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1 Corinthians - Part 29
"Testing The Spirituals"
Copyright 2003
by Pastor David Legge
All Rights Reserved
(Permission is granted to distribute this transcript in its entirety, with no alterations)
I Corinthians 12:1-3 |
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We're turning tonight to 1 Corinthians chapter 12. If you weren't at our last season of Bible Readings that ended in the month of June past, you won't know what has gone before us in this book - and I don't really have the time to explain all eleven chapters or so - but all of the tape recordings and studies of previous weeks last season are available in the Tape Room for your purchase or to borrow, and you can go up there tonight and get those off the folks in the tape room. Please do that so that you can fill yourself in with the background as to how we have been studying this book so far. We're looking tonight at the subject 'Testing The Spirituals', and we're only really focusing on the first three verses of chapter 12. So let's read them very carefully together, and we want to note every single word and phrase in these three verses.
Paul says: "Now concerning spiritual gifts, brethren, I would not have you ignorant". Now just note, before we go on any further, that that word 'gifts' is in italics: "Now concerning spiritual gifts, brethren, I would not have you to be ignorant". Now the Authorised Version that we all love and use in the fellowship here puts in italics words that are not in the original - that means words that are not in the Greek manuscript of the New Testament. The translators have added them in so that we might understand the meaning that may be missed. But there are times when these words could be better left out - I'm not suggesting that in this instance, but just note that that could be read like this: "Now concerning spirituals", spiritual things or spiritual manifestations, "brethren, I would not have you ignorant". Then verse 2: "Ye know that ye were Gentiles, carried away unto these dumb idols, even as ye were led. Wherefore I give you to understand, that no man speaking by the Spirit of God calleth Jesus accursed: and that no man can say that Jesus is the Lord, but by the Holy Ghost".
Then he goes on, as we'll see later on next week: "Now there are diversities of gifts, but the same Spirit. And there are differences of administrations, but the same Lord", and he begins to talk as to how the Lord, the Spirit, has gifted the body of the Lord Jesus Christ on the earth, the church of Jesus Christ, with many and varied gifts. We want to look tonight at the testing of the spirituals, or the testing of spiritual things or manifestations, or even spiritual gifts.
The city is London, the country of course, England, and the church is Trinity of Brompton. An Anglican Vicar, minister, stands at the front of the meeting and conducts a service where the parishioners, and I quote: 'become drunk in the Spirit'. They're so drunk and intoxicated and inebriated by the Holy Spirit, it is claimed, that there are designated drivers and taxi firms recommended to take these people home because they cannot leave themselves home in their cars. This is what's going on in England, indeed London, and parts of our own province of Ulster - and many folk are asking the question: 'What is this? What causes people to be so-called 'drunk in the Spirit'? What causes much of the charismatic phenomenon that we hear about, read about, or maybe even see in some of the mass meetings in our own land?'. Is it really the power of the Holy Spirit, as is claimed by prophets and preachers of this movement, or is it spiritual deception of the most diabolical kind?
The city is Toronto, the country is Canada, the church this time is the Vineyard Christian Fellowship. This time the Pastor, evangelical so-called, stands at the front of this gathering and oversees a gathering of grown men and women who act like lions, oxen, eagles, even warriors. It was called the 'Toronto Blessing', but since the Toronto Blessing there have been new phenomenon - one of which is that the fillings that you have in your teeth, those ordinary mercury fillings, God seems - it is claimed - to have changed, in these miraculous charismatic meetings, into gold fillings. Isn't it amazing that the Lord does these things? Is it the Lord who does these things? It's certainly claimed that the Lord does them, but we must ask the question: is this the work of the Holy Spirit of the living God, or is it the deception of the devil himself? Is it the power of God, as these prophets and preachers claim, upon the end-time church, to display and demonstrate that God is among us and that Christ is coming soon, or is it part of the end-time deception that the Lord Himself through the Spirit of God in His Word has told us will come upon the earth?
It's very difficult for some people to know, some people who are young in the faith - maybe even you, when you hear of believers whom you respect and know and love having spoken in tongues; being 'baptised in the Holy Spirit'; seeing miraculous powers administrated and manifested in men at mass meetings; prophetic utterances, so-called, that seem to be above all contradiction, even the contradiction of the word of God itself - even, believe it or not, the claim that men in our world today are raising the dead, people are physically rising from the grave because of their power. These men are apparently proving that, not only have they power equal to the apostles, but perhaps even they themselves claim to be apostles.
