August 28, 2024 • 28 mins
Ever wondered how to navigate the spiritual complexities of our modern world? Join me, B.R. Maul, on "Living God's Way in an Ungodly World" as we uncover the secrets of spiritual discernment from 1 John 4:1-6. Learn how the Holy Spirit within born-again Christians serves as both a guide and a protector, helping us to differentiate between divine guidance and deception. You'll also discover the importance of testing every spirit, especially in a time when false prophets and the spirit of the Antichrist are more prevalent than ever. Equip yourself with the wisdom to distinguish the Spirit of God from the spirit of error and ensure you remain anchored to God's Word and His guidance.
Prepare to confront the reality of the Antichrist's influence today and its impact on believers. This episode will challenge you to consider the urgency of choosing God to triumph over sin and evil. Understand the stark contrast between those led by the Holy Spirit and those swayed by worldly influences. We'll also address the struggles faced by believers, including the dangers of worldly pastors and churches that stray from biblical teachings. And for those embarking on their spiritual journey, find out why genuine belief in Jesus Christ is pivotal for salvation and the importance of fellowship with other born-again believers. Tune in to gain profound insights and practical advice for living a spiritually discerning life in an ungodly world.
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Transcript
Episode Transcript
Available transcripts are automatically generated. Complete accuracy is not guaranteed.
B.R.Maul (00:29):
Hello and good day.
I am BR Maul and this is LivingGod's Way in an Ungodly World.
We are in the book of 1 John,chapter 4, we begin today and
today we'll be talking aboutspirits.
Seems to be a popular topic inour modern society today.
(00:50):
Unfortunately, most of it isnot biblical.
Most of it is based on fables,hollywood and stories told
around the campfires late atnight.
Okay, some of that can be fun.
However, in all seriousness, wehave to be very careful what
spirit is of God and what spiritis of the devil.
(01:13):
Now we know from other areas inGod's Word that when a person
is born again, the Holy Spirittakes resident in that person
and seals them.
So a born-again person has theHoly Spirit, takes resident in
that person and seals them.
So a born-again person has theHoly Spirit dwelling in them and
guiding them.
Now, whether the person ispaying attention to what the
(01:35):
Holy Spirit is saying, that's awhole other topic, but for this
discussion in the book of 1 John, chapter 4, keep that in mind.
Now, for those who are not bornagain, they do not have the
Holy Spirit dwelling in them, sothey do not have the protection
of the Holy Spirit and they donot have the influence of the
Holy Spirit, so keep that inmind as I read today's reading.
(01:58):
A reminder as well.
Before we get started.
I welcome any comments orquestions.
If there's anything that youare unsure about that I teach
from God's Word, you can contactme.
Just go to my website, that isbrmaulcom.
B-r-m-a-u-l dot com.
(02:19):
Just click on the contact pageand send me your question with
your email and I will get backto you.
The purpose of this podcastministry, beloved, is not just
for me to teach and for you tolisten, but it's also a way for
you to reach out to me.
I am happy to answer questionsabout God's Word any way I can
(02:43):
to guide.
Whether you're my brother orsister in the faith or somebody
who has questions because youwant to know more about Jesus
Christ the Savior, I'm here foryou, so please use that to
contact me With.
That said, let's go on with ourreading for today.
1, john, chapter 4.
I'll be reading 1 through 6.
(03:04):
John writes Beloved, do notbelieve every spirit, but test
the spirits whether they are ofGod, because many false prophets
have gone out into the world.
By this, you know the Spirit ofGod, every spirit that
confesses that Jesus Christ hascome in the flesh is of God.
(03:25):
And every spirit that does notconfess that Jesus Christ has
come in the flesh is not of God.
And this is the spirit of theAntichrist, which you have heard
was coming and is now alreadyin the world.
You are of God, little children, and have overcome them,
(03:46):
because he who is in you isgreater than he who is in the
world.
They are of the world.
Therefore, they speak as of theworld and the world hears them.
We are of God.
He who knows God hears us.
He who is not of God does nothear us.
By this, we know the spirit oftruth and the spirit of error.
(04:11):
So what is John saying?
Well, let's back up, and I'llbreak this down for you.
So back to 4, verse 1, beloved,do not believe every spirit, but
test the spirits.
So that's interesting.
Well, first of all, what are wetalking about when he says
spirit?
We have the natural world thatwe know very well because our
(04:36):
natural bodies live in it.
It's the world around us thatwe can see, that we can touch,
but there's also the spiritualworld that is also around us,
and throughout the whole Bible,it is well known that there is
the spiritual world.
So there are things going onaround us that we cannot hear
(04:58):
with our physical body, wecannot see with our eyes,
because it is of supernatural,it is not of the natural world.
In the supernatural there areangels, a spiritual being.
So they are not physical, theyare not natural, they are
supernatural.
And those angels, we know thattwo-thirds are those that follow
(05:22):
God and one-third that hadfallen away from God, and so
they are doing the bidding ofSatan himself.
And Satan, as we have coveredjust recently, is the ruler of
this world.
So do you think that the rulerof this world, who hates God,
who hates Jesus and hates anyonewho loves God and loves Jesus,
(05:46):
do you think that he wouldintercede and try to mess up
things in your life?
