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The difference between counterfeit faith and true faith is the FOCUS. Satan's focus was on himself. It's pride and selfishness. All false religions come from satan and he capitalizes on our sinful nature to focus on ourselves. He tempted Eve with "You will be like God". (Genesis 3:5). He told Eve that if she ate the fruit (disobeyed) God she would get something good out of it for herself. Selfishness and pride.
This is what satan said in his heart:
‘I will ascend to heaven;
above the stars of God
I will set my throne on high;
I will sit on the mount of assembly
in the far reaches of the north;
I will ascend above the heights of the clouds;
I will make myself like the Most High.’(Isaiah 14:13-14)
I will, I will, I will, I will, I will; five times satan is recorded as mulling over what he will do and what he will get. He has been on a tear ever since, telling us through false religion what we can do and what we can get (if we disobey God).
I will, I will, I will, I will, I will...
Yet Jesus prayed:
Nevertheless, not my will, but yours, be done. (Luke 22:42b)
God's will. The focus is on Him, His Son, and His Spirit. What we can do for Him, to Him, about Him, through Him, and by Him- so He can get the glory.
Do not be fooled by satan's tricks. As the late Adrian Rogers said in his sermon "Counterfeit Christianity-"
Our focus should always be on precious Jesus, as it says in Hebrews 12:2
looking to Jesus, the founder and perfecter of our faith, who for the joy that was set before him endured the cross, despising the shame, and is seated at the right hand of the throne of God.
This is what satan said in his heart:
‘I will ascend to heaven;
above the stars of God
I will set my throne on high;
I will sit on the mount of assembly
in the far reaches of the north;
I will ascend above the heights of the clouds;
I will make myself like the Most High.’(Isaiah 14:13-14)
I will, I will, I will, I will, I will; five times satan is recorded as mulling over what he will do and what he will get. He has been on a tear ever since, telling us through false religion what we can do and what we can get (if we disobey God).
I will, I will, I will, I will, I will...
Yet Jesus prayed:
Nevertheless, not my will, but yours, be done. (Luke 22:42b)
God's will. The focus is on Him, His Son, and His Spirit. What we can do for Him, to Him, about Him, through Him, and by Him- so He can get the glory.
One of Satan’s chief tools in his bag of tricks is religion. The very first temptation in the Garden of Eden was a religious temptation; it was a temptation not to be ungodly, but to be godly “and ye shall be as gods”. (Genesis 3:1-5)It's a very good sermon, please take a listen. The part when he describes people who have falsely depended on a spiritual experience for their faith and not the Person of Faith (Jesus), and they try to convince God to let them enter heaven, is devastating. "But, but I had a vision, I was engulfed in light, I saw heaven..." Satan standing aside saying, "You fool, that was me."
Our focus should always be on precious Jesus, as it says in Hebrews 12:2
looking to Jesus, the founder and perfecter of our faith, who for the joy that was set before him endured the cross, despising the shame, and is seated at the right hand of the throne of God.
A few years back I met two different older men whom both shared similar, yet different stories with me. Both men were dealing with a time of crises in their lives, and both men reported to me of experiencing some sort of light. These stories were the result of me initiating the gospel message with each of them.
ReplyDeleteOne of the men mentioned something about his Catholic faith if I recall properly, and most of us know on this blog the serious doctrinal errors concerning the Catholic Church.
As the other older man shared with me, I cordially said to him “wait a moment, let me get something that I wrote out of my vehicle”. After retrieving one of my gospel tracts , I then gave it to him. The title page of the tract read, “The Light At The End Of The Tunnel Is An On Rushing Freight Train” (The TRUE Gospel Explained In The Pages Of The Tract - As Well As My Loving Preaching To Him)
After listening to the posted video by the late Brother Adrian Rogers - “Counterfeit Christianity”, I was drawn back to the false assurances that many people cling to, as I witnessed first hand many of times in my evangelistic efforts. Folks, you had better get it right lest you end up in hell!
Rick
Metro Atlanta
Romans !0: 9-13
My favorite pastor’s site: www.gty.org
Hey Elizabeth,
ReplyDeleteCheck out some sermons by Don Kirstler. He did a great interview with Janet mefferd. Also he's an expert on the Puritans. His sermon on evangelism ties in with your article here.
Enjoy!
Pam
p.s. He's a fan of john MacArthur.
Thanks Pam! I am thrilled to add more resources to my list! I'll check him out this weekend :)
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