Recognizing Counterfeits Week 3: Hearing the Voice of the True Shepherd

These are the notes from the 3 week counterfeit series, I taught on Wed night. Some of it may not make complete sense because they're notes...lol But most of the information is pretty good; I hope.

Theme Verse: "In order that Satan might not outwit us. For we are not unaware of his schemes.” ~2 Corinthians 2:11

How do we identify counterfeits? We Identify something false by putting it next to the truth. CS Lewis said, we know a crooked line by a straight line.

Thus, as is pertains to God. What is Truth according to the Bible.

Jesus said to him, “I am the way, the Truth, and the life. ~John 14:6

Sanctify them by the truth; your word is Truth. ~John 17:17

Your righteousness is an everlasting righteousness, And Your law is Truth. ~Psalm 119:142

So what does the Bible say about Jesus: Who is Jesus Christ?

Jesus is the King, Lord, and Messiah (Christ). He is the First and the Last. He is the Only Begotten Son of God, the Radiance of God’s Glory, the Exact Representation of His Being, the Image of the Invisible God, the Word, and the Word was God. The Word became Flesh and dwelt among us. From the patriarchs is traced the human ancestry of Christ, who is God over all, forever praised Amen.

(John 3:16, Rev 22:13, 1 Tim 6:15, Heb 1:3, Col 1:15, John 1:1,15, Rom 9:5)

So, if that is our measuring stick, by contrast, lets start by looking at what distortions have the world made about the character or nature of Christ? In others words......

Who do people say I am?

~ Mark 8:27

Who is Jesus Christ According to the World?

Every Possible Distortion That Can Exist Has and Has Been Suggested about Him

v He didn’t exist

v He wasn’t virgin born

v He was just man

v He was only spirit

v He was historical

v He was a mythical

v He was created; not eternal

v He was one of many sons

v He wasn’t a son; God has no sons

v He didn’t become Christ until his baptism

v He was highly evolved and enlightened

v He was a good moral teacher

v He was a philosopher

v He was a political activist

v He was a victim

v He was a rebel

v He was community organizer

v He was a miracle-working mystic

v He was a fraud and liar

v He was an insane lunatic

v He was demonic

v He was angelic

v He was Elijah or another prophet

v He was an alien (new age)

Those who don't know the Voice of the King...

Some Jewish men started going around trying to force out evil spirits by using the name of the Lord Jesus. They said to the spirits, "Come out in the name of that same Jesus that Paul preaches about!” Seven sons of a Jewish high priest named Sceva were doing this, when an evil spirit said to them, "I know Jesus! And I have heard about Paul. But who are you?” Then the man with the evil spirit jumped on them and beat them up. They ran out of the house, naked and bruised. ~ Acts 19:13-16

Those who do KNOW the Voice of the King

My sheep hear My voice, and I know them, and they follow Me. And I give them eternal life, and they shall never perish; neither shall anyone snatch them out of My hand. My Father, who has given them to Me, is greater than all; and no one is able to snatch them out of My Father’s hand. I and My Father are one.”
~ John 10:27-30 (NKJV)

I want to know Christ and the power of his resurrection
~Phil. 3:10 (NIV)

The "know" in all 3 of the verses is:

Know: Ginóskó (ghin-oce'-ko): to come to know, learn, understand, recognize, perceive, and feel; have full knowledge and understanding of; Jewish idiom for sexual intercourse between a man and a woman

This is a deep knowing, the highest possible kind of "know". This knowing is so deep that the ancients likened it how a husband knows a wife (ie Adam knew Eve KJV).

This is how God knows us, deeply, personally, intimately. Even the demons know God in a great degree and tremble. The question is do we want to KNOW him like that as well?

So who is this God-man Jesus, so paradoxical, a union of contrast.

He was the meekest and lowliest of all the sons of men. Yet, he spoke of coming on the clouds of heaven with the glory of God. He was so austere that evil spirits and demons cried out in terror at His coming. Yet He was so genial and winsome and approachable that the children loved to play with Him, and the little ones nestled in His arms. His presence at the innocent cheer of a village wedding was like the presence of sunshine. No-one was half so compassionate to sinners. Yet no-one ever spoke such red-hot scorching words about sin. A bruised reed He would not break, His whole life was love. Yet, on one occasion He demanded of the Pharisees how they ever expected to escape the damnation of hell. He was a dreamer of dreams and a seer of visions. Yet for sheer stark realism He has all of our self-styled realists soundly beaten. He was the servant of all, washing the disciples’ feet. Yet, masterfully He strode into the temple and the hucksters and the money changers fell over one another to get away from the mad rush and the fire they saw blazing in His eyes. He saved others. Yet at the last, Himself, He did not save. There is nothing in history like the union of contrast which confronts us in the gospels. The mystery of Jesus is the mystery of Divine Personality.

– James Stewart, Scottish theologian (1896-1990)

Then, end with a playing of "That My King" Video by Dr. SM Lockridge:

http://www.youtube.com/watch?v=yzqTFNfeDnE