SPEAKER_00 0:01

Well, how are we doing? One church, you guys doing all right? Yeah. Man, it is great to have you in the house today. If you're new, thank you for coming. It's great, great to have you here. Uh let's do something every week. There's people that join us online all around the world. And we're just so grateful. No matter where you're at in the world, we're just grateful you're here. One church, we let them know we love you wherever you're at. Grateful to have you. Well, um, this this week uh I'm gonna I'm gonna preach. Are you okay with that? Um, we're in a series that's called The One True King. And in this series, we've learned that Jesus is not merely one king among many kings. He he is the one true king. And Jesus doesn't share his throne, by the way. Uh it's his throne and his alone. It belongs to him. And he has ultimate authority on earth and in heaven, because he is supreme over all creation. If anybody believes that, let me hear you say, Amen. I got a few of you with me today. That's good. And so, in the end, here's what I believe. He alone gets the final word. Um we we talked about how the throne over the human heart, or each of our individual hearts, it's never empty. Um, there's always something in this world, some something or someone that's trying to occupy the place of ultimate authority over us and in us. And so this this week we're gonna talk about how the devil uh he's a liar. Did you guys know that? Can you say the devil's a liar? The devil's a liar. And he's he's very convincing. And um he wants to compete for our allegiance. Why? Because he ultimately wants to be worshiped. Um, he ultimately wants to be God. And so if you look back at Genesis 3, where it all started, uh Eve is approached by a serpent, and he gives this, like kind of, hey, did you know that um I can give you the knowledge of good and evil and you can be like God? And so that's that's what he was trying to sell us, is that I can be supreme as well, and I can give you more than what God has. And so that's what he wants. He wants to be supreme. And so he presents himself as an angel of light. That's that's what he does. And so here's what I believe. If Jesus is the king and he gets the final word, then what do we do when someone else comes along and preaches a counterfeit gospel? How do we stand on the truth of the gospel and who Jesus is in our own lives when the world is kind of a facade? There's a lie in the world, and there's so many things that are deceptive. How do we recognize and what do we look for? Like what happens when a preacher or a prophet or a spiritual leader uh or even an angel delivers a false gospel? How do we know? And so here's the thing about all of those their message always sounds right. It's like, it's like this this feels really spiritual. And they use familiar language, and they even mention Jesus, right? But they they change who Jesus is and they make the terms different of what he actually taught. And so they're they're giving a different gospel. So how how can we tell the difference between the real thing and a counterfeit? And so my message today is called counterfeit savior, counterfeit savior. And so we all know that counterfeits they exist, right, in the world. Have you guys ever seen a counterfeit course? Like they're they're everywhere. Fake designer clothes, fake, fake handbags, and fake uh, you know, watches, uh fake folklies, you know, for sunglasses. Uh and I I've seen many Nike shoes, and it looks like a little kid drew the Nike on there, right? They're the counterfeit. A counterfeit is an imitation of something that's valuable, that's deliberately made to deceive. Right? Nobody counterfeits what's worthless. Counterfeits copy something that is has value and and worth and it has authority because it's real, right? I remember there was a time that I went to uh Cambodia, and while I was there, I walked into a store that was like an electronic store, and they were selling Bose speakers. Mariah, you were you were there, you were with me. And so we went in to buy a Bose speaker, and I was like, I have to hear it in order to know that it's real. And he's like, No, no, no. And I said, Yes, if I don't get to hear it, I'm not gonna buy it. He said, no, no, no. And I said, you're gonna have to take it out of that box, plug it in for me to hear it, or I'm not buying it. No, no, no. And so finally he decides to do it. And I I listened to it, I'm like, that ain't real. That is a piece of junk. It sounds like crap, but I'm not buying it. And so uh when I decided not to buy it, and he had taken it out of the box, his thing was, take out a box, you buy it. Take out a box, you buy it. I said, no. And then he just I like turn around and I'm walking out of the store, and as I'm walking out of the store, he says to me, No good for you. No good for you. And he's like chasing me out the door. I'm like, what do you mean, no good for you? He goes, No good for you. He kept saying it over and over and over. So in my house, all the time, we say, no good for you, don't we? All the time. It's like no good for you. And so I I just remember going, that's it's not real, it's fake. And so it's it's the same thing in in spirituality. The most dangerous counterfeit is something that looks completely false. It's it's something that looks like it's almost true. It's like that's the thing that's a counterfeit in