Wednesday Night Bible Study

Well, >> praise the Lord everybody. Man, >> it's great to be back in the house of the Lord for Wednesday night worship in the word where we make disciples of all men. And we have had uh tremendous services over the last uh few uh couple of weeks as we've kicked off a brand new year and we're uh so excited uh to uh continue our study of First John tonight. So, while you get your Bibles or your tablets, go to uh First John. We're going to go to chapter number two. And as you're turning there, uh I want to give everyone uh a heads up that in the lobby at the media table, uh we do have printed calendars for 2026 uh for the rest of January into uh December. So, uh, if you like to hang that up on your refrigerator, stick it in your Bible, all of the the pertinent events of First Apostolic Church and, uh, most of, uh, Apostolic Christian School as well. So, make sure you grab one of those. Uh, thank you, Brother Jeremy Hill, for helping us get those printed. And so, grab one of those and you can have that as we continue on to a brand, brand new year. And allow me to say happy anniversary to the Butlers. Man, they are amazing. They are a blessing to our church. Give me one more time. Be thankful for them and their marriage and all that they do for us and we're so thankful for them being here. We're going to go to First John chapter number two. And I hope that uh you have been enjoying this study of First John. I hope you're learning a little bit. Maybe we've not gone chapter by chapter so to speak. Uh but we've looked at the themes of this great book. And hopefully as you uh read it on your own, you're starting to see uh the forest and and the trees and you're starting to see the lay of the land and uh the the argument that John presents in this letter. And why we've done a thematic uh study this way is John is not like Paul. If you go read Romans or you read first Corinthians, Paul is very linear. He is he is going to take you from A to B to C and he's going to connect all the dots for you from beginning to end. And so it's very linear. And that's how we usually think, isn't it? Give me give me goals. Give me a starting point, an end point. That's how we like to think, right? Or even plan our lives. Very linear. Well, not every culture is like that. Not every writer, not every uh creative is like that. Sometimes you have to find the thought and see where they are. And so John's not linear. He's very circular. He he repeats himself. Now he does that and he'll say something a different way and he's really emphasizing a point he may have said earlier. And so we've looked at these various themes of uh First John. And if you have that booklet, you can obviously turn to uh page 30. You can pick one of those up in the lobby still. Take one of those with you and uh study along as you read uh First John as well. And tonight we're going to look at God's truth. God's truth. We're going to begin in First John chapter number two and we're going to begin reading at verse number 18. First John chapter 2 beginning at verse number 18. Then we're going to turn over to chapter number four. Paul or sorry, John writes, "Little children, it is the last time. And as you have heard that Antichrist shall come, even now are there many Antichrists, whereby we know that it is the last time." They went out from us, but they were not of us. For if they had been of us, they would no doubt have continued with us. But they went out that they might be made manifest that they were not all of us. But ye have an uncction, or another translation says, an anointing from the Holy One, and you know all things. I have not written unto you because you know not the truth, but because you know it, and that no lie is of the truth. Who is a liar but he that denieth that Jesus is the Christ? And he explains what Antichrist is. He is Antichrist that denieth the father and the son. Whosoever denieth the son, the same hath not the father, but he that acknowledgeth the son hath the father also. Turn over to chapter number four. We'll begin reading at verse number one. We'll read a few verses here. Again, tying into what he's just previously said. Beloved, believe not every spirit, but try the spirits whether they are of God, because many false prophets are gone out into the world. Hereby you know the spirit of God. Every spirit that confessth that Jesus Christ is come in the flesh is of God. Now he just said anybody who denies that is Antichrist. And every spirit that confesseth not that Jesus Christ has come in the flesh is not of God. And this is that spirit of Antichrist whereof you have heard that it should come. And even now already is it in the world. You are of God, little children, and have overcome them. Because greater is he that is in you than he that is in the world. They are of the world. Therefore speak they of the world, and the world heareth them. We are of God. He that knoweth God heareth us. He that is not of God heareth not us. Hereby we know the spirit of truth