I would hope so, because Satanloves when people believe that
he is fake, that he is nothingmore than a Halloween figure.
But no, he is real.
And so John tells us do notbelieve every spirit.
(06:07):
Spirit is lowercase.
So not only are we not tobelieve every spirit, we must be
very careful, because thespiritual world can influence us
, and we must be aware of that.
And for those who are in God'sword on a regular basis, who are
walking with their Lord on adaily basis, staying connected,
(06:27):
well, they are more in tune toGod.
But those who are in tune withthis world most people are not
blatantly walking with Satan.
Most people would not say, ohyes, I'm a follower of Satan.
But if they live like thisworld, if they love the things
of this world, well then we aretold that they are indeed
(06:49):
following Satan.
Because we are either for Jesus.
He says, you are either for meor you are against me.
There is no in between.
We know that the spiritualworld influences us.
So you may not be sitting downhaving coffee with a spirit.
However, think about thisEverybody that we sit down with
(07:11):
and have coffee with isinfluenced by a spirit, and
everybody is either influencedby the spirit of this world or
the spirit of God.
So now that we understand thatwe are not to believe every
spirit, we are not to believeevery person Just because
somebody claims they are aChristian, we are to test the
(07:34):
spirits.
Because that's what he says Donot believe every spirit, but
test the spirits.
He goes on to say whether theyare of God, because many false
prophets, john says, have goneout into the world.
So there are many falseprophets, which is, of course,
the spirit of the world, andthere are those who are
(07:54):
intentionally perverting God'sword, doing everything possible
to mislead people.
But there are also those whothemselves have been misled.
But there are also those whothemselves have been misled and
due to spiritual laziness notfollowing up, reading God's word
for themselves, for example andthey are just blindly following
(08:14):
somebody which, by the way, bevery mindful of that.
If you call yourself a Christian, beloved, do not base your
Christianity on the mere wordsof another person.
For this very reason that Johnis telling us, because the
question is have you tested them?
If you are not in God's word,you can't test them.
You are unable to test spiritsbecause you don't know how to do
(08:37):
it.
So you are at the very mercy ofthe devil himself, and I would
hate to be at his mercy becausehe has none.
He will take you for a ride.
So, with that said, let's findout Verse 2,.
By this you know the Spirit ofGod.
That's capital S, so that's theHoly Spirit.
(08:57):
So now John is going to tell ushow we can know the Spirit of
God.
He goes on to say "every spiritthat confesses that Jesus
Christ has come in the flesh isof God, and every spirit that
does not confess that JesusChrist has come in the flesh is
not of God".
(09:18):
There you have it.
That's pretty clear-cut, right.
If a spirit confesses thatJesus Christ has come in the
flesh, so he was born of Mary,born of a virgin, he was born
baby Jesus, and when a spiritcan confess that, well then that
spirit is of God.
But every spirit that does notconfess that they have not
(09:40):
confessed that Jesus Christ isindeed 100% man and 100% God and
believe on that, that spirit isnot of God.
There are many cults out therethat, first of all, they don't
look like a cult.
They are churches at the cornerof small town, big city, you
(10:03):
name it.
Some even have an organ playingholy music, sounds like it's
regular worship to the Lord.
So a cult isn't just a group ofpeople that meet secretly in
the basement of some house andare sacrificing animals.
There may be some that are thatobvious, I don't doubt that.
(10:24):
But the cults that we shouldworry more about, the ones that
are disguised.
They seem to be with God butthey are not and many, many
people are caught up in thesecults and don't realize it.
So, moving on, and this is thespirit of the Antichrist, which
you have heard was coming and isnow already in the world.
(10:47):
So I probably should have readthat, because that was a comma
and not a period, so the firstpart of that sentence.
So I'll read that just one moretime.
By this you know the Spirit ofGod.
Every spirit that confessesthat Jesus Christ has come in
the flesh is of God, and everyspirit that Now this is a
capital, a Antichrist there aremany lowercase a Antichrists but
(11:26):
reading in God's word right now, it is the spirit of the
antichrist, satan himself, thedevil, and because he rules this
world, he has much influenceFor those who are hearing this
message.
And you are not born again, youdon't have the protection of God
because you have not been bornagain.
You have not confessed withyour mouth that Jesus is your
(11:49):
Lord and Savior, you have notrepented and admitted that you
need a Savior, that you arebroken, you have not turned to
God and gave yourself to himbecause of his son, jesus Christ
.
And you have not yet believedin your heart that God, the
Father, raised Jesus from thedead heart, that God, the Father
, raised Jesus from the deadbodily, raised him from the dead
and that Jesus overcame deathand, for all who believe, have
(12:12):
wiped out their sins.
So, since you haven't done that, you don't have the Holy Spirit
dwelling in you, because youare not yet a child of God.
If you haven't done that, Iurge you, do not wait.
If you are listening to thispodcast, there must be some
curiosity, there must besomething that you are looking
(12:33):
for, that you are seeking.
Well, jesus says that those whoseek will find.
You don't need to continue toseek.
You are hearing this messageand so you have found him.
Open his word and read, ifanything, the gospel of John.
Start there.
