The Threat Within (I)

Last week, we took an unprecedented look at one of Jesus Christ’s first warnings in Matthew 24 regarding those who would claim to be the Christ and how they would mislead many. Starting this week, I want to start a study over what we as believers need to be presently aware of within our own churches. I will never forget the first time I saw the movie, “We Were Soldiers”. In the movie, which is based on true events of the initial start of the Vietnam War, the Commander, played by Mel Gibson, realizes that they are threatened with being over run by the enemy and calls for emergency aid. The radio operator at that point calls in for “Broken Arrow” which is a plea to all allies who can help to bring immediate fire support to the current battlefield. The following minutes in the movie can only be described as a sky full of eager pilots bringing devastating support to soldiers fighting for their lives. Anyone who has ever seen the devastation of Air Support and Artillery will understand the significant impact it has on the battlefield. 

Now you might be wondering why we are having this discussion? To be honest, the churches are being overrun from the inside! We are in dire situations, and we are in need of calling in as much support as possible. Is the war lost? NO! Thankfully, when believers call upon the Lord and declare in sorts, “Broken Arrow” we have the full support and power of God Almighty! 

This week, we are going to first identify the situation the Church is in. We cannot accurately call in support from our God and act accordingly unless we know what we are facing. While the Lord knows what is our greatest and least threat, He has given us His Word as an instrument to identify the threats we currently face inside the Church. Unfortunately, the situation is dire! The Church is filled with those who are not saved and is even led by those who are actively teaching the doctrine of demons. “I read about a liberal pastor who was asked to read a paper at a ministerial conference on ‘Paul’s views on justification.’ He read a paper that superbly presented the truth of the gospel and justification by faith. ‘I didn’t know you believed that,’ a friend said to him after the meeting. ‘I don't believe it,’ the liberal pastor replied. ‘They didn't ask me for my views of justification. They asked for Paul’s’” Warren W Wiersbe Be Alert, Pg 51. We have people who are pushing Christians into spiritual traps that are designed to entangle us in all sorts of sin. We have Christians who are so weak, so ill disciplined in the faith and their personal knowledge of the Word of God, that they willingly follow and encourage others to seek after those who are practicing the doctrine of demons. The Church is truly at a dire point. 

2 Peter chapter 2 is the defining foundation for this week’s discussion. Starting at verse 1 we see that Peter is very interested in wanting us to know what is taking place. This is his last letter before he dies, he knows that his death is coming and yet he is still laser focused on helping us with knowing who our enemy is. 2 Peter 2:1-3 “1 But false prophets also arose among the people, just as there will also be false teachers among you, who will secretly introduce destructive heresies, even denying the Master who bought them, bringing swift destruction upon themselves. 2 Many will follow their sensuality, and because of them the way of the truth will be maligned; 3 and in their greed they will exploit you with false words; their judgment from long ago is not idle, and their destruction is not asleep.” The teachers described here are first given the characteristic of “secretly introduce.” To secretly introduce you must be doing it secretly, Christians today have become so naive with their own knowledge of scripture that they allow anyone to pump into their heads total none sense. These wolves in sheep’s clothing are doing it secretly thus, they are doing it knowingly. They teach and say what they do not believe and will slowly pull and distort the Word of truth until it fits the word of “my truth.” This is dangerous and ill fit for Christians to allow in any way. These destructive heresies are the first indicator something is wrong. If you are handed a counterfeit hundred dollar bill and a real hundred dollar bill to compare, how would you know the difference unless you had studied what the real hundred dollar bill looked like? The believers have failed to keep their eyes solely focused on Christ, have not been in His Word, and thus are susceptible to destructive heresies. 

I want to hold no punches back and have decided to name a few pastors who have desecrated the churches with their deceitful ways. While this might offend some, I would rather offend you and save you than keep you happy and unaware of the dangers we are in. However, for this week I want us to review the authentic teacher, the true and awe inspiring God, who became flesh for us, to die, and be resurrected with the sole mission of fulfilling the Father’s plan. John 14 has been used by many to describe the beginning doctrine of the Rapture. While is is very much true and should be studied all on its own merit, the beginning part of this chapter helps highlight the authentic Word that we need to study in order to be able to identify the counterfeit. 

I believe John 14:1-11 is one of the greatest studies to understand the authentic nature and deity of Jesus Christ. 