and the spirit of error. So tonight we're going to briefly look at God's truth from First John. Let's pray together. Father, we thank you for your word. It is a lamp unto our feet and a light unto our path. We're so thankful for the ability to be able to read and study and understand your word. And I pray that you'd help us to grow in the knowledge of you and grow in the knowledge of truth as we study this together. Lord, help me a vessel, a jar of clay that is very weak and frail. Help me to be able to communicate the deep things of God with clarity and understanding. In Jesus' name we pray. And everyone said, "Amen." >> Amen. God's truth. In 2016, Oxford dictionaries decided that the word of the year was postruuth. According to journalist Amy Wang, the Oxford dictionary defines posttruth as relating to or denoting circumstances in which objective facts are less influential in shaping public opinion than appeals to emotion and personal belief. Did you hear that? Did that did that register with you? Objective facts are less influential than appeals to emotion and personal belief. That was 2016, 10 years ago. Do you think post-truth is still a very important term and phrase in our world today? If it's not a most popular word, it is definitely a spirit that is in this world today. Doubt is in the driver's seat while truth takes the back seat. There is an intolerance of truth. There is intolerance of facts and evidence. And so appeals to emotions and feelings is the popular way to influence people. Who needs facts when you can shape people by their emotions? Who needs evidence? You know what's amazing to me is that uh popular arguments against faith or religion, Christianity or otherwise, people would appeal to science, right? Science, biology. We need evidence today and yesterday. Scientists, doctors, people of evidence and facts were asked, "Can a man be pregnant?" And scientists refuse to answer that question. Now, you're laughing, but this is not in some third world country. It is in our government today and yesterday. Our highest court where the the people who love evidence and facts cannot say to you whether or not a man can have a baby in that is absurd, right? It is absolutely and I didn't come to preach politics but I'm giving you an example that truth is no longer relevant. What we have held for thousands of years is no longer well I you're trying to well I it's yes or no. >> It's yeah it's a yes or no question. and they don't want to answer those questions because all of a sudden now you've become bigoted, closedminded, dogmatic, inflexible. And there are people in this room right now who are uncomfortable, uncomed right now. This is the world we're living in. We don't want black and white. We want this. Just be happy. Just be tolerant. Truth does not equal tolerance. >> Love does not equal tolerance. And so if you do not truth truth is irrelevant because we would rather be seen as tolerant until they become intolerant of what you have to say. And so then it gets turned this way. that's your truth or that's my that's not my truth that's your truth that's true for you is not true for me brothers and sisters that's called an opinion >> hate to tell you that >> opinions you can you are you are welcome in this country to have your opinion >> absolutely you can have your opinion I believe in freedom of speech I believe in you are you are able to be able to think and to say whatever you would like to think or say. Doesn't make it true though. >> That's why preachers and pastors are so despised in our day today because we want to preach truth. And the day is coming and it's very close right now. we're living in it is that they are going to start coming against the pull pits in our churches and they are going to title it not tolerance but hate. You see, it's in it's it's tolerant until they don't agree with it. Right? Y'all y'all okay? >> We're living in a posttruth world. Truth has become subjective to feelings and emotions. Unfortunately, feelings and emotions change. You cannot base truth on your feelings. That's why John wrote, he said, "I want you to know with certainty. I want you to have assurance." You cannot have assurance based upon emotion. You might feel saved today and might not feel saved tomorrow. You might feel saved in 2025 and not feel saved in 2026. So where what do you do with that? What do you do with it? Something's You're going to have to be able to cling to something. You're going to have to be able to stand upon something. You're going to have to be able to grab hold of something. Your emotions are gonna are going to they're going to fight through your fingers. Your emotions are you can't if you can't handle your emotions. They're going to master you. And so where do you go? You have to have truth. And Jesus said truth is not just a principle. Truth is a person. Jesus said I am the truth. He is the very truth. Not that he has truth, though he does. Not just that he speaks truth, though he does, but he is truth. And when we