Now I would say, and I think many would agree with me, that of all the controversies that have hounded the modern church of Jesus Christ, few have dealt a more deadly and damaging blow than this one over spiritual gifts and the spirituals, spiritual manifestations that are claimed within the church of Jesus Christ. Why do I say that? Well, simply because I think little else has split churches in our age than this debate over the charismatic gifts. Whole denominations have been schismed and severed, even homes have been broken, ministries of godly men have been destroyed, men that we used to look up to - and many babes in Christ are being confused and led astray, the vulnerable, the gullible, the impressionable, ordinary men and women of the church are having their eyes wiped. Yet few subjects, as well, are more important than the subject of spiritual gifts. It's very interesting, isn't it, to note Satan's devices - and Paul has told us not to be ignorant of his devices. Satan never bothers with things that are unimportant, but he only makes counterfeits of things that are truth, things that are intrinsic and valuable, even the lifelines of the church of Jesus Christ - and of course, it's obvious to all of us who are Christians that the church needs spiritual gifts. Spiritual gifts are important to the livelihood of the body of Christ today on the earth, so what does Satan do? He comes in, and he knows the damage that counterfeit gifts will do to the witness of Jesus Christ on the earth today.
Let me just say before we go any further in our study tonight, and indeed in the subsequent studies that will look at these spiritual gifts in the weeks that lie ahead: we must beware that in our opposition to those things which are false, those things which are heretical - whatever label we put upon them - those things that are abjectly of the devil, or of the human spirit itself, or of hypnotics: we must be careful that we do not become anti-supernatural in our doctrine or stance. I want to say categorically, as a preface to everything that I will say upon these spiritual gifts in the weeks that lie ahead: God is still the God of miracles, and God's power did not die with the apostles! Praise God, we can sing heartily, and I can sing it with all the faith and belief in my heart: 'His touch has still its ancient power, no word from Him can fruitless fall'. I feel that sometimes in the conservative wing of evangelicalism, that we react to apostasy and heresy in such a way that we do a total knee-jerk reaction pendulum swing to the opposite extreme, and we're almost afraid to mention the Holy Spirit - the fullness, the unction, the power and the gifts of the Spirit - because of the abuse of many within the so-called church. Let us not make that mistake, let us say categorically that we believe in the Father, and the Son, and the Holy Spirit - that is the Holy Spirit of Pentecost, and we believe in that Pentecostal, Biblical power.
But of course, we have to also be aware of the age in which we live, and it would be a lie to say otherwise: that many in the church find it difficult to know what is truly of the Holy Spirit, what is right? What is Biblical? And more-so because we want to believe that God is able to do miraculous things, we want to believe in the God of the supernatural, so we're almost afraid to say anything about what cannot, obviously, be of God. People reason within themselves: 'Well, these people who are doing these things, and claiming these great tremendous miracles, they seem so loving, they seem so kind. He is so able in his exposition of the Scriptures, God seems to be blessing him or them, and - let's face it - there's little blessing anywhere else in this world or in this nation at this time!'. People feel, because of the kindness and the goodness of individuals, this must be true, because God seems to bless them this must be true!
Then on the other side of the coin there are Christians, and I think these are maybe in the majority, who are just plain complacent. To them it doesn't matter what's going on: 'These things really don't matter', I've heard it said, 'They're only secondary issues, they're not so important at all'. I think this is perhaps the most deadly of those two evils. One biblical commentator, Lensky, said: 'The worst forms of wickedness consist of perversions of the truth, of spiritual lies; although today many look upon these forms with indifference and regard them as harmless' - and that is the greatest harm of all, when you think that these things don't matter! That is why in our nation, in the West to a large extent, there are so many baby Christians - and you know what a baby does, or a toddler crawling around on the floor, they just lift anything within their reach and they put it into their mouth and they try to eat it. There is a total and utter lack of discernment within the church of Jesus Christ today in the West, especially within evangelicalism - and if Paul tells us to do anything, as he enters into this great discourse of several chapters to chapter 14 or so on spiritual gifts in the church, he tells us that we need to test the spirituals. We need to test spiritual things.
Is it, as many say, unimportant? Are these things secondary issues that don't really matter? Are we justified being indifferent and apathetic to what's going on in certain sections of our churches today? Well, Paul tells us in verse 1: 'Concerning spirituals, brethren, I would not have you to be ignorant'. Paul doesn't fall down on the side of saying these things are unimportant, in fact he implies that there is a knowledge there for Christians. Don't just say: 'Well, we can't really know whether certain things ought to be going on today or not. We can't really know whether this brother or that church, or this denomination or persuasion, is in truth or error - no one can tell us!' - Paul tells us that knowledge is available within the word of God! Not only is it available, but it's important: he says that he would not have us to be ignorant. It available, it is important, but it is imperative - this is almost a command of the great apostle: you must know these things, because if you remain ignorant of them you will be duped, you will be fooled, you will be deceived!