spirituality. And it's it's they use the right vocabulary, right? They say the name of Jesus, they even quote scripture, and it sounds incredibly like real and authentic. But underneath the familiar appearance, there's a different Jesus and a different gospel. And that's always been the strategy of the enemy. It's like close, right? The Bible warns us that in the end times, many will abandon the faith and follow deceptive spirits and things that are being taught by demons. And so that's wow, what what are we talking about? Well, it's probably not what you think. See, say Satan can't create anything, he can only distort what God has created. And so God gives truth, and Satan takes that truth and he he twists it. Right? God sends prophets and then Satan produces false prophets. Um, God gives us a Christ and Satan raises up an anti-Christ, anything that is opposed to Christ and hates Christ, right? So God gives the gospel and Satan offers a false gospel. And this was going on uh in in all of the New Testament, and I want to tell you how Paul addresses it in the churches of Galatia. Uh it says in Galatians 1, 6, I'm astonished. It's Paul looking at his people like, hey, I can't believe, like, I'm astonished that you are so quickly deserting the one who called you to live in the grace of Christ, and you're turning to what? A different gospel. How how do you believe in that? And then he says, which which is really no gospel at all. There's no gospel truth in it. You're just being deceived by this. He goes, I I can't, I can't, bro. Really? You're listening to that? I'm astonished. And so I have to say to you today that we we have to understand that the world hasn't changed. Um, the enemy is still the prince of this world momentarily. And behind every counterfeit gospel is a counterfeit spirit. And it's a spirit that's deceiving and it's a it's a lie. That's how the devil works. He surrounds us with fake impostors, which has a spirit attached to them, and it's the spirit of the Antichrist, right? And it's a counterfeit Christianity. So 2 Corinthians 11 says, for such men are false prophets. They're deceitful workmen. They're masquerading as apostles of Christ, right? They don't masquerade as someone evil, they masquerade as an apostle. And no wonder for why? Because Satan himself, what does he do? He masquerades as an angel of light. So it's not surprising then if his servants, his cronies, masquerade as servants of righteousness, right? So, like, have you ever thought about the fact that sometimes the most evil people are the ones that that are like acting, pretending like they're righteous and holy people, but they're really doing evil in the world, right? It says this about those kinds of people. Their end will be what their actions deserve. And so I don't know how you imagine the devil, and maybe you didn't wake up thinking, I just want to really learn about the devil today. But um most of us have been conditioned to think of him like, you know, a little red guy wearing red, and he's got a pitchfork, and there's usually some kind of evil music, you know, villain villain music played. But that's really not how he rolls. He's a smooth operator. How many of you just had a song go through your head? I know. And if you don't know that song, you're just young. You just too young for that. Made me age myself. So so he's just he's smooth, he's slick. He he masquerades as an angel of light. I like to call the devil a slick little sucker. Right? He he's acting, he's pretending. And he he plays the role of a king, but he's a counterfeit. Um he he is he is has some power. He's temporarily the prince of this world. And he and his minions are masquerading and pretending. They're you know, juking and jiving like they're superior to God, and like they have more than what God has. So so we we know that Satan is the father of lies, right? If he's talking, he's lying. So if you hear his voice, it's probably a deceptive spirit. And if he's operating, it's not operating in peace and tranquility, you're gonna find chaos and anarchy. That's the work of the devil. And and there's a lot of that in the world today, isn't there? Right? We we know that the Bible tells us that many will turn away from Christ and many will be deceived. And so I want to talk about that today. I want to talk about if the fact that Jesus is the one supreme king over all, where and how would the enemy deceive us? What would it look like? Well, first John 4 1 reminds us to not believe every spirit, but to test them. To test the spirits in the spirit. And so we we have to resist the schemes of the enemy, right? So we contend and fight against the spiritual forces of evil that are alive in the world today, right? So what does that what does that require of us? We have to ask God for wisdom. We have to ask God for his spirit of truth to guide us into all truth, right? And so I've I've been praying like crazy, um, like ever since 2020, right? And we were kind of told like the it's like the so many people's eyes were open, scales fell off. And I've just been praying, God, give me eyes to see and ears to hear. What is true and what is the lie in this world? What narratives are are not real, and what things do I need to understand about what you want me to know in the world? Has anybody here ever been sold to Bill of Goods? Like, like you signed up for something and you're like, I