There are many things happeningin this world today that gives
(12:56):
us signs that we can see thatthe Antichrist is indeed here,
that his spirit is here.
The Antichrist has not beenrevealed.
That won't happen until thebeginning of the tribulation.
Satan is the Antichrist, and sohis spirit is abundant.
And just look around you,beloved.
(13:17):
As this world continues tocrumble, as this world continues
to fall apart, in our publicsquares, in our societies around
the world, righteousness andgoodness is being rewarded with
evil.
People who are standing forwhat is right are being jailed,
(13:37):
are being killed, are beingmocked and ridiculed, they're
having their possessions taken.
All kinds of things arehappening to those who are
standing for good andrighteousness, because as evil
continues to abound, it wants todo everything it can to
eradicate good.
And the evil things being donein this world are being rewarded
(13:59):
for good.
You have so many people inpower who, because of their
greed, their lust for money,they have no problem aborting
babies.
There are people becoming richoff of doing that and so they're
rewarding people to do evilthings.
They are rewarding people whenthey cheat and steal.
(14:20):
In America we've had protestersdo horrible things to people's
residents, to their businessesand even to people themselves
who their lives have been takenor people injured, and yet
people in power in America donot press charges.
They reward them for doing eviland they release them, and
(14:41):
there are people being paid todo such heinous acts.
So we are there in the worldand it will continue to only get
worse because the spirit ofAntichrist continues to flourish
for the short time, becausesoon it will come to an end.
(15:04):
Verse 4, john says you are ofGod, and again he is talking to
born-again believers.
This isn't just everybody ingeneral, john is addressing
born-again people.
He says you are of God, littlechildren, and have overcome them
, that evil, because he who isin you, the Holy Spirit, is
(15:27):
greater than he who is in theworld.
That's Satan, that's Antichrist.
So, because we are of God, wehave overcome that evil.
You don't have to be slave toyour sin, beloved, because the
Holy Spirit dwells in you and hewho is in you is greater than
(15:47):
he who is in the world.
And yet so many Christiansremain slave to their sin.
They're born again.
They have the power of the HolySpirit dwelling in them.
They have every chance andpossibility to overcome that.
Why?
Because Jesus has alreadyovercome the world.
It's done.
(16:08):
That part is finished.
So the power that is in you isthe same power that split the
Red Sea, that raised people fromthe dead, that made water into
wine, that caused the seas tocalm down and the wind to obey.
That power dwells in us, and sofor us to overcome our sins, we
(16:35):
only have to use that power,because that power has already
overcome and has conquered thesins.
John goes on and he says he whois in you is greater than he who
is in the world.
They are of the world.
Who's they?
Well, those who are of thespirit of Antichrist, those who
(16:56):
are not born again, because,remember, we are one or the
other, there is no in between.
You may feel like, well, I'mjust kind of waiting, I haven't
made up my mind yet, but if youare not of the Spirit of God, if
you are not born again, yourlack of decision-making is
already a decision.
You are still of the Spirit ofAntichrist, because that is what
(17:19):
we are born into, beloved.
I hope this wakes some people up, because by not following God,
by not being born again, youhave already chosen to stay
where you are at.
And we are told that we areborn enemies of God.
We naturally want to be our ownGod.
(17:42):
We naturally want to do our ownthing.
We don't naturally want tofollow God.
We don't naturally want to obeyGod.
We naturally want to do our ownthing.
We don't naturally want tofollow God.
We don't naturally want to obeyGod.
So because of that, we need tobecome born again, so we can
supernaturally obey God.
We can supernaturally want whatour Holy Father wants.
(18:03):
We can supernaturally be holy,because our God is holy.
Does that make sense?
And so if you're not born again, you are still naturally
against God.
You are still naturally of thespirit of Antichrist.
I hate to spoil that for anybodyand for those listening to this
(18:25):
message, and you alreadyunderstand that, but there are
others that you know who arestruggling with that.
Well, someday I'll get aroundto it, yeah.
When I'm good and ready, I'llfollow Jesus Forward this
message onto them, because theyneed to hear this, they need to
be awakened and they need to beborn again so they are not lost.
(18:47):
It's so important becauseeverybody has one of two
destinations right now, andthey're either on their way to
heaven or on their way to hell.
And those who are on their wayto hell still have some time,
because if you're not dead, youstill have some time to make
that choice.
And so do it.
Don't wait Now.
(19:08):
John says, therefore, becausethey are of the world.
Therefore they speak as of theworld and the world hears them.
These are pastors and preacherswho are of the world.
They may be really good guys,they may even have good
intentions and mean well, but ifthey're not born again, you are
(19:28):
listening to somebody who ispreaching of the world and the
world hears them.
The world loves that.
These churches around the globe,especially in America, and it
breaks my heart.
These churches who areembracing LGBT, these churches
that are embracingtransgenderism, these churches
(19:49):
that are telling people it'sokay to get divorced, these
people, they go to churchbecause they want to get
something out of it.
They're not worshiping God,they are worshiping themselves.
They are going to thesechurches so they feel good.
And if you're going to a churchjust to feel good, you're going
for the wrong reason, you arenot going for God.
When we worship God, we areblessed and our soul is alive
(20:13):
and feels wonderful.
But that's not the reason we go.