The Greek word for 'ignorant' in verse 1 is the word that we derive our English word 'agnostic' from. Don't get confused: 'agnostic' is not the same as an 'atheist'. An atheist is a person who claims not to believe there is a God, an agnostic is not someone who doesn't believe there is a God, just someone who says: 'Well, I don't know, I cannot prove it'. How many Christians are there today who are saying this with regard to many of the spiritual manifestations, gifts and phenomena, and things that are going on in our world today - they say: 'Well, we can't know! How do you know whether it's of God or not? Don't for one moment say it's not of God, because you might be guilty of committing the unpardonable sin!', they will say. So we all shut our mouths in fear of doing that!
That in itself is contrary to scripture, because Paul tells us in verse 1 that we can know categorically the important, available, imperative truth with regards to these things, these spiritual manifestations. Now I'll tell you, the Corinthians got a lot of things wrong as you will know if you've been studying with us these last 28 or 29 weeks or so. But even the Corinthians in all their error, in all their ignorance, in all their immaturity, recognise that there was knowledge to be had with regards to spiritual gifts - now how do we know that? Well, if you turn back to chapter 7 for a moment quickly, and verse 1 we find that Paul - you learnt this in previous weeks, but if you're new you need to know it - Paul is writing 1 Corinthians as a response to a letter that the believers in Corinth had already written to him asking him many questions. Verse 1 of chapter 7: 'Now concerning the things whereof ye wrote unto me: It is good for a man not to touch a woman' - and we dealt with that in previous weeks, that was one of the questions. But there were other questions, so you can almost assume that everything Paul answers in this epistle was a question raised by the church that they needed answers to. So they knew that there were problems!
Now here's some of the foundational facts that we must lay before we go any further in our studies of spiritual gifts: there were abuses and misuses of spiritual gifts in Paul's day. That is a fact, otherwise the Corinthians wouldn't have been asking any questions about it, otherwise they wouldn't have needed to be instructed by the great apostle. But for our notice, we need to see that if there were abuses and misuses of these spiritual things in Paul's day, how much more is there abuses and misuses of them in our day? And as it was vital for them to know how to test these spiritual things in their day, it is equally vital that we know it and how to do it today. Now here's the big question: do you know how to test the spirituals? Do you know how to test spiritual things? These great, magnificent, miraculous claims that many men and women make - do we know how to test these spiritual things? We're expected to! You say, 'I'm not expecting myself or anybody else to know, how can we know?'. Well, the New Testament expects us to know, and know how to know.
Turn with me to 1 John chapter 4 till I show you this from other apostolic lips, 1 John 4 and verse 1, and John says: 'Beloved, believe not every spirit, but try the spirits whether they are of God: because many false prophets are gone out into the world' - and because there are many false prophets in the world, we must try or test the spirits, the spiritual things to see whether they be of God. The implication is that there are spiritual things out there that are being portrayed as of God and of the church, by prophets, so-called, of the church, that are not of God - and we must try them, we must test them! You would think, to hear many people, that everybody out there was legitimate, that everybody out there was sent from God, that every prophetic word, every speaking in tongues, every healing, every rising from the dead was of God. Paul, and John is agreeing, is saying that every believer should be able to discern what spirit is of God and what is of the devil himself. So Paul begins to teach these Corinthian believers how they would know.
Here's the first way he teaches them: he teaches them to learn from their past, they need to learn from their past. Now look at verse 2 till we see where he's going. He says: 'Ye know that ye were Gentiles', or pagans, the word is 'ethnos', it could be translated various ways, 'You were pagans carried away unto these dumb idols, even as ye were led. Wherefore I give you to understand, that no man speaking by the Spirit of God calleth Jesus accursed'. Now if you've been following our studies in Corinthians up until now you will know that the Corinthians had succeeded in perverting almost everything that God had given to them. They'd made a mess of so much, yet here they come to this nature of spiritual gifts, the purpose of spiritual gifts, and the use of spiritual gifts, and they do exactly the same with that! They're misusing and abusing this great gift of God to the church. Now Paul is telling us in verse 2 that this, to a large extent, is due to the concepts, the ideas and practices that they had in their previous unconverted life. They, if you like, had dragged these ideas and practices with them into the church from their old pagan lives.
Now we found this within our study of this book, and I think if you're a Christian any length on the road of your pilgrimage with Christ, you'll know that most of the problems that we face in our Christian life and sanctification are problems that we have dragged with us from our old life into the new life in Christ - isn't that right? Things that we're holding onto and we don't want to let go of, and that's what Paul told them in 2 Corinthians chapter 6, he told them: 'What fellowship hath Christ with Belial, what communion hath light with darkness? You've got to let go of these old relics of your sinful pagan lives, because they're dragging you down in your new life in Christ'.