think this is gonna be awesome, but then you find out it's not that, and it was a different thing? Like maybe some of you uh were in a relationship and you start dating someone and they're like, you know, shiny and perfect, and you're like, you know, you're like googly eyes, and like, oh my, they're perfect. I love them so much. And then and then you realize, yeah, they're not that, and I've been lied to, and they're not the person that they said they were. Or maybe it was a job and you you wanted to work for somebody, you in the resume, you gave them resume, and you it was a dream job, and then you you like you think that the you know the interview couldn't have gone better, it was awesome, and then then you get to know them, and you're like, these people are corrupt. They're not they're not who they said they are. Um, have you ever heard the term familiarity breeds contempt? You ever heard that? Well, the idea of of that is that the more familiar you get with someone, uh the more that you're probably not gonna like them. You're you're gonna be contempt towards them. And I would submit that that's true when they are living in darkness. Right? If if their father is the devil and they are a liar, then the closer you get to them, the more you realize this guy's shady, there's all kinds of darkness around him, and the more I get to know him, the more I don't like him. But when you're a follower of Christ and you're led by the power of the Spirit, and the fruit of your life is gentleness, kindness, joy, love, patience, right? And and that's what pours out of you is peace, then guess what? For believers, familiarity should breed curiosity. It should make people go, I want what he's got. I want to be that kind of dad. I want to be that kind of husband. I I want people to be more like him because he is so much like Jesus. And so, as believers, familiarity should never breed contempt. It should breed curiosity. And so here's what I know evil forces are in the world today, and they were back 2,000 years ago when the Bible was written. And I'm here to tell you the spirit of Antichrist is in full force in our world today, right? There's anarchy, there's division, hatred, bitterness, slander, jealousy, there's lawlessness, and it's abounding everywhere, right? The spirit of Antichrist is a present reality. It was back then and it is today, right? There's still demons in the world, they're alive, and they're in the world to deceive. And so that we also know that there is a man of lawlessness that's coming. He's an eschatological figure that's gonna make himself known, he's gonna appear in the world, and he will deceive many. And I'm here to tell you that the spirit of Antichrist uh hates Jesus, it rejects Jesus, it rebels towards Jesus, and it's opposed to the truth of the gospel. Um, the Antichrist is a deceptive spirit to the core, and we know that when the Antichrist comes in person, that he will be given a counterfeit power. It says in 2 Thessalonians 2 this man will come to do the work of Satan with counterfeit power. And he'll have signs and miracles. So he's gonna razzle and dazzle. People are gonna be mesmerized by this man that will have some power. He will use every kind of evil, deception to fool those on their way to destruction because they refuse to love and accept the truth that would save them. Will you guys say this again? The devil's a liar. I hate him. You know what? He hates me too. We ain't homies. Um what I hate about him is that many of my friends have been deceived by him. I I've seen people that have been wrapped up in the way that the devil thinks, and their minds have have become a depraved mind, and they give themselves over to the ways of the world, and they walk in darkness, and they're on their way to destruction. Let me let me ask, do you know anybody that refuses to accept the truth that would save them? Anyone? Yeah, I think we all do. And my heart breaks for that. And when I look around the world and I think about the ways that the enemy deceives, a lot of times, unfortunately, it's done through religion. The religion um chokes and it constricts people to feel like they're not enough, that they don't live up. And so I want to talk about two religions that have done that. And I want to start in a verse that might surprise you. It's in Galatians chapter 1, and it says, But even if we or an angel from heaven should preach a gospel other than the one we preach to you, let him be eternally condemned. Now, if today an angel flew in here and landed on the stage beside me and stood here and preached a gospel to you with massive, beautiful wings, you might be like, that's pretty exceptional. Like, that was amazing. You won't believe what happened at church today. And we might have a tendency to go, I believe him. He flew, right? Well, the Bible tells us to not be deceived by an angel. And in fact, they they should be eternally condemned if they're preaching a gospel that's different than Jesus taught. And so let me be very clear. The truth of the gospel does not change. It's unchanging. I don't care who's preaching it, I don't care how pretty or slick that joker is, even if he's got wings, even if he can walk on water and raise the dead, if he's preaching about a different Jesus and a different gospel, then it's not truth. It's a fraudulent lie, and it's a fake counterfeit. And as believers, we have