John 14:1-11, 

1 “Do not let your heart be troubled; believe in God, believe also in Me. 2 “In My Father’s house are many dwelling places; if it were not so, I would have told you; for I go to prepare a place for you. 3 “If I go and prepare a place for you, I will come again and receive you to Myself, that where I am, there you may be also. 4 “And you know the way where I am going.” 5 Thomas said to Him, “Lord, we do not know where You are going, how do we know the way?” 6 Jesus said to him, “I am the way, and the truth, and the life; no one comes to the Father but through Me. 7 “If you had known Me, you would have known My Father also; from now on you know Him, and have seen Him.” 8 Philip said to Him, “Lord, show us the Father, and it is enough for us.” 9 Jesus said to him, “Have I been so long with you, and yet you have not come to know Me, Philip? He who has seen Me has seen the Father; how can you say, ‘Show us the Father’? 10 “Do you not believe that I am in the Father, and the Father is in Me? The words that I say to you I do not speak on My own initiative, but the Father abiding in Me does His works. 11 “Believe Me that I am in the Father and the Father is in Me; otherwise believe because of the works themselves.”

Let’s break up the verses and see what really is here, and what Jesus claims to do and who He claims to be. 

Starting at verse one, “Do not let your heart be troubled; believe in God, believe also in Me.” Jesus claims to be worth believing in. As we will discover, there have been many who have claimed this and were not. Only one is worthy of this title and in verse 6 we see Jesus acknowledging His unique worthiness of such a claim. 

In verses two through four, we see Jesus is claiming to be partnered with God the Father with a plan in Heaven. “2 ‘In My Father’s house are many dwelling places; if it were not so, I would have told you; for I go to prepare a place for you. 3 ‘If I go and prepare a place for you, I will come again and receive you to Myself, that where I am, there you may be also. 4 ‘And you know the way where I am going.’” Many claim to know what is happening in Heaven, or they state they are in communication with God on our behalf. However, only one person, Jesus Christ, can claim to not only to be in communication with God the Father, not only in coordination with God the Father’s plan, but is actively in charge of carrying out such a plan and being able to invite whom He deems fit to such a plans fruition. That authority is only given to one person, which is the Son of God. 

Verse 5 is a wonderful, unique, and great verse for two reasons. It’s Thomas examining the authenticity of Christ and because of that we can examine the authenticity as well to better identify the counterfeits as they arrive. “5 Thomas said to Him, “Lord, we do not know where You are going, how do we know the way?” Because of his questioning, we have a better understanding. Thomas needs a break from the barrage of insults modern day believers give him, he was eager to know the Lord in every way and we should be thankful he asked such a simple question. 

Verse six is, in my own personal opinion, one of the crucial verses which the entire Bible leans on. While there are a few, this one in particular is important for the believer; Jew or Gentile, it does not matter this is our corner stone! “6 Jesus said to him, ‘I am the way, and the truth, and the life; no one comes to the Father but through Me.’” Oh what a marvelous statement! Jesus is making the claim that only He can make. Others can and have tried, but only Christ can stand up, look at death, and announce who is leaving death to go to Him and who is going to die. What power and what authentic ability. As for the counterfeit, as we continue in our study, we will see how they manipulate this “salvation only in Jesus” statement to align with their own sinful desires. 

We now come to our next statement of which many in the counterfeit world use to claim Jesus is only a good man and is not God. However, Jesus claimed to be God the Father in the flesh, “7 ‘If you had known Me, you would have known My Father also; from now on you know Him, and have seen Him.’ 8 Philip said to Him, ‘Lord, show us the Father, and it is enough for us.’ 9 Jesus said to him, ‘Have I been so long with you, and yet you have not come to know Me, Philip? He who has seen Me has seen the Father; how can you say, ‘Show us the Father’? 10 ‘Do you not believe that I am in the Father, and the Father is in Me? The words that I say to you I do not speak on My own initiative, but the Father abiding in Me does His works. 11 ‘Believe Me that I am in the Father and the Father is in Me; otherwise believe because of the works themselves.’” John 14:7-11 What an incredible conclusion to this quick discussion, which is part of a larger conversation, that Jesus has with the disciples! 

For us today, we can use the authentic to know and examine what comes before us and see if what they say is true or not. In the coming weeks, we will put to the test what key individuals are saying, and see how Jesus, Second in the Trinity, is in fact God in the flesh. So as we move forward buckle up, it is a going to be a wild ride! But do not worry, as we continue forward in our study identifying the enemy of God, we will also be seeing how God has given us everything we need to combat this spiritual overrun of our position and see what can be done with what is happening. We need not lose hope but rather stay laser focused on our Blessed Hope Jesus Christ and allow Him to lead us. 

Hold until relieved, our Blessed Hope is coming,

JL