So although we read that they were rich, they were spiritually gifted, if you look at chapter 1 and verse 7 just to refresh your memory, Paul told them: 'So that ye come behind in no gift' - you could say they were extremely charismatic in their gifts. But yet in all those things they lacked understanding, they lacked the knowledge that Paul was about to bring to them, and he wants them now to learn from their past and see that they cannot drag the old practices of their pagan lifestyle into the church and the operation of God's Spirit within it. You've got to understand a bit of their background. The pagan culture of Greece and Rome that many of these people were saved out of were part of what was commonly called 'the mystery religions'. In Paul's time they had dominated for thousands upon thousands of years, and indirectly in the future days ahead of Paul they would dominate much of the Western culture through the Middle Ages and, believe it or not, right up to today within some of our religious systems in our time. These mystery religions came in many shapes and forms and variations, but we know from the word of God that they had one common, ultimate source: read from the very beginning, from the fall of man just after creation, right to the end of time, we find these mystery religions raising their head.
Let me show you this, working backwards, turn with me to Revelation 17 for a moment. What John writes here is what he has seen in a vision concerning the final form of this evil mystery religious system, and indeed God's judgment of it. In chapter 17 verse 1 we read: 'And there came one of the seven angels which had the seven vials, and talked with me, saying unto me, Come hither; I will shew unto thee the judgment of the great whore that sitteth upon many waters', verse 5, 'And upon her forehead', this great whore, 'was a name written, MYSTERY, BABYLON THE GREAT, THE MOTHER OF HARLOTS AND ABOMINATIONS OF THE EARTH'. As you read that chapter you find that this whore, this harlot, this abomination, 'BABYLON' it is called, is the spirit of religion that has been right throughout the whole ages and which is coming into fruition in the final one-world religion - a pluralistic religious system, and God at the very end of time is judging it as He has done from the beginning of time right throughout the whole of the earth's era.
Let me show you where it all began - we don't have time to look at these verses - but if you cast your mind back to the fall of man, and you remember the first murderer, Cain, and he came to worship God in his own way - he was the first false worshipper that ever existed in humanity. You remember Abel brought the sacrifice of a slain lamb, but Cain brought the fruit of the ground - he was a farmer, and he worshipped God in his own way, by the work of his own hands. Later on, as we come through the book of Genesis, we find that that religious false mystery system becomes more organised, and humanity gets together in Genesis chapter 10 and they build a tower called the tower of Babel, and they call the top of that tower 'heaven' - and they long to, as it were, storm and lambast heaven itself by their own efforts and their own means, and worship God and found their own religion.
Incidentally 'Babel' is the word that we get 'Babylon' from - away back in Babel this Babylonish system, this mysterious religious system was in embryo and Satan was beginning to give it birth, and it would last right throughout all of time; it is here with us today in Romanism and in every false religious system, and one day it will be judged. In Babel times, at the tower of Babel, it was under the leadership of proud and apostate Nimrod who planned to storm heaven to unify the powers of humanity in a great world wide system of worship. It is from that system, headed by Nimrod, that every single false religion has sprung right down through the history of time. Now you know, if you know your book of Genesis, that God's judgment frustrated man's plans. It says that He scattered these people all over the world as different nations, He confused them and give them many languages that we have with us today. But even from that point, that false mysterious religion was scattered right across the face of the earth. We find that Nimrod's wife, whose name was Semiramis, became the high priestess of this Babylonish religion. She is known right throughout all of the history of religion as the founder of the false religious mysterious system. Right from the moment that the tower of Babel was destroyed, and this multiplicity of languages developed, she was worshipped by many of the nations of the world as the founder of all mystery religions.
Now let me just prove that to you, I don't have time to go into it all, but she's worshipped as a goddess under many different names. She's worshipped as Isshar of Syria, Astarte of Phoenicia, Isis of Egypt, Aphrodite of Greece, Venus of Rome. Her son Tammuz is also worshipped under many many names in different cultures and religions, but he also came to be deified like her under various names - and one way you can recognise the worship of Semiramis and Tammuz is throughout many of the cultures of the world in the 'mother and the son' religion. Sure that rings a lot of bells - but it's not just Roman Catholicism that worship the Virgin Mary and the Child Jesus, but you find it throughout non-Christian religious systems because it stemmed right from the very beginning, from the fall of the tower of Babel.
Let me just say as a footnote, that celebrations that are in Christendom today - many of them stem from this Babylonish religious systems. You'll never find Lent mentioned in the Bible, well, not with regards to Easter or Christianity - but you will find it in Ezekiel chapter 8 and verse 14, as women came to mourn and to fast the death of Tammuz for 40 days - that's where it comes from! There are other traditions within so-called established Christianity that derive themselves from mystery religion. You've heard of baptismal regeneration - not believer's baptism, where a person repents of their sins and comes to faith in the Lord Jesus Christ - but when a child is baptised, and the minister or the vicar or the priest baptising them claims that they are now a member of the church, they have been born-again through water baptism, that comes from water baptismal rites in mystery religion. Many poor souls mutilate themselves, flagellate themselves, whip themselves, cut themselves, climb up mountains on their knees and their hands, fall on their faces, do all sorts of grotesque inhumane things to their own bodies in order to atone for their sins and gain grace and favour with God - and all of those hateful things in the eyes of God come from mystery religion, come from the fall right at the very beginning in Babel. Pilgrimages, penance for forgiveness of sins for your own sins and for the sins of others, paying money, lighting candles - you name it, it all comes from this mysterious religious system!