to call it out and let it not be deceived by it. And so, with that, it's important to recognize that there's two influential religious movements. One is Islam and one is Mormonism, and they started because they were approached by an angel. Did you know that? And so they wrote another gospel, besides the gospel that we have, and millions have been deceived by that. And today we're going there. I'm gonna preach about it. And so I want to say this very clearly as we start this message. I'm not here to attack Muslims, nor am I here to condemn and judge harshly and critically the latter-day saints. Uh that they are not our enemies. I love Muslims and I love Mormons. And I want to remind you that Jesus died for them because they're created in the image of God. But they've been deceived by a demonic spirit that came to them and they don't know it. And so if you have friends and coworkers and neighbors, family members in in either one of those religions, you should treat them with kindness and dignity and respect and listen to them carefully and love them deeply. I don't know if that's the devil that's choking me up, but I'm definitely getting choked up. The Bible calls us to love everyone with two things: grace and the truth. Grace and the truth. That's the beauty of the bride of Christ. We're a people whose conversation is full of grace, right? And it's seasoned with salt and truth. Overflowing with the grace of God, but also sharing and teaching the truth in love, right? And so did you know, did you know this? I don't know if you knew this, but we can disagree with one another without being hateful. And when I was growing up, we had this kind of dialogue. We would share about like, well, what is what is it that the Mormons believe? What how how did Islam get their beginnings and have these kinds of conversations? But it feels like the world is so charged with vitriol and hatred and division that it's like we can't even have the conversations anymore. And so the church has kind of gone silent. When I was being raised up uh in the church, we always called these things a cult. And we talked about why they're a cult, but we don't really say that anymore. And so I I've felt prompted by the Spirit to say, hey, we can't we can't allow the deceptions of the enemy of darkness that's deceiving millions of people to not be spoken about anymore. We have to speak about these things, you know, with truth in love. And so that that's my heart behind this today. I I if we believe that Jesus is the Savior of the world and the only way to the Father, and we don't share that with our neighbors and friends that are going to hell, then that's not love. It's not kindness. So we have to speak the truth in kindness and teach about the lies of the enemy and how he manipulates and twists truth. And so, with that being said, let's recognize that both Mormonism and Islam trace their beginnings from men who claim to have received a message through an angelic encounter, right? Let's talk about Joseph Smith. He claimed that an angel named Moroni appeared to him and told him about this ancient record that was written on gold plates. And so he he used these, what was called sear stones, and he took these stones. And and during the dictation process, he would like use these stones and put it on his head. And he apparently it gave him like divine assistance. And P.S. He also used those same stones in search of buried treasure, which I think I would probably do if I had those stones. Like, man, if I could find some gold and this will help me, I'm gonna do that. That's smart. Either way, he took these sear stones, and my my boy Joe, he wrote the Book of Mormon from this divine assistance, right? He claimed that that his church was the true church, and the gospel was being restored through him as a prophet. And so Mormons were made to believe that the Bible wasn't enough, that Jesus wasn't enough. You need another book and another person named Joseph Smith. Uh, and and the book of Mormon was was given to them, and it was adding to the scriptures. They use the same Christian uh vernacular and vocabulary, but but here's what they do: they they redefine the terms. And God, Jesus, revelation, authority, priesthood, all these terms change. And he also redefined salvation. And so that's that's what counterfeits do. Counterfeits are are they always borrow familiar language, right? So it's heretical to call themselves the church, the church of Jesus Christ, right? When when they're a counterfeit representation of Jesus. And I'm going to tell you something. Just because you put his name on it does not make you Christian, right? It's it's being led by the Spirit of God and the fruit in your life and the teachings are remained true to the gospel of Christ, right? And so our job when it comes to Mormons is to listen to them, to pray, to engage with them, to ask God, hey, would you teach me the truth that I can help them understand it? And it's wrapped in love, right? And so let's let's talk about Islam. Um this religion is the fastest growing religion in the world. There's no religion growing faster than Islam. And according to Islamic belief, Muhammad began receiving revelations in the seventh century through an angel, later called the angel Gabriel. Uh the first encounter was when he was, he withdrew from Mecca and went into the cave of Hera to meditate. And it was there