get away from that, we are subjecting ourself to error. I want I want to read a few scriptures in second Timothy. I want you go with me to second Timothy chapter number three because I want to show you our day that Paul warned Timothy of that we are living in the day that Paul warned Timothy of second Timothy chapter number three beginning at verse one. This know also that in the last days and I believe these are the last days. If the the apostles believed it was the last days then how much closer are we 2,000 years later? Perilous times shall come. For men shall be lovers of their own selves. I think we got that. Covetous. Got that. People are scrolling through. Doom scrolling all day. I wish I had that. Wish I had this. Wish what they had. Boasters. Proud. I'm the best. I'm the goat. Blasphemers. Disobedient to parents. Unthankful. Yeah. unholy. Look at verse three. Without natural affection, truce breakers, false accusers, incontinent, fears, fierce, despisers of those that are good. What is good is now called evil, and what is evil is now called good. That's happening today. traitors, heady, high-minded, lovers of pleasures more than lovers of God, having a form of godliness, but denying the power thereof. From such, turn away. Timothy, here's the antidote to the culture that you're going to come into contact with. And for those of us here 2,000 years later, verse 10, but thou hast fully know my doctrine, manner of life, purpose, faith, longsuffering, charity, patience, persecutions, afflictions, which came unto me at Antioch and Iconium and Lististra. What persecutions I endured, but out of them the Lord delivered me. Yay. And all that will live godly in Christ Jesus shall suffer persecution. That's why the prosperity gospel is so trying to find another word. I'm just going to say it. Damnable. Because it tries to remove the reality of suffering and say that it's not your it's not God's will for you to be sick, not God's will for you to go through trials. That tell that to Paul. >> Go read second Corinthians. Go read the end of Acts. Sorry, that was for free. All that live godly in Christ Jesus shall suffer persecution, but evil men and seducers shall wax worse and worse, deceiving and being deceived. Here's the antidote. But continue thou in the things which you have learned and hast been assured of, knowing of whom thou hast learned them, and that from a child thou hast known the holy scriptures, which are able to make thee wise unto salvation through faith, which is in Jesus Christ. All scripture. What does the word all mean? Everything. All scripture, even the parts you don't like, are given by inspiration of God, and is profitable for doctrine, reprove, for correction, for instruction, and righteousness, that the man of God may be perfect, thoroughly furnished unto all good works. Timothy, perilous times are coming, and the culture is going to sway the church to try to avoid persecution. Here's what you need to do. Cling to the scriptures. Cling to the word of God. You have been taught this since you were a child. You must have what? What parts? What parts, Paul? All of it. >> I just want the red letters. I just want the miracles. I just want the Psalms. I just I all scripture. If we are going to survive the culture that we are living in, we must have all of the scriptures in our heart. It is in it is so important, brothers and sisters. I didn't mean to be preaching tonight. I should be teaching, but I feel him right now that we must get this word in our hearts. >> We must be rooted and grounded in him in his word. So here's your charge, Timothy. In a world that's backsliding, that's that that is drifting. I charge thee, therefore, before God in the Lord Jesus Christ, who shall judge the quick and the dead at his appearing and his kingdom. Here's what you're supposed to do. Preach the word, not your feelings, not the newspaper headlines, not the latest posts from your favorite podcaster. preach the word. You You can't preach the word that you don't have in your heart. You got to preach all of it. What parts? All of it. All of it. The parts that they're going to persecute me over. The part The parts that say that I'm intolerant, I'm a bigot. I'm I'm hateful. I'm intolerant. Yeah. Uh all of it. All who desire to live godly in Christ will suffer persecution. I didn't mean to come to be a doomsday or tonight, but you better beware. It's knocking at the door. Last the last hour is here. He says this verse 18 of chapter 2 of 1 John. Children, it is the last hour. And as you have heard that antichrist is coming, so now many antichrist have come. Therefore, we know it is the last hour. The phrase in Greek last hour is not it is not a certain time like it's 100 p.m. or 2 or 2 p.m. He's saying it is an esqueological moment, a spiritual reality rather than a precise chronology. The countdown to Christ's second coming began when he ascended to heaven found in Acts chapter number one. Y'all all right? He seen and Peter seen the last days coming to