Now, why am I telling you all this? I'm telling you this so that you might know that Satan, even in the New Testament church through the mysterious religious systems that were once a part of these unconverted Corinthian's lives, was now dragging these influences into the church of Corinth - just as he is dragging them into the church today! He is duping men and women through ecumenism, the evangelical romance with Rome, through the charismatic movement and many of the false gifts that are claimed among them, through the cults, through other false religions that do not claim the name of Christ - we could go on and on and on - but we need to be aware as Christians, and I'll tell you most of the church in our nation is ignorant to this fact! The prophet said nothing is new under the sun, and mystery religion may wear new clothes, may take new denominational names, but at the end of the day it's the same old character: Satan, dressed up in different garb.
Let me just recommend a book before I go on any further, called 'The Two Babylons', and it's written by a man called Alexander Hislop. It might be very hard to get these days - you might have to ask for it from under the counter, because people would be ashamed to keep it! - but it tells you how established religious systems, specifically the Romanish system derives right back to the very first Babylon in the book of Genesis. Why not get it and read about all these things?
One thing that had come into the church of Corinth was that these people were getting saved from these pagan backgrounds, some of them may have been priests in their old pagan temples. We know some of them were giving sacrifices, some of them may have been ritualistic prostitutes, and they were bringing their influences into the church: one of which was felt to be the highest experience possible, and it was simply called 'ecstasy'. It was believed to be the human spirit and soul being caught up into the very presence of God, into an ecstatic union that was second to none, and we believe that there were those in Corinth who were coming under these influences. It was considered to be the highest expression of religious experience - now, Paul says: 'You be very careful that you are not dragging something from your pagan past into the church of Jesus Christ and counterfeiting it to be one of the Holy Ghost's gifts'.
So that's the first way we can recognise what is of God and what is not of God: if it stems and shows any characteristics of mystery religion, we must reject it categorically. He told them to learn from their past, now he tells them to discern for their future. Look with me at verse 3, he says: 'Wherefore I give you to understand, that no man speaking by the Spirit of God calleth Jesus accursed: and that no man can say that Jesus is the Lord, but by the Holy Ghost'. Now turn with me for a moment to Ephesians chapter 4, because we need to understand what the purpose was in the Lord Jesus giving the spiritual gifts to the church. Ephesians 4 verse 11, it says: 'He gave some, apostles', not all, 'some, prophets; and some, evangelists; and some, pastors and teachers; for the perfecting of the saints', there's one reason, 'for the work of the ministry', another, 'for the edifying of the body of Christ: Till we all come in the unity of the faith, and of the knowledge of the Son of God, unto a perfect man, unto the measure of the stature of the fulness of Christ'.
The Lord Jesus is mentioned there, I think, three times - verse 12 'the body of Christ', 'the knowledge of the Son of God', and 'the stature of the fullness of Christ' - what Paul is telling us, the reason why the gifts are given to the church, is so that God's people might be built up into the image of the Lord Jesus Christ. That's what we're called, isn't it? The body of Christ. So the gifts are given, of course the Holy Spirit indwells each individual believer, but He indwells the church at large. Individually, as we come together, we end up making corporately the church which is meant to present Jesus Christ to the world. It's not just a representatory thing, but the spiritual gifts are the Lord's primary channel whereby He lives through us and portrays His life to the world: Christ to the world is seen by the spiritual gifts working in the church.
Spiritual gifts, if you like, are nothing but the characteristics of the Lord Jesus Christ that He is sending down from heaven through His people through the church to the world around. He is being manifest in His body by these spiritual gifts. So you must see that, that's the first thing that's so important: the purpose of spiritual gifts, chiefly, is that Christ may be seen, that Christ may be exalted, that Christ may be glorified, and Christ's characteristics and person may be portrayed.
Now in the light of that let's look at two ways that Paul tells these believers to discern for the future what is of God and what is not of God. I hope you're following all this. The first is a negative test, I've called it 'anathema Jesus'. The second is a positive test, which I've called 'the lordship of Jesus'. Let's look at the negative first in verse 3: 'no man speaking by the Spirit of God calleth Jesus accursed'. In your margin, if you have a good marginal reference Bible, you will see the word is 'anathema'. No man can say 'anathema Jesus' - 'anathema' simply means 'accursed' - 'Jesus be accursed' if he has the Spirit of God within him. He cannot say that by the Spirit. Now the inference here is that some of these people in Corinth had become so carnal in their thoughts, and so confused in their spiritual understanding, and their worship was so pagan from their past and had become so fanatical, that they were actually allowing people in the meeting to stand up and say 'anathema Jesus', 'cursed be the name of Jesus'! You would think nothing would be more obvious to be heresy and to be false doctrine and of a wrong spirit than that, but here is a lesson for us all! These believers had fallen back so deeply into their ecstasy, into their false enthusiasm and fanaticism, that their judgment had become completely warped. They got themselves into a theological frenzy, where they couldn't even decipher and discern what was such obvious error in the church as a man saying: 'Jesus be accursed'.