If I went to church justbecause I felt like it, most of
the time I wouldn't go.
If I worshiped the Lord onlywhen I feel like it, well, that
would be rare.
But I know the consistencybecause every time I start to
worship, oh the blessings.
(20:33):
Because that is what we aredesigned to do is to worship,
and everybody is going toworship someone or something.
But John says in verse 6, we areof God.
So they are of the world, thosewho are not born again.
(20:54):
They are not believers of JesusChrist, but we, he says, are of
God.
We are God's family, we arebrothers and sisters in the
faith.
He says he who knows God hearsus.
But he also says he who is notof God does not hear us.
And that is so sad, that is so,very sad.
(21:17):
So when he says that that weare of God, he who knows God
hears us.
When we hear the truth beloved,when you are hearing somebody
teach God's word, when you readGod's word, when you talk about
God's word, when you pray to theLord, you know the truth.
You hear that truth and youknow it's the truth, you know
(21:39):
it's real.
And the more that you hear thetruth, the more you want to, and
even need to hear the truth.
But think of those who do notwant it, people who live in
denial.
They continue to, they don'twant to hear the truth.
Why?
Because it makes them.
Well, look at their falsedoctrine.
People who don't want to hearthe truth are often the ones who
(22:02):
are caught up in old traditions, in denominations.
That's the way we were broughtup.
We were baptized as a baby.
Well, that must mean it's truethen.
But again, think about it.
Who's the one who is loweredover this world, satan?
So who do you think is gettinga lot of influence out there For
those people who are denyingthe truth.
(22:24):
When a child of God is tellingyou, listen, listen to what the
Bible says, not me.
Listen to what God says here inthe Bible.
And somebody puts the hand upto their face and says no, no,
no, no, no.
You go to some church thatdoesn't even have a denomination
affiliation.
You go to some church thatdoesn't even have a denomination
affiliation.
And just because Lutheranismand Catholicism and other
(22:45):
denominations have these great,big, beautiful churches out
there, well then they must beright.
But that's the spirit ofAntichrist, because now it makes
it about people and it doesn'tmake it about Jesus.
So now people are going tothese churches that are the
spirit of antichrist because itmakes them feel good.
People accept them for who theyare.
(23:07):
Jesus offended many people, soshould his followers.
We speak the truth because thetruth sets people free.
We speak the truth because thetruth sets people free.
The Spirit of God sets peoplefree, frees them from their
(23:27):
bondage of their sin, frees themfrom the bondage of everlasting
death.
So you can choose to tellpeople what they want to hear,
but know this you are choosingto let them go to hell and, if
you're born again, the judgmentseat of Christ.
When that time comes, we willall answer for those times that
(23:48):
we had that we turned awaybecause we didn't feel like it,
or that we were afraid or wedidn't care.
There's one more part to versesix.
I'll read it all together.
He says we are of God.
He who knows God hears us.
So we hear the truth.
They hear the truth, they wantto know more.
He who is not of God does nothear us.
They choose, they don't want tohear.
(24:10):
And then John ends with this.
By this we know the spirit oftruth and the spirit of error.
So there are the two spiritsout there the spirit of
Antichrist and the spirit of God.
So that war that continues togo on in the supernatural world
is all around us.
And every time we choose totune in to stuff of this world,
(24:35):
just by the things that we watchand that we listen to, our
attitude towards other people orthings, what we worship,
whether it's our own time, ourown money, that is stuff of the
Antichrist.
But when we choose to open God'sWord and we read His Word and
we give up doing things of thisworld in order to do that, we
make sure that we are walkingwith our Lord and God every day,
(24:58):
because we make him thepriority of our life, before
anything or anyone else.
When we have the love of ourbrothers and sisters in the
faith in our hearts, we have thelove of the Father.
When we pray and ask for helpbecause we so want to overcome
our old habits of this world andwe want to love other people,
(25:19):
we want to help other people outand we don't want to live the
life of the world swearing andcussing, cheating, puffing up
our pride, trying to look betterthan the next person, trying to
act better than the next person, trying to get more money than
the next person.
Everything to lift ourself up,because that's Satan going.
Yes, do that.
(25:39):
Do that because that is good.
And every time you ask to breakaway from that and you turn to
God, you're turning away fromthe spirit of Antichrist and
embracing the spirit of God.
So I'm almost out of time fortoday.
I encourage you if you have notmade the decision to follow
(25:59):
Jesus Christ, do it now.
Don't wait.
I'll even lead you in a prayer.
There is no magic words, buttry this.
Heavenly Father, I turn awayfrom my sins because I know that
I am broken.
I know I am of the spirit ofAntichrist and at this moment I
(26:21):
turn to you.
Forgive me for not believing inyou, forgive me for my
selfishness.
And I believe in your son, thathe died for me on the cross and
that his righteous blood washesmy sins away, and that he died
for me and that he was buriedand on the third day he rose
(26:44):
again in bodily form and heovercame death and he overcame
my sins.
And from this moment on, god, Iam your child.
Teach me and lead me.
In the name of Jesus, I prayAmen.
(27:05):
If you have prayed that prayerand let me also add, if you
believed in the prayer, welcometo the family of God, because
it's not the prayer that saves,it is your belief in Jesus
Christ that saves.