fulfillment as he seen and recognized Joel's prophecy as the spirit was poured out. This is that in the last days I will pour out my spirit. If the first century church believed it was the last hour, how much closer are we right now? >> It's here. It's here. He said, "Here's the here's what you're going to know. False teaching is going to plague the church. False teaching is going to plague the church." Now, I'm going to talk about Antichrist for a second. I'm going to probably make a few of you upset, but that's okay. My job is not necessarily to make you happy, but to make you biblically literate. Now, Antichrist is only found, that phrase is only found in John's letters. Only place, not it's not in Revelation, Brother Nate. I think it is. It's not. It's in Daniel. It's not y'all. Okay. I already tell somebody's going right now to Google. prove that bald-headed. It's all right. You You'll see what I see. Antichrist for John is not some distant figure but false teachers already among the church. He writes, "They went out from us and they weren't of us. Had they been of us, they would have have continued with us." So this is the reason why he writes is that there was some sort of church split that took place and it wasn't over uh the color of the carpet or the sound system or the pew color like we have in the 21st century. You know churches split over that. This church split was over who Jesus was. And they denied that he was God in flesh. They denied the incarnation. And John says this, brothers and sisters, is Antichrist. That's what this is. Now, John does not hold back. We've talked about that, haven't we? John is not he's not treating this with with kid gloves. They you know they were there they're they're so they you know they're you know just there they're they got a good heart. No not what John says. Well they're just a little confused on John says they are antichrist. If you deny that Jesus is God in flesh, you're Antichrist. This is false doctrine. They've went out from us. And all it proves is they were never of us in the first place because if they were of us, they would have continued with us. So, I'm writing this letter to you so that you may know. >> That you might have assurance, that you're not fooled, that you're not deceived. >> It's the same for us today. There are antichrist. He said it's not just simply coming. It's here. Sometimes we're looking for a figure. We're trying like six, six, six. And here's, oh, here's they got six letters in their name and they got Oh, they got three three. Oh. I remember as a kid, 80s and 90s kid, Bill Gates is the Antichrist. It's Microsoft. You have a mouse in your right hand. We're looking for an antichrist more than we're looking for the Christ. We got so many people chasing after Antichrist, but they won't pursue the Christ. All right. He ain't going to help me tonight. All right. Now, I'll tell you who the Antichrist is. I'll tell you where he's going to come from. You have no idea. >> I'll tell you where he's going to come from. The church. John says this is this has come from the church. It's not somebody coming in to persecute the church. It's somebody who's come in to deceive the church. >> He's not some political fig figure. He's not some political figure with an army coming somewhere. He's not some dictator somewhere going to persecute the church. No, he says the antichrist is coming from the church. And here's how you're going to know. They've denied that God is come in flesh. >> That's how you know. And if it denies that, you better run. You better run. And not only that, you better know. You better know. The threat of the false teachers goes all the way back to Acts chapter number 20. Paul established the church in Ephesus. He's about to leave. In Acts 20, he tells the church, "Be careful. Pay attention to yourselves and to the flock. For fierce wolves will come in among you, not sparing the flock. And from among your own selves will arise men speaking twisted things to draw away who? The disciples. The Greek word twisted implies distorting truth, not inventing new doctrines. KJV says perverse things. Christian Standard Bible says, "Distort the truth." The subtlety of error simply begins to pervert what is true. And John saw Paul's prophecy fulfilled. False teachers arose from within, splitting the church, spreading lies about Jesus's identity and work. And here was Paul's antidote. Here's Paul's antidote that he said in Acts 20. I coveted no one's silver or gold. With toil and labor, I supported myself, helping the weak with tears and trials. And then he charged the elders to guard the church who had God had obtained or purchased with his own blood. And so this is what Paul warned and John experienced that false teachers were not from the outside. They were from within. That's why we must know those who labor among us. >> We shouldn't just We can listen. I'm all for people serving. I'm all for people volunteering, but not everybody can go into a Sunday school room and teach. >> Not we