that an angel appeared to him. Islam traditions describe this encounter as terrifying. Um he was seized, he was like pressed forcefully three different times, and this angel commanded him, this is what he said, to read in the name of your Lord who created. And that statement, read in the name of the Lord who created, is what Islam and Muslims regard as the beginnings of the Quran. It's like our Bible that says, in the beginning, God created the heavens and the earth. That's the beginnings of the Quran. And it's the foundation of Islam, and Muhammad claimed to be the final prophet. And Muhammad also claimed that he continued to receive these revelations from angels for 23 years. And those are where the writings of the Quran came from. So the Quran it does speak like respectfully about Jesus as a prophet, but it also rejects Jesus as the divine son. It also rejects the Trinity. And the Quran in 4157 says that Jesus was neither killed nor was he crucified. And so I'd like to remind us of something today that's found in the Word of God. It says in 1 Corinthians 15 that Christ died for our sins according to the Scriptures, that he was buried and he was raised on the third day. That's the shortest form of the gospel in the entire Bible. That is not just an the cross and the resurrection, they're not optional details, right? They're the very center of our belief. You remove the cross, and Jesus raised him from the dead, and that would mean that he is not the risen Savior of the world, right? So while Islam may honor Jesus as a prophet, Christianity claims he's way more than one of many prophets. There are not many gospels. There are not many saviors, there are not many roads that lead to heaven. Jesus said this in John 14: I am the way, the truth, and the life, and no one comes to the Father except through me. Acts 4. Salvation is found in no one else. So those statements, they're either true or they're a lie. And so I've always said about Jesus, he's either a liar, he's a lunatic, or he's the Lord of all. And so for me, I've landed on the truth that he wasn't lying and he wasn't crazy. He is actually the Lord of Lords and the King of Kings. So they can't mean that Jesus is one of many options among many. Colossians 1, we read it last week. It says it teaches that Jesus, everything was created through him and for him, that he is above and before all things, and that in him all things are held together. So let me be very clear. Jesus is the eternal Son of God, He's the crucified, risen Savior of the world, and He's the one true King that's above every King. Amen. Right? So so to believe anything else means that maybe you've been deceived by a counterfeit truth or a counterfeit gospel or a counterfeit savior. And so this week I had incredible privilege, ironically, to meet with this sweet lady. We've had, you know, we were trying to schedule and, you know, put off, and it was before my sabbatical, and then we got back. So, anyways, it finally happened this week that we got together. She's been attending our church for over a year, and she was raised Muslim. And because of her religion, uh she lives in complete fear and complete shame. Um she's experienced a lot of abuse, and she's had a very hard time in her family, and um she feels very condemned by her her family that she has left the Muslim faith to the point of threats. And so I as I tried to tell her that Jesus loves her and that He He has completely forgiven her of all of her sins and that she's pure and she's holy and she's righteous, and and that that's the truth of God's grace, she just cried and cried and cried. She couldn't believe it. And she didn't think that it was true. She's like, I just can't see, I can't think that that's true. And so as I explained that the you know, God's grace is sufficient for her, and it's actually enough, it's all she needs. And and then by the end of that like two-hour long talk, Ali and I we prayed over her and laid hands on her and just spoke blessings on her and the truth of God on her, and that anything that was a lie to be removed, and it was like a powerful anointed prayer. And at the end of that, she just couldn't stop crying. She was like, she couldn't talk, and she's like, nobody has ever prayed over me like that. She just felt so blessed by God, and the story was so beautiful because the reason she came to church at all here was because of her daughter. Her daughter fell in love with Jesus, started reading the Bible, couldn't get enough of it, and she absolutely loves our church. And so now this girl in her family has had a massive influence on the whole family, and they love coming here, and very soon her mama is gonna be baptized. Isn't that amazing? And as God would have it, of all weeks for me to meet with her, it was the week that I was gonna be preaching on Islam, and I was like, well, let me this is what I'm gonna say. What do you think? Should I say this? And I was talking to her about how to how to, you know, what do I leave out? What do I teach? And and I just felt confirmed from the Holy Spirit that no, you need to speak about, you need to teach about these truths. And so I know some of you are like, Blake, how does this apply to me? Why does it matter? Why does it matter? I I know many of you, you you never be, you know, deceived by the Book of Mormon. And many of you like, I I I'm not gonna read the Quran and