Jesus Christ that saves.
And if you are now a child ofGod, go to my website, brmaulcom
(27:27):
, click on contact and let meknow that you are born again.
I'd love to send you someinformation, love, to guide you
in any way that I can and helpyou get connected with family
members of God.
So, even in this world that maybe dark in and of itself,
remember we are the light, withthe love that we have for others
(27:49):
and the love that we have forone another.
People see that you are a childof God.
People see and they know thatyou are a disciple of Jesus
Christ and being born again.
It isn't the end, it's only thebeginning.
So we need to make sure thatyou get connected with other
(28:14):
born-again believers.
And until next time, god bless.
Hello and good day.
I am BR Maul and this is LivingGod's Way in an Ungodly World.
We are in the book of 1 John,chapter 4, we begin today and
today we'll be talking aboutspirits.
Seems to be a popular topic inour modern society today.
(00:50):
Unfortunately, most of it isnot biblical.
Most of it is based on fables,hollywood and stories told
around the campfires late atnight.
Okay, some of that can be fun.
However, in all seriousness, wehave to be very careful what
spirit is of God and what spiritis of the devil.
(01:13):
Now we know from other areas inGod's Word that when a person
is born again, the Holy Spirittakes resident in that person
and seals them.
So a born-again person has theHoly Spirit, takes resident in
that person and seals them.
So a born-again person has theHoly Spirit dwelling in them and
guiding them.
Now, whether the person ispaying attention to what the
(01:35):
Holy Spirit is saying, that's awhole other topic, but for this
discussion in the book of 1 John, chapter 4, keep that in mind.
Now, for those who are not bornagain, they do not have the
Holy Spirit dwelling in them, sothey do not have the protection
of the Holy Spirit and they donot have the influence of the
Holy Spirit, so keep that inmind as I read today's reading.
(01:58):
A reminder as well.
Before we get started.
I welcome any comments orquestions.
If there's anything that youare unsure about that I teach
from God's Word, you can contactme.
Just go to my website, that isbrmaulcom.
B-r-m-a-u-l dot com.
(02:19):
Just click on the contact pageand send me your question with
your email and I will get backto you.
The purpose of this podcastministry, beloved, is not just
for me to teach and for you tolisten, but it's also a way for
you to reach out to me.
I am happy to answer questionsabout God's Word any way I can
(02:43):
to guide.
Whether you're my brother orsister in the faith or somebody
who has questions because youwant to know more about Jesus
Christ the Savior, I'm here foryou, so please use that to
contact me With.
That said, let's go on with ourreading for today.
1, john, chapter 4.
I'll be reading 1 through 6.
(03:04):
John writes Beloved, do notbelieve every spirit, but test
the spirits whether they are ofGod, because many false prophets
have gone out into the world.
By this, you know the Spirit ofGod, every spirit that
confesses that Jesus Christ hascome in the flesh is of God.
(03:25):
And every spirit that does notconfess that Jesus Christ has
come in the flesh is not of God.
And this is the spirit of theAntichrist, which you have heard
was coming and is now alreadyin the world.
You are of God, little children, and have overcome them,
(03:46):
because he who is in you isgreater than he who is in the
world.
They are of the world.
Therefore, they speak as of theworld and the world hears them.
We are of God.
He who knows God hears us.
He who is not of God does nothear us.
By this, we know the spirit oftruth and the spirit of error.
(04:11):
So what is John saying?
Well, let's back up, and I'llbreak this down for you.
So back to 4, verse 1, beloved,do not believe every spirit, but
test the spirits.
So that's interesting.
Well, first of all, what are wetalking about when he says
spirit?
We have the natural world thatwe know very well because our
(04:36):
natural bodies live in it.
It's the world around us thatwe can see, that we can touch,
but there's also the spiritualworld that is also around us,
and throughout the whole Bible,it is well known that there is
the spiritual world.
So there are things going onaround us that we cannot hear
(04:58):
with our physical body, wecannot see with our eyes,
because it is of supernatural,it is not of the natural world.
In the supernatural there areangels, a spiritual being.
So they are not physical, theyare not natural, they are
supernatural.
And those angels, we know thattwo-thirds are those that follow
(05:22):
God and one-third that hadfallen away from God, and so
they are doing the bidding ofSatan himself.
And Satan, as we have coveredjust recently, is the ruler of
this world.
So do you think that the rulerof this world, who hates God,
who hates Jesus and hates anyonewho loves God and loves Jesus,
(05:46):
do you think that he wouldintercede and try to mess up
things in your life?
I would hope so, because Satanloves when people believe that
he is fake, that he is nothingmore than a Halloween figure.
But no, he is real.
And so John tells us do notbelieve every spirit.
(06:07):
Spirit is lowercase.
So not only are we not tobelieve every spirit, we must be
very careful, because thespiritual world can influence us
, and we must be aware of that.
And for those who are in God'sword on a regular basis, who are
walking with their Lord on adaily basis, staying connected,
(06:27):
well, they are more in tune toGod.
But those who are in tune withthis world most people are not
blatantly walking with Satan.
Most people would not say, ohyes, I'm a follower of Satan.