don't allow just anybody to get behind this pull pit and teach. >> We are careful of who who does this. We're not trying to be stingy. We're not trying to be hard-hearted. We're not trying to keep somebody back. This we are guarding the flock of God. >> Okay? Because antichrists rise up from within the church. This is what happens. It's not simply that it's some ruler somewhere. Now, he uses the phrase, he's the only one who uses this phrase antichrist. And the term in Greek means against Christ or instead of Christ. So let me just kind of walk through what how John describes the antichrist or antichrist spirit in John's letters first John and second John. What John means by antichrist is not a single end time end time ruler, not a political or military figure, not a world dictator, not a future only person. John says this is a theological deceiver, a doctrinal liar. He said it's already in the church. He said now even now many antichrists have come for John here's the prerequisite of the antichrist. Anyone who denies Jesus is the Christ chapter 2 verse 22 denies the father revealed in the son verses 22- 23 denies that Jesus came in the flesh chapter 4:es 2 through3 as we read and also in 2 John 7 undermines the incarnation and the atonement and he says it comes from within and then departs so John's antichrist is doctrinal christoologgical deceptive present and plural. It's a it's a spirit and a system before it is ever a person. Okay. Now, let me let me continue here and help you. Biblical literacy is my calling. In Daniel and in the Gospels and Revelation, these books never use the word antichrist. Okay? Instead they speak of Daniel says the little horn or the prince who is to come. Jesus says false Christ, false prophets and the abomination of desolation. Paul calls him the the man of sin or the man of lawlessness in second Thessalonians and Revelation says the beast. These figures are political, persecuting, blasphemous, violent, public, coercive, associated with kingdoms, powers, and governments and persecution. They make war on the saints, exalt themselves, demand allegiance, use force and deception, and they oppose God openly and aggressively. See the see the difference? Okay? Don't try to conflate the two. Antichrist and don't don't do that. Please understand that John is saying that there are antichrists already present who are in the church and they must be dealt with. The beast, the revelation figure, the Daniel figure is a political religious persecutor defined by what he does to God's people. operates in a world system, works through power and coercion. John is not warning primarily about tanks and governments and empires. He's warning about lies about Jesus. For John, the most dangerous enemy is not a dictator. It is a distorted Christ. Please understand the difference. Before Antichrist is ever a tyrant, he is first a theologian. John's Antichrist is not a political monster. It is a doctrinal monster. And the way to combat it is with truth. Someone say amen. >> So they denied Jesus had come in the flesh. I talked about this I think our first lesson. they there was an early form of gnosticism and I'll go back through that very briefly is that when we talk about gnosticismnosticism means to know okay so when someone says that today that they're agnostic it means that they don't know that we can't know if there's a god forn gnostics they were they they had different iterations of it but here's kind of the three points of it if I can put it that way is that uh maybe four but that to there is a secret or mystery of understanding you know a a hierarchy of coming to come into contact with God. So is a but it was only uh available to the elite. the spiritual elite are able to have this and you can you can you can grow into this but there's certain there's some people who'll never know this it's a mystery and you get to that point and part of that again is that um in order for you to understand this this is very very simplified but is that God is spirit and that God emanated from different levels to come to be able to meet man or to come into contact with us. Does that that make sense? But he would never come in flesh because flesh is evil. Spirit is pure and good. So God who emanates to meet man and man must get to this hierarchy to meet God. But flesh is the bad thing. It's the evil thing. Okay, does that make sense? So, so God, if there is this God for them, he would never corrupt himself with flesh. Do you see the issue with that in Christianity? That to deny the incarnation that God came in flesh, that God was manifest in the flesh. And Paul or John uses that word manifest to means reveal. He uses it over and over again because he's he's taking he's taking a theological arrow and aiming it right at this error to hit it. Saying that if you deny that God came in flesh, you're antichrist. to deny that, right? And I told you that to if if God didn't come in flesh, then sin wasn't that serious. But because sin was so serious, God came in flesh