and be convinced that it's true. But I might challenge us that that some of us have subscribed to our own gospel that we wrote for ourselves. And it it might not be an angel that approached you, but it might sound like it might sound like this. Like, I I know what the Bible says. I I know I know what the preacher preaches. I I I know I know all that, but you don't know my story. I I know Jesus says to forgive, but I don't know. You don't know what I've been through. You don't know what they did to me. I know Jesus says to remain sexually pure, but I mean that's kind of antiquated, isn't it? I you don't know my relationships, you don't you don't know what I've been through. I know Jesus says to be generous, but I mean, you how much do I really have to do? You should see my finances. I don't have a lot extra. I know Jesus says to love your enemy, but Pastor Blake, you haven't met my enemies. So we end up living our own truth and writing our own gospel. And you go, I I wasn't approached by a demon, and and I I would submit maybe you were. It's not much different than hearing from an the angel of darkness. Right? The source might be different, but anytime we give another voice, a greater voice than the voice of Jesus in the word of God, then you're being influenced from the world. And the Bible says do not love the world or anything in it. And we have this tendency to rewrite and redefine my gospel truth. And we do that every time that we place our own preferences above the written word of God in the scriptures, we do that every time that we don't submit to the authority of King Jesus. We decide, you know what, I'm the king of my castle. And sometimes we place on the throne of our own heart our own preferences and our own opinions and our own uh ideology and our own theology, and and instead of placing the rightful king to sit on the throne of our heart. Am I stepping on anybody's toes this morning? I think we have this tendency to believe my truth over God's truth. And so I I I just want to caution us to recognize that in this world, the devil wants us to have idols. And that can be all kinds of things. And so here's the basic understanding of what idolatry is here's God, here's you, and anything that's in between you and God can become an idol. If it has your affection and it has your time and it has your attention and it has your devotion, right? And it is more time, devotion, and energy towards those things than to God, then it's an idol in your life. And for some of you, that could be football. Can I say that? Some of you it could be Xbox, it could be an addiction, uh, some sort of um maybe it's a substance abuse or pornography. Anything that you're giving your affection to and attention to, and it's requiring worship, the devil wants that. He he wants you to ultimately worship him. C. S. Lewis said this in Mere Christianity. He said, Christianity is the story of how the rightful king has landed. So I want to ask you a question today, and only you can answer it. Has the rightful king landed as supreme and as ultimate authority over your heart and over your life? Or have you subscribed to a counterfeit? Church, I want to challenge us to stop pretending, stop masquerading. Either you are led by the Spirit or you're not. Either you're a true follower of Jesus or you're not. Either you're walking in the light of God or you're deceived by the darkness of this world. And so, how can we sing about Jesus as our Lord over all creation and ignore everything that he commands of us? Like we we can't worship him in public and be shiny and pretty and plastic and and reject him in private. He knows your heart, he knows your story, he knows what you've been through, and he loves you in spite of all of it, all the bad decisions we've made, all the people that we maybe shouldn't have been with. Like, I I just need to ask you, do you believe the truth of the gospel? And if so, have you subscribed to to deny yourself, take up your cross and follow Jesus? In case you don't know what the gospel truth is, can I just take a second and maybe remind you what the gospel truth is? Here it is. Jesus Christ is the eternal Son of God. He lived a sinless life that we could never live. He died for our sins on the cross, past, present, and future sins, and he did that in my place. I deserved to die, but he died for me as an atoning sacrifice for all mankind. He was buried, and he was dead, he was in the grave, but on the third day, he rose from the dead and he walked out of that grave. He ascended to his father in heaven and now sits at the right hand of God, and he reigns over every power, every authority, every king, and every nation. And one day soon he's gonna return as the King of Kings and the Lord of Lords as a conquering king. No angel can improve this gospel. There's no prophet that can replace this gospel, hell cannot stop that gospel, Rome could not bury the gospel because the tomb couldn't hold the king of kings. There is one Lord, there's one cross, there's one empty grave, and there's one name above every name by which we must be saved, and there's only one true king in his name, it's Jesus. It's Jesus. He alone is the king. So I'd like to ask you again: are you living a counterfeit spirituality? Are you faking it? Right? Are you not the real deal? Because the word of God says that if you're a counterfeit, that the Lord will spew you