But if they live like thisworld, if they love the things
of this world, well then we aretold that they are indeed
(06:49):
following Satan.
Because we are either for Jesus.
He says, you are either for meor you are against me.
There is no in between.
We know that the spiritualworld influences us.
So you may not be sitting downhaving coffee with a spirit.
However, think about thisEverybody that we sit down with
(07:11):
and have coffee with isinfluenced by a spirit, and
everybody is either influencedby the spirit of this world or
the spirit of God.
So now that we understand thatwe are not to believe every
spirit, we are not to believeevery person Just because
somebody claims they are aChristian, we are to test the
(07:34):
spirits.
Because that's what he says Donot believe every spirit, but
test the spirits.
He goes on to say whether theyare of God, because many false
prophets, john says, have goneout into the world.
So there are many falseprophets, which is, of course,
the spirit of the world, andthere are those who are
(07:54):
intentionally perverting God'sword, doing everything possible
to mislead people.
But there are also those whothemselves have been misled.
But there are also those whothemselves have been misled and
due to spiritual laziness notfollowing up, reading God's word
for themselves, for example andthey are just blindly following
(08:14):
somebody which, by the way, bevery mindful of that.
If you call yourself a Christian, beloved, do not base your
Christianity on the mere wordsof another person.
For this very reason that Johnis telling us, because the
question is have you tested them?
If you are not in God's word,you can't test them.
You are unable to test spiritsbecause you don't know how to do
(08:37):
it.
So you are at the very mercy ofthe devil himself, and I would
hate to be at his mercy becausehe has none.
He will take you for a ride.
So, with that said, let's findout Verse 2,.
By this you know the Spirit ofGod.
That's capital S, so that's theHoly Spirit.
(08:57):
So now John is going to tell ushow we can know the Spirit of
God.
He goes on to say "every spiritthat confesses that Jesus
Christ has come in the flesh isof God, and every spirit that
does not confess that JesusChrist has come in the flesh is
not of God".
(09:18):
There you have it.
That's pretty clear-cut, right.
If a spirit confesses thatJesus Christ has come in the
flesh, so he was born of Mary,born of a virgin, he was born
baby Jesus, and when a spiritcan confess that, well then that
spirit is of God.
But every spirit that does notconfess that they have not
(09:40):
confessed that Jesus Christ isindeed 100% man and 100% God and
believe on that, that spirit isnot of God.
There are many cults out therethat, first of all, they don't
look like a cult.
They are churches at the cornerof small town, big city, you
(10:03):
name it.
Some even have an organ playingholy music, sounds like it's
regular worship to the Lord.
So a cult isn't just a group ofpeople that meet secretly in
the basement of some house andare sacrificing animals.
There may be some that are thatobvious, I don't doubt that.
(10:24):
But the cults that we shouldworry more about, the ones that
are disguised.
They seem to be with God butthey are not and many, many
people are caught up in thesecults and don't realize it.
So, moving on, and this is thespirit of the Antichrist, which
you have heard was coming and isnow already in the world.
(10:47):
So I probably should have readthat, because that was a comma
and not a period, so the firstpart of that sentence.
So I'll read that just one moretime.
By this you know the Spirit ofGod.
Every spirit that confessesthat Jesus Christ has come in
the flesh is of God, and everyspirit that Now this is a
capital, a Antichrist there aremany lowercase a Antichrists but
(11:26):
reading in God's word right now, it is the spirit of the
antichrist, satan himself, thedevil, and because he rules this
world, he has much influenceFor those who are hearing this
message.
And you are not born again, youdon't have the protection of God
because you have not been bornagain.
You have not confessed withyour mouth that Jesus is your
(11:49):
Lord and Savior, you have notrepented and admitted that you
need a Savior, that you arebroken, you have not turned to
God and gave yourself to himbecause of his son, jesus Christ
.
And you have not yet believedin your heart that God, the
Father, raised Jesus from thedead heart, that God, the Father
, raised Jesus from the deadbodily, raised him from the dead
and that Jesus overcame deathand, for all who believe, have
(12:12):
wiped out their sins.
So, since you haven't done that, you don't have the Holy Spirit
dwelling in you, because youare not yet a child of God.
If you haven't done that, Iurge you, do not wait.
If you are listening to thispodcast, there must be some
curiosity, there must besomething that you are looking
(12:33):
for, that you are seeking.
Well, jesus says that those whoseek will find.
You don't need to continue toseek.
You are hearing this messageand so you have found him.
Open his word and read, ifanything, the gospel of John.
Start there.
There are many things happeningin this world today that gives
(12:56):
us signs that we can see thatthe Antichrist is indeed here,
that his spirit is here.
The Antichrist has not beenrevealed.
That won't happen until thebeginning of the tribulation.
Satan is the Antichrist, and sohis spirit is abundant.
And just look around you,beloved.
(13:17):
As this world continues tocrumble, as this world continues
to fall apart, in our publicsquares, in our societies around
the world, righteousness andgoodness is being rewarded with
evil.
People who are standing forwhat is right are being jailed,
(13:37):
are being killed, are beingmocked and ridiculed, they're
having their possessions taken.
All kinds of things arehappening to those who are
standing for good andrighteousness, because as evil
continues to abound, it wants todo everything it can to
eradicate good.