You might say, 'Is that possible?'. I tell you, that is what happens when men and women lay aside the word of God for their own revelation. As long as it happens in a church, for some people that's enough; as long as the person standing at the front claiming these things says he's a Christian, is a fine upstanding citizen, can quote verses, can use the language - that's all that matters! The spirits are not tested, even when a man says Jesus be cursed! You might say, 'Now come on, how can that happen?'. Well, there might be a number of reasons how it could have happened. It may have been a Jewish man, or men or women, who were saying 'anathema Jesus' simply because - if you're familiar with the Old Testament law, Deuteronomy 21:23 tells us 'cursed is everyone that hangeth upon a tree'. The Jews reckoned that the Lord Jesus Christ, as a man, must have been cursed of God to undergo the humiliation and the cursing of Calvary, and so this was a great clarion cry of Judaism against early Christianity: 'anathema Jesus! Jesus must be cursed of God to be hung on a tree!'. In fact in Acts 26 and verse 11 it says that Paul, giving his testimony of when he was Saul before his conversion, actually tried to goad believers into blaspheming, and the likelihood was he was trying to get them to say: 'anathema Jesus'.
Now you can almost imagine this in a meeting tonight, just like our own, in early Palestine. Christianity is only coming into fruition, it's birthing, and there are Jews maybe in the synagogue, and a man is up preaching about Jesus being the Messiah - and all of a sudden a zealous Jew stands to his feet and says 'anathema Jesus! Jesus be cursed! Jesus was cursed on the cross!'. And then a zealous Christians stands up and says 'Jesus is Lord!' - that could have been what has happened. But I think certainly more than likely there is another reason and another answer to how this may have come about in the church, because we know and have cited this in the past, that during first century early developing Christianity there were also many heresies developing as well, most of which we still have with us today in one form or another. One was early developing Gnosticism that was a great threat to Christianity - don't be afraid of that big word! Gnosticism was many things, but one thing it believed in was that everything physical was evil - matter is evil, this pulpit is evil, my shirt, the floor, the organ, anything that you can touch is evil. Our bodies are evil, this world is evil, the universe; but the spiritual realm is good and perfect and righteous - this is how they reasoned. So physical things are evil, but spiritual supernatural things are good, and you understand how people then demonised sexual relationships and so on as we've seen already in this book. But they took that into Christianity, and they started to reason like this: 'OK, the spiritual Christ, the Son of God, the Word of God; He is good and all-perfect, but the man Jesus, His bodily matter is evil because all matter is evil'. They sort of split the person of Christ into two: the man Jesus, and the spiritual Christ - and they said that He became Christ at His baptism, and it was the man Jesus that died, not the Son of God.
Origen, one of the early church fathers, tells us in the early third century that there was a sect called the Offites (sp?), they were a Gnostic sect, and they demanded that utterance from those who joined them - what was it? 'Anathema Jesus!'. That's what you had to say - now it wasn't that they were against Christ, in fact they were for Christ, but it was 'Jesus', it was the other personality they saw in Christ that they detested because He was a human being, He was a man made of flesh and blood. That's why they didn't believe in the resurrection either - why would you want your body resurrected if you thought that it was evil? You'd be glad to get out of your body! That's why Paul in chapter 15 of this book vehemently defends apologetically the fact that we will rise from the grave in our bodies.
Just look at verse 22 of chapter 16 for a moment, because this clears it for us, Paul says: 'The person who does not love Jesus is the one who is accursed'! These Gnostics were saying 'Cursed be the human Jesus', but Paul says in verse 22 of chapter 16: 'If any man love not', significantly, 'the Lord Jesus Christ, let him be Anathema'. Do you see it?
Now I must move on, this heresy obviously plagued the church for many years because we read in 2 Corinthians 11:3-4 that Paul was accusing them of departing from the simplicity that was in Christ, that word 'simplicity' could be translated 'singleness' or 'oneness' - they were trying to part the unity of Jesus Christ, and say that Jesus was the man and Christ was the spirit, that Jesus was sinful and Christ was perfect. Now, here we're getting to the crux of it: what is the negative test of false spiritual gifts and false spirits? Here it is simply: the first test of a spiritual gift is doctrinal. If a person holds a derogatory view of Jesus Christ then what he says and what he does is not of God. Did you get that? If he holds a derogatory view of Jesus Christ, what he says and what he does is not of God - and we should always compare men's teaching and practice with God's word, that's the test of it's being of the Holy Spirit. To be sure that something is spiritual is to be sure that it's scriptural. Is it not true that if it agrees with Scripture you don't need a new revelation, and if it doesn't agree with Scripture it's obviously not a revelation of God in the first place?