out of his mouth. He wants nothing to do. If you draw near to him with your lips, but your hearts are far from him, then you're a counterfeit. Are you following the wrong things in this world, a counterfeit savior and a counterfeit religion? Or would you say, no, no, I am a disciple of Jesus. I am an authentic follower of Christ. I have taken up my cross and I follow him. I'm willing to sacrifice my life. I've submitted to Christ, Lord, as my Savior, and I believe the truth of the gospel. Have you done that? Have you surrendered your life to the real authentic Jesus? Not the Jesus that maybe you made up, that's in your imagination, not the Jesus that you were sold in your upbringing or your preferences, but the actual crucified Son of God that you submit to as your personal Lord and Savior. Is it authentic? I don't know what you walked in here with today. Maybe some of you have been living for the world. Maybe you're walking in here with guilt and there's pain because of the sin in your life. Maybe some of you have been like in a religion that's beat you up and you've tried to earn your way to heaven and tried to, you know, somehow prove that you're good enough. Maybe religion has taught you to hide your sin and to polish your appearance, to look good on the outside, but on the inside, you know what's really happening. And maybe some of you today need to tell yourself, I've got to stop pretending. I've got to stop faking it. I've got to stop masquerading. Maybe it's time to simply believe, hey, maybe God's grace, Jesus died on the cross for me, and his grace is sufficient even for me. And maybe it's time to say, I'm done with this world, and I'm gonna believe and receive the truth of Christ Jesus. And I want him to be my king. Will you guys bow your heads and close your eyes? I know that in a room like this, many of you are going, man, I have been lied to. I haven't believed the truth of Jesus, and I I've been deceived, and I've lived for the wrong things. If that's you and you want prayer because you've been living for the world and deceived by the enemy, and you want to live for God, will you just raise your hand right now? We we want to pray for you. Raise your hands, there's hands everywhere.

SPEAKER_01 40:50

Yeah.

SPEAKER_00 40:51

I'd like to ask another question. Maybe some of you have never said, Jesus, I want you to be the Lord of my life. I I want you to be in control for the rest of my life. I want your Holy Spirit, I want to be baptized, I want to live for you forever. And if that's you right now, you want to receive Jesus as your Lord and Savior. Will you raise your hand high? I see you, sweet, sweetie.

SPEAKER_01 41:15

Praise God. I see you back here. Wow. I see you back in the back. Praise God. I see you over here. Wow. I see you too.

SPEAKER_00 41:28

Let's pray. Lord Jesus, we want to thank you for forgiving us of our sins. We praise you, Lord, for washing us clean and purifying us. We pray, Lord, that we would consecrate ourselves before you. That you would give us eyes to see and ears to hear of all the deception and darkness that's in this world. And may we rightly divide the truth. Father, we need you to do that. We need your spirit of truth to be alive inside of us in order to do that. And right now, we want to ask you to forgive us completely of all of our sins. We ask, Lord, that you would wash us clean. And we ask, Lord, that you would give us the power of your spirit to guide us the rest of our lives. Lord, thank you for dying on the cross. Thank you for being a beautiful example of what it looks like to live in the power of the Spirit. Lord, we we pray that we would imitate you, that we wouldn't be a counterfeit, but we'd be the real deal because we look and act like you. We speak like you. We think like you. We're giving your mind and your heart. Father, we pray that you would transform us from the inside out. And if there's anybody here that's just accepted you, I pray, Lord, that they would find godly friends, protect them from the enemy. I pray that you would give them a desire to study your word and to be baptized and to follow you the rest of their lives. We ask for protection over them. And I pray that if there's anyone in here that's been deceived by an evil demonic spirit, in the name of Jesus, we bind you and we cast you out. Your word says that who the Son sets free is free indeed. And I pray right now that shackles would break and people would walk in complete freedom over any demonic oppression or possession. In the name of Jesus, I pray that this house would be people that live according to your will and for your glory. That we would walk in power and authority that's not manufactured and it's not a counterfeit, it's the power of your Holy Spirit. Because we have nothing to fear, no one to fear, because you, Jesus, are the King of kings and the Lord of Lords. So we don't walk in stress and doubt and worry and anxiety. We walk in the confidence and the peace of God. Your shalom rests on this house. And so we walk, Lord, in a way that walks with authority and dominion over the earth. Because you, Holy Spirit, are alive inside of us. So, Father, we praise you for teaching us and reminding us that today. May we be ambassadors for the gospel, unashamed, to speak your truth with boldness and authority. In the name of Jesus, we pray. Everybody said, Amen. I love you, church.