And the evil things being donein this world are being rewarded
(13:59):
for good.
You have so many people inpower who, because of their
greed, their lust for money,they have no problem aborting
babies.
There are people becoming richoff of doing that and so they're
rewarding people to do evilthings.
They are rewarding people whenthey cheat and steal.
(14:20):
In America we've had protestersdo horrible things to people's
residents, to their businessesand even to people themselves
who their lives have been takenor people injured, and yet
people in power in America donot press charges.
They reward them for doing eviland they release them, and
(14:41):
there are people being paid todo such heinous acts.
So we are there in the worldand it will continue to only get
worse because the spirit ofAntichrist continues to flourish
for the short time, becausesoon it will come to an end.
(15:04):
Verse 4, john says you are ofGod, and again he is talking to
born-again believers.
This isn't just everybody ingeneral, john is addressing
born-again people.
He says you are of God, littlechildren, and have overcome them
, that evil, because he who isin you, the Holy Spirit, is
(15:27):
greater than he who is in theworld.
That's Satan, that's Antichrist.
So, because we are of God, wehave overcome that evil.
You don't have to be slave toyour sin, beloved, because the
Holy Spirit dwells in you and hewho is in you is greater than
(15:47):
he who is in the world.
And yet so many Christiansremain slave to their sin.
They're born again.
They have the power of the HolySpirit dwelling in them.
They have every chance andpossibility to overcome that.
Why?
Because Jesus has alreadyovercome the world.
It's done.
(16:08):
That part is finished.
So the power that is in you isthe same power that split the
Red Sea, that raised people fromthe dead, that made water into
wine, that caused the seas tocalm down and the wind to obey.
That power dwells in us, and sofor us to overcome our sins, we
(16:35):
only have to use that power,because that power has already
overcome and has conquered thesins.
John goes on and he says he whois in you is greater than he who
is in the world.
They are of the world.
Who's they?
Well, those who are of thespirit of Antichrist, those who
(16:56):
are not born again, because,remember, we are one or the
other, there is no in between.
You may feel like, well, I'mjust kind of waiting, I haven't
made up my mind yet, but if youare not of the Spirit of God, if
you are not born again, yourlack of decision-making is
already a decision.
You are still of the Spirit ofAntichrist, because that is what
(17:19):
we are born into, beloved.
I hope this wakes some people up, because by not following God,
by not being born again, youhave already chosen to stay
where you are at.
And we are told that we areborn enemies of God.
We naturally want to be our ownGod.
(17:42):
We naturally want to do our ownthing.
We don't naturally want tofollow God.
We don't naturally want to obeyGod.
We naturally want to do our ownthing.
We don't naturally want tofollow God.
We don't naturally want to obeyGod.
So because of that, we need tobecome born again, so we can
supernaturally obey God.
We can supernaturally want whatour Holy Father wants.
(18:03):
We can supernaturally be holy,because our God is holy.
Does that make sense?
And so if you're not born again, you are still naturally
against God.
You are still naturally of thespirit of Antichrist.
I hate to spoil that for anybodyand for those listening to this
(18:25):
message, and you alreadyunderstand that, but there are
others that you know who arestruggling with that.
Well, someday I'll get aroundto it, yeah.
When I'm good and ready, I'llfollow Jesus Forward this
message onto them, because theyneed to hear this, they need to
be awakened and they need to beborn again so they are not lost.
(18:47):
It's so important becauseeverybody has one of two
destinations right now, andthey're either on their way to
heaven or on their way to hell.
And those who are on their wayto hell still have some time,
because if you're not dead, youstill have some time to make
that choice.
And so do it.
Don't wait Now.
(19:08):
John says, therefore, becausethey are of the world.
Therefore they speak as of theworld and the world hears them.
These are pastors and preacherswho are of the world.
They may be really good guys,they may even have good
intentions and mean well, but ifthey're not born again, you are
(19:28):
listening to somebody who ispreaching of the world and the
world hears them.
The world loves that.
These churches around the globe,especially in America, and it
breaks my heart.
These churches who areembracing LGBT, these churches
that are embracingtransgenderism, these churches
(19:49):
that are telling people it'sokay to get divorced, these
people, they go to churchbecause they want to get
something out of it.
They're not worshiping God,they are worshiping themselves.
They are going to thesechurches so they feel good.
And if you're going to a churchjust to feel good, you're going
for the wrong reason, you arenot going for God.
When we worship God, we areblessed and our soul is alive
(20:13):
and feels wonderful.
But that's not the reason we go.
If I went to church justbecause I felt like it, most of
the time I wouldn't go.
If I worshiped the Lord onlywhen I feel like it, well, that
would be rare.
But I know the consistencybecause every time I start to
worship, oh the blessings.
(20:33):
Because that is what we aredesigned to do is to worship,
and everybody is going toworship someone or something.
But John says in verse 6, we areof God.
So they are of the world, thosewho are not born again.
(20:54):
They are not believers of JesusChrist, but we, he says, are of
God.
We are God's family, we arebrothers and sisters in the
faith.
He says he who knows God hearsus.
But he also says he who is notof God does not hear us.
And that is so sad, that is so,very sad.