Now my friends, that's so important, it's so elementary and so simple, but oh how important it is! Don't you listen to anyone, no matter who they are or what they claim, if they denigrate the humanity or the Deity of Jesus Christ the Lord! For no man can say 'Jesus anathema' if he has the Spirit of God. There's the negative test, now the positive: the lordship of Jesus. Now, maybe you've been confused as many have in a casual reading of verse 3: 'No man can say that Jesus is the Lord, but by the Holy Ghost'. Does that mean that if Tom, Dick or Harry just comes out with 'Jesus is Lord' that he's saying it by the Holy Spirit? Of course that's not what it means, the Lord Himself said in Matthew 7:22: 'Many on the day of judgment will say, Lord, Lord, have we not prophesied in thy name? cast out demons? done many miraculous works? And the Lord will say, Depart from me ye cursed, I never knew you'. This is not just a confession, it is more than that: it is affirming who Jesus Christ really is, His person - but it's further on than that, it's actually affirming His Lordship in the life, in your life! Affirming what He says, but more: obeying what He has told us to do, His commands.
Did Jesus not say Himself: 'Why call ye me Lord, and do not the things which I say?'. You've got to esteem Him doctrinally as Lord, but you've got to be walking in His Lordship. The word for 'Lord' in the Greek is 'curios' (sp?), and it implies Deity, it implies that Jesus is God. Now this word 'curios' in the Old Testament, it's counterpart was 'Adoni' - it was a term of respect, it could be used of judges and important presidents and people in society. But the Jews, you may know, considered God's name 'Yahweh' or 'Jehovah' so sacred that they would never even name it with their lips, so they substituted 'Jehovah' with 'Adoni' - and 'Adoni' became a synonym of God. That has been transported into the New Testament, whereby the church of Jesus Christ started to see this word 'curios' not just as a statement of reverence or respect, but as the very name of Almighty God. So when they were saying 'Jesus is Lord', they were saying 'Jesus is God'.
The positive test is whether or not you believe that Jesus Christ is very God of very God. The Gnostics may have been able to confess Christ as Lord, that spiritual being, but they could never say 'Jesus is Lord'. They could not say with Thomas 'My Lord and my God' - and I'll tell you this: if anybody comes to your door, if anybody comes to the Odyssey or the Ulster Hall and does not say or cannot say 'Jesus is Lord and God', reject them for they are not of God's Spirit! There's the test, here's another one: 'Jesus is Lord' implies His divine sovereign authority. Do you know that the word 'Lord' for Jesus is mentioned over 700 times in the New Testament? Do you know how many times 'Saviour' is mentioned? Under ten! Does that not make us sit up and note that the lordship of Christ is extremely important? His sovereignty, the fact that this must be central to our faith, and an affirmation of the work of the Spirit in our lives must be evidenced in how Christ is reigning in your life and your walk. If anything this epistle is the epistle of the lordship of Jesus Christ: we are called to book to recognise His absolute authority over our hearts and lives.
Here's the test: the gifts of the Spirit will be seen to be of God if a man bows to the lordship of Jesus Christ. What a person truly believes about Jesus Christ is the test of whether or not what he teaches and does is by the Holy Spirit, but what he does in the name of Christ is also a test as well! Now here's the great question - I love the simplicity of the word of God, maybe you think I'm making it all complicated! But I'm trying to get to the end of it all, and it's this: the bottom line to know whether the thing is of the Spirit of God or the spirit of mystery religions from the devil and the pit of hell itself is this - what think ye of Christ? I'll tell you, when those boys in suits come to my door I don't ask them about soul sleep, I don't ask them about the millennial reign, I don't ask them about the book of Mormon, I ask them: what think ye of Christ?
I wish I had time, I could show you how the Holy Spirit of the New Testament always leads men to ascribe the lordship of Jesus Christ as one indivisible divine person to be obeyed completely, the Father ascribes it, the Son ascribes it Himself, the Holy Spirit ascribes it - and the Holy Spirit in His word claims to be the One who will lead men to recognise the true nature of Christ and show them the glory of Jesus Christ! Anyone who detracts or degenerates from the Lord Jesus Christ His glory, His attributes, His person, His work, His word, is not of God.