and spilled his blood for us so we can have salvation. That's how much it costs for our salvation. So to deny that God came in flesh is to deny redemption or the atonement, right? And if we don't have that then we have our sin which comes again to nasticism's lifestyle part of that. So there were two extremes. If spirit is good and flesh is bad this is what they would do. two things. They would be very strict uh aceticism treated the body as evil, the flesh as evil, demanding strict discipline, dietary restrictions, uh demanding celibacy, neglecting hygiene. And Paul deals with this in his letter to Colossians. Uh and he says this, he says, "These have an appearance of wisdom in promoting self-made religion, but they are of no value in stopping the indulgence of the flesh." No matter how hard you try to hurt yourself, harm yourself, deprive yourself, you're still a sinner. It's not going to do it. So the the pendulum swings to the opposite end. Well, if we can't stop the flesh then and the spirit's good, then just live any old way that you want. It was it was unrestrained license. So, the two extremes were to either be very strict on yourself on the flesh or just to simply do whatever you wanted to do. I can I can live any lifestyle that I want to. Do we was this written in 2026? Does this not sound like our world today? >> But he says this is all these are extremes and and and this is what he's dealing with whether this was a form of the the error that they're dealing with in this church. But this is what John says. He says but you have an uncction from the holy one and you have all knowledge. I want to look at that for a second. That's very important. You have an anointing. Now, as Aposto Pentecostals, we love to talk about the anointing, right? He's anointed. He's anointed. She's anointed. Man, when they sing, I feel the anointing. Well, when when John is writing this, what he might mean is that this is the reception or the receiving of the Holy Ghost, that we have received this gift. And so the word anointing is charisma and it's unique to John's writings and it likely refers to receiving the Holy Spirit at initial salvation. Jesus said that the comforter would come, the Holy Spirit, and will teach you all things and bring to your remembrance all things that I have taught you. Right? So against this Gnostic claim of elite knowledge, John declares, "Every believer has the spirit's anointing to know truth and discern truth from error." There's I'm not trying to mess everybody up, but I just do that sometimes. In our apostolic Pentecostal movement, we for some reason we put some people on a spiritual pedestal like they've got some like they eat fried chicken like I do. If they don't, they're missing out. They put they they put they put their clothes on the same way I you know, we we we want to make these people have this And like I can never reach that. Careful what you're doing here. That sounds a little you know there. What? Careful. You have the same Holy Ghost >> that I've got. >> You've got the same 66 book old and new testament that I've got. You've got the same ability to get on your knees and pray every day like I've got. You've got the same 24 hours, 365 days a as I do. You can be as spiritual or unspiritual as you want to be. >> Oh, you know who they are? No. Don't you know that they seen angels? Like, man, have they seen any devils? I've seen a few of those. I was with this I I I'm almost done. I preached with this one guy years ago and I was evangelizing. There was a devil in everything. Everything. I mean, we couldn't eat dinner without him seeing a devil somewhere. We going We went I won't tell you where we were, but we were somewhere here in America and we he was like, "We got to I need to go to the mall. I got to go get pick up my shoes that I ordered." And I was like, "Oh, man. Yeah, I'll go to the mall." And we walk in, you know, they got the kiosk in the middle of the mall and people trying to spray you with stuff and try things, put this lotion on, you know, they're just, you know, they're salesmen, trying to make a living. And we walk in and somebody tries to spray something on him and and reach out to him. He goes, "Brother, did you feel that?" I said, "No, but I smelled it." He's like, "No, no, brother. She I think she she might have been what? A salesman? We went to the gas station pumping gas. He hears music over and I'm singing under my breath. He goes, "Do you hear that?" I said, "Yes, I do. Did you hear me? I'm so sorry." He's like, "Babylon. It's Babylon, brother." Daniel, they had to bow. It's music. Babylon. Everywhere we went, there's a devil underneath here. Like, brother, I said, you know, he wore me out looking for devils, man. And that's that's that's I'm not I'm not trying to be He was He was sincere. I didn't But I kept thinking to myself, what am I missing? Like, I got the same Holy Ghost. I don't, man. All right. I'm sorry. Y'all are hurt. Y'all are I'm just I I'm I'm just pretty normal. I don't know about