(21:17):
So when he says that that weare of God, he who knows God
hears us.
When we hear the truth beloved,when you are hearing somebody
teach God's word, when you readGod's word, when you talk about
God's word, when you pray to theLord, you know the truth.
You hear that truth and youknow it's the truth, you know
(21:39):
it's real.
And the more that you hear thetruth, the more you want to, and
even need to hear the truth.
But think of those who do notwant it, people who live in
denial.
They continue to, they don'twant to hear the truth.
Why?
Because it makes them.
Well, look at their falsedoctrine.
People who don't want to hearthe truth are often the ones who
(22:02):
are caught up in old traditions, in denominations.
That's the way we were broughtup.
We were baptized as a baby.
Well, that must mean it's truethen.
But again, think about it.
Who's the one who is loweredover this world, satan?
So who do you think is gettinga lot of influence out there For
those people who are denyingthe truth.
(22:24):
When a child of God is tellingyou, listen, listen to what the
Bible says, not me.
Listen to what God says here inthe Bible.
And somebody puts the hand upto their face and says no, no,
no, no, no.
You go to some church thatdoesn't even have a denomination
affiliation.
You go to some church thatdoesn't even have a denomination
affiliation.
And just because Lutheranismand Catholicism and other
(22:45):
denominations have these great,big, beautiful churches out
there, well then they must beright.
But that's the spirit ofAntichrist, because now it makes
it about people and it doesn'tmake it about Jesus.
So now people are going tothese churches that are the
spirit of antichrist because itmakes them feel good.
People accept them for who theyare.
(23:07):
Jesus offended many people, soshould his followers.
We speak the truth because thetruth sets people free.
We speak the truth because thetruth sets people free.
The Spirit of God sets peoplefree, frees them from their
(23:27):
bondage of their sin, frees themfrom the bondage of everlasting
death.
So you can choose to tellpeople what they want to hear,
but know this you are choosingto let them go to hell and, if
you're born again, the judgmentseat of Christ.
When that time comes, we willall answer for those times that
(23:48):
we had that we turned awaybecause we didn't feel like it,
or that we were afraid or wedidn't care.
There's one more part to versesix.
I'll read it all together.
He says we are of God.
He who knows God hears us.
So we hear the truth.
They hear the truth, they wantto know more.
He who is not of God does nothear us.
They choose, they don't want tohear.
(24:10):
And then John ends with this.
By this we know the spirit oftruth and the spirit of error.
So there are the two spiritsout there the spirit of
Antichrist and the spirit of God.
So that war that continues togo on in the supernatural world
is all around us.
And every time we choose totune in to stuff of this world,
(24:35):
just by the things that we watchand that we listen to, our
attitude towards other people orthings, what we worship,
whether it's our own time, ourown money, that is stuff of the
Antichrist.
But when we choose to open God'sWord and we read His Word and
we give up doing things of thisworld in order to do that, we
make sure that we are walkingwith our Lord and God every day,
(24:58):
because we make him thepriority of our life, before
anything or anyone else.
When we have the love of ourbrothers and sisters in the
faith in our hearts, we have thelove of the Father.
When we pray and ask for helpbecause we so want to overcome
our old habits of this world andwe want to love other people,
(25:19):
we want to help other people outand we don't want to live the
life of the world swearing andcussing, cheating, puffing up
our pride, trying to look betterthan the next person, trying to
act better than the next person, trying to get more money than
the next person.
Everything to lift ourself up,because that's Satan going.
Yes, do that.
(25:39):
Do that because that is good.
And every time you ask to breakaway from that and you turn to
God, you're turning away fromthe spirit of Antichrist and
embracing the spirit of God.
So I'm almost out of time fortoday.
I encourage you if you have notmade the decision to follow
(25:59):
Jesus Christ, do it now.
Don't wait.
I'll even lead you in a prayer.
There is no magic words, buttry this.
Heavenly Father, I turn awayfrom my sins because I know that
I am broken.
I know I am of the spirit ofAntichrist and at this moment I
(26:21):
turn to you.
Forgive me for not believing inyou, forgive me for my
selfishness.
And I believe in your son, thathe died for me on the cross and
that his righteous blood washesmy sins away, and that he died
for me and that he was buriedand on the third day he rose
(26:44):
again in bodily form and heovercame death and he overcame
my sins.
And from this moment on, god, Iam your child.
Teach me and lead me.
In the name of Jesus, I prayAmen.
(27:05):
If you have prayed that prayerand let me also add, if you
believed in the prayer, welcometo the family of God, because
it's not the prayer that saves,it is your belief in Jesus
Christ that saves.
Jesus Christ that saves.
And if you are now a child ofGod, go to my website, brmaulcom
(27:27):
, click on contact and let meknow that you are born again.
I'd love to send you someinformation, love, to guide you
in any way that I can and helpyou get connected with family
members of God.
So, even in this world that maybe dark in and of itself,
remember we are the light, withthe love that we have for others
(27:49):
and the love that we have forone another.
People see that you are a childof God.
People see and they know thatyou are a disciple of Jesus
Christ and being born again.
It isn't the end, it's only thebeginning.
So we need to make sure thatyou get connected with other
(28:14):
born-again believers.
And until next time, god bless.
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