{"id":3667,"date":"2023-06-11T08:00:00","date_gmt":"2023-06-11T15:00:00","guid":{"rendered":"http:\/\/mvcog.org\/wp\/?p=3667"},"modified":"2023-06-10T22:52:20","modified_gmt":"2023-06-11T05:52:20","slug":"in-christ-in-truth","status":"publish","type":"post","link":"http:\/\/mvcog.org\/wp\/2023\/06\/11\/in-christ-in-truth\/","title":{"rendered":"In Christ, In Truth"},"content":{"rendered":"\n<figure class=\"wp-block-embed is-type-video is-provider-youtube wp-block-embed-youtube wp-embed-aspect-4-3 wp-has-aspect-ratio\"><div class=\"wp-block-embed__wrapper\">\n<iframe loading=\"lazy\" title=\"Sunday Service MVCOG - 1st John 3b-4a:  In Christ, In Truth\" width=\"560\" height=\"315\" src=\"https:\/\/www.youtube.com\/embed\/P-eglTRtTzU?feature=oembed\" frameborder=\"0\" allow=\"accelerometer; autoplay; clipboard-write; encrypted-media; gyroscope; picture-in-picture; web-share\" referrerpolicy=\"strict-origin-when-cross-origin\" allowfullscreen><\/iframe>\n<\/div><\/figure>\n\n\n\n<div class=\"wp-block-file\"><a id=\"wp-block-file--media-1522c73d-ae93-4b42-b11f-d51740cb3d14\" href=\"http:\/\/mvcog.org\/wp\/wp-content\/uploads\/2023\/06\/1st-John-4vs3b-4a-In-Christ-In-Truth.pdf\">1st-John-4vs3b-4a-In-Christ-In-Truth<\/a><a href=\"http:\/\/mvcog.org\/wp\/wp-content\/