastor who was teaching some things that were off. And someone said, "Hey, can you watch this? Because I'm struggling. Is this true?" And I remember watching the pastor get up and he said to the church, and I already knew he didn't have to say anything else after this, "I'm going to say something and no one's really ever said before." And I was like, "Oh boy, here it comes." And I already knew. And what he said was wrong. It was unbiblical. And even after he said it, he went like this, as a joke, "Don't hit me."

It's so strange, why would you even say that? Where did you, how did you come up with that? You just got a little off on the novelty and you just kept going to who knows where. He's no longer pastoring anymore. But I'm just saying to you, you just get off and you go the wrong direction. Reinterpretation that distorts core doctrine. You want to make it say something that it actually doesn't say.

And there are some people who are really, really good at saying things it doesn't actually say. I mean in a scary kind of way, and they are popular and they fill places and you’ve got to be biblically astute and really listening intently. That's how dangerous it can be.

Now the Bible doesn't use the word novelty directly, but it does warn against itching ears or new teachings that no one's ever heard before. I think of Acts chapter 17, verse 21, when it says that all the Athenians were foreigners and they lived their whole time, it says, spending their time in nothing except telling and hearing something new. Paul said in 2 Timothy chapter 4, verses 3 and 4, he said they will accumulate for themselves teachers to suit their own passions and they will turn from listening to the truth and wander off into myths.

There is an anointing upon your life but also there is an abiding in the word. This is what Jesus said concerning abiding, John chapter 15, Jesus said, "Abide in me, dwell in me, and I in you. As the branch can't bear fruit of itself unless it abides in the vine, neither can you unless you abide in me. I am the vine, you are the branches. He who abides in me and I in him bears much fruit, for without me you can do nothing."

Jesus then said in that same chapter in verse 7, "If you abide in me and my words abide in you, you'll ask what you desire and it shall be done for you. By this my father is glorified that you bear much fruit, so you will be my disciples." You'll be my disciples. You abide in the word, you abide in Christ, the anointing of the spirit. You're not being led astray by the deceptions of this world.

What is the blessing that follows? A couple of blessings. First of all, in verse 25, "this is the promise," John says, "that he's promised us, eternal life." That's the promise. John 3:16, you know it well. God so loved the world that he gave his only begotten son that whoever would believe in him should not perish but have everlasting life. This is the promise for the believer.

Eternal life not only refers to our future beyond the grave, but also embodies a life that we participate in now, an age-abiding life, a life in Christ. Jesus said, "I've come to give you life and that more abundantly." Abiding in Jesus is the foundation of confidence in the Lord. John says this is available to those who believe, those who have trusted in Christ, this blessing of eternal life, abiding in him, anointed by the spirit.

And also moving to verse 28, he tells us, "And now little children, abide in him." Why is this important? "That when he appears we may have confidence and not be ashamed before him at his coming." John had said earlier, "We know the Antichrist is coming," but here he says, "Jesus is coming." Jesus is coming and we don't want to be ashamed when he comes. We want to have confidence when he arrives.

The Bible tells us in Luke chapter 12, verse 36, "You yourselves be like men and wait for their master when he will return from the wedding, that when he comes and knocks they may open to him immediately." Are we ready? Are we anticipating his arrival? The deception can lead you away from keeping the main thing the main thing. And so John encourages us.

Then finally in verse 29, he says, "If you know that he is righteous," and of course they did, "then you know that everyone who practices," look at that, "practices righteousness is born of him." Here's the test of abiding, or how to discern whether you're abiding. It actually ties into what John says throughout the chapter. You know that you're abiding if you're practicing what you're abiding in. It's evident.

If you are abiding in the word and the anointing of the spirit is on you, then the fruit of that is a righteous life before God. It's just the fruit of righteousness, just going to be a part of your life. Not that we're going to achieve perfect righteousness until we're glorified with Jesus. However, we can practice righteousness as those who are born of him. When you're deceived, you won't be practicing righteousness. You won't be anointed by the spirit, you'll actually grieve the spirit.

John gives a powerful and insightful warning to the believers. Watch out. We're living in the last hour. These are the things that you're going to see. And you know what, I'm aware of it. I'm aware of it because the Spirit of God has revealed it, helps me to discern, and the word of God helps me to navigate through. I pray that that will be the case for each of us in the days in which we are living.

Guest (Male): So those who are abiding are practicing, practicing the truth in their daily walk. This is A Daily Walk with Pastor John Randall. Today's look at 1 John chapter 2 goes by the title of Living in the Last Hour and can be heard again at adailywalk.org. Or look for A Daily Walk wherever you get your podcasts and at oneplace.com. One more option is our church app. Check out the Calvary South OC Church app in your favorite app store.

Pastor John has just come out with a new book titled The Other Side of Sunday. In it, he offers an honest look at the joys, pressures, prayers, and personal costs of pastoral ministry that often go unseen from the other side of the pulpit. Through heartfelt stories, humor, biblical wisdom, and years of shepherding experience, Pastor John invites the reader into the moments that shape a pastor long after the service ends.

We’re making it available to our A Daily Walk listeners for the cost of just $15. Maybe request an extra copy to give to your pastor. Ordering is easy online at adailywalk.org or call us at 877-242-0828. Again, 877-242-0828 and adailywalk.org.

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In these difficult days, it is so important that we be praying for one another. So please send in your prayer requests today. We'd love to hear from you. Our email address is adailywalk@gmail.com. That's adailywalk@gmail.com. Well, that's all the time we have for today, but we'll continue through the Bible with John Randall next time. This has been A Daily Walk, where you'll never have to walk alone.

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