Let's spend five minutes or so - will you give me five minutes? Will you? - what do the false religions and the cults do and say about the Lord Jesus? Do they glorify Him? What about Islam that we hear so much about? You would think that the BBC must have adopted it as their national religion now, it can do no wrong! What do they say? They say that Christ is a prophet, but He is not the Son of God. They denigrate Him, He is not Lord, He is not God! Judaism says He is an impostor - some of the sympathetic ones might say 'Oh, well, maybe He's a prophet', but that's all He is, He's not Messiah. Rome dethrones the divine Christ and replaces Him with the Virgin as a co-redemptress, and you've got to come through her to the angry Jesus to get your sins half forgiven! Christian Science says that Christ is not a person, but He's a divine ideal that we all ascribe to. Spiritualism says that Christ is not divine, He is an advanced spirit in the sixth sphere - wherever that is! Jehovah's Witnesses say the man Jesus is dead forever, He will never rise again, He will never live again. Mormonism says He is the Son of Adam. Liberal theology says He is only an idyllic figure, He is the flower of humanity - OK, He's the world's greatest ethical teacher, but they do not ascribe Him as Lord, as God, as having sovereign authority in the universe and in His church! I'll tell you, there's some in the charismatic movement that we'll be touching on in days that lie ahead, Kenneth Copeland says that the blood of Christ when it was shed did not atone for sin. He said Christ's nature - now mark this one, you know where Paul says in 2 Corinthians He was made sin for us? - he says that Christ's nature turned from a perfect nature on the cross to a demonic nature! Joyce Meyer, who many folk were flocking to see and hear, believes that Jesus went to hell in the three days of his burial, and there He was born-again like you or me. The Bible says you have to be dead in your trespasses and your sins to be born again!
My dear friends, we could go on and on and on - what about the financial escapades, are they walking in the ways of Christ? Or are they making merchandise out of the people of God? Let us exalt the Lord Jesus Christ as ever we did, and more, for He is worthy to be exalted! The book of Hebrews says He is greater than angels, He is greater than Moses, He is greater than Aaron. He has brought to us a better covenant, a superior sanctuary, a satisfying sacrifice - and for that reason God says to His Son in chapter 1 of Hebrews verse 8: 'Thy throne, O God, is forever and ever'!.
I say this: damn all those who are the enemies of Christ, because Scripture says He is Lord! My dear friend, He is the Lord from heaven, He is the Lord of glory, He is the Lord of hosts, He is the Lord of the dead and of the living, He is the Lord of the whole earth, He is the Lord of all - He is the King of kings, and He is the Lord of lords!
Let me read this to you in closing from the great puritan John Owen, who was a theologian and the chaplain at one time of Oliver Cromwell. He makes a sublime comment on Christ's exaltation and lordship of the church, and he lists eleven of His glories, and there are many more - but in part he says this...I know I've gone over my time, but it's worth it, is it not? Listen: "Thus is he glorious in his throne, which is at 'the right hand of the majesty on high'; glorious in his commission, which is 'all power in heaven and on earth'; glorious in his name, a name above every name, 'Lord of lords, and King of kings'; glorious in his sceptre, a sceptre of righteousness is the sceptre of his kingdom; glorious in his attendants, his chariots are 20,000, even thousands of angels, among them he rideth in the heavens and sendeth out the voice of his strength, attended with 10,000 times 10,000 of his holy ones; glorious in his subjects, all creatures in heaven and in earth, nothing is left that is not put in subjection to him; glorious in his way of rule, and the administration of his kingdom, full of sweetness, efficacy, power, serenity, holiness, righteousness, and grace, in and towards his elect, - of terror, vengeance, and certain destruction towards the rebellious angels and men; glorious in the issue of his kingdom, when every knee shall bow before him, and all shall stand before his judgment seat. And what a little portion of his glory is it that we have pointed to! This is the beloved of the church, its head, its husband; this is he with whom we have communion".
Here is the question: what communion hath such light with darkness?
Father, we thank Thee that He is Lord, He is risen from the dead and He is Lord, and one day every knee shall bow with all of His enemies, and every tongue confess that He is Lord to Thy glory. But Lord, in the time that remains may we glorify Him with every fibre of our being, and may we oppose all ungodliness even that comes in the name of Christ that would denigrate His marvellous, wonderful name. In His name we come to Thee in prayer because He has died for us, He has risen for us and intercedes and He is coming for us. We praise Thee for that day when we will be united with Him, and Lord we pray that we will now go with His blessing in the name of our Lord Jesus Christ, Amen.
Don't miss Part 30 of the 1 Corinthians study series: "The Origin And Intention Of Spiritual Gifts"
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Transcribed by:
Andrew Watkins
Preach The Word.
November 2003
www.preachtheword.com
info@preachtheword.com
This sermon was delivered at The Iron Hall Assembly in Belfast, Northern Ireland, by Pastor David Legge. It was transcribed from the twenty-ninth tape in his 1 Corinthians series, titled "Testing The Spirituals" - Transcribed by Andrew Watkins, Preach The Word.
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