you, but I'm just pretty normal. I I pray, try to fast, try to study, and I just don't feel very spiritual sometimes. I don't know what feeling spiritual is. All I know is I just want to please him. And that you have the same Holy Ghost that I do. And you have the same ability to lay your hands upon somebody and see them heal or see them receive the Holy Ghost. >> He says, "You have an uncction. You have an anointing. You have an anointing." Now, he says this. I want to make sure I read this before we quit. I got three minutes. All right. Y'all okay? Oh, you're like, "Brother Nate, you got to quit, man." He says, "Look at this." He said, check this chapter 4. Yeah. Said, every spirit that confesseth not that Jesus Christ has come in the flesh, not of God. And this is the spirit of Antichrist. Where have you heard that it shall come and even now already is. You are of God, little children, and have overcome them because greater is he that is in you. You got to realize the Holy Ghost in you is greater than any demonic evil. >> I don't have to be afraid when I walk into the mall. >> Y'all okay? I I'm not I'm not afraid to go in certain places. I I got the Holy Ghost. >> You got the Holy Ghost. I'm not saying those things aren't real. They're I know they're real. But you better realize that what is in you is greater than what could come against you. Here's how here's how you fight it. Put on the helmet of salvation. Put on the breastplate of salvation or of righteousness. Get the sword of the spirit, the shield of faith. Come on. So, we got to if we're going to do war, we're going to win. But >> he says you you have an uncction. You have the Holy Ghost. You have a spirit. and you can test the spirits and you have no me no need of anyone to teach you. What he is not saying is that you don't need a preacher. There are one minute there are those who say I don't have to study. I don't have to pray. I'm just going to open up my mouth and God's going to fill it with words. What you're going to get is oxygen and what's going to come out is hot air. I don't have to do all that studying, brother Nate. You're you're just you're that's you. You have the Holy Ghost. Yes. But Paul told Timothy, "Study to show yourself approved unto God. >> Study. You need to fill your mind and fill your heart with his word." If you want to be able to have assurance and certainty and to be able to discern between truth and error, it's got to be the Holy Ghost. But it's also going to be the word. And the Holy Ghost will never lead you away from the inspired word that he gave us. >> Stand to your feet tonight. We need the Holy Ghost. How do you test the spirits? How do you discern I got goosebumps. Artha Franklin can give you goosebumps. Hearing 102,000 people at Neland can give you goosebumps. You don't test the spirits by goosebumps. >> You test the spirit with the word. When you hear something that you go, what did they say? Huh? Let me see. Let me get in this book. That That's not what that says. That's how you test the spirit. That did do they deny Christ? Do they deny his word? That's how you discern. Jesus said, "The spirit, the helper, the comforter that comes will teach you and bring into remembrance all things that I have taught you. But he cannot bring into your remembrance something that you have not put into your brain." I'm going to say that again over one minute. He cannot bring into remembrance what you have not put into your brain and into your heart. If you want to be able to discern, if you want to be able to test the spirits, if you want to have assurance and certainty in your life, if you want to avoid false doctrine and error, then get in this book. Open this book and read yourself silly. I'm I mean, do it over and over and over and over again. I'm telling you, if you will get this book into your heart along with the power that is the Holy Ghost, you will have a dynamic powerful explosion in your life and nothing is going to shake you. No emotion, no problem, no circumstance, no attack is going to rock you. Why? Because I have assurance. I am I've built my life on the rock. And the rock is Christ. Oh, Father, we thank you for your word tonight, Lord. We thank you for your spirit. We thank you, Lord, that your word is just as relevant in 2026 as it was 2,000 years ago to John. But Lord, I pray that the living word would be taken into our hearts tonight. Help us not just to be hearers of the word, but let us be doers of the word. Help us to fall in love with truth. Those who are deceived have been deceived because they have not received a love of the truth. And I pray Lord that we would not just only know truth and come in contact with truth, but let us receive it and to love it. Lord, I pray that your spirit would be with us as we leave this place. Bring us back this Sunday as we come together and fellowship with you and your people. In Jesus' name we pray. And everyone say amen. Greet your brothers and sisters in Christ and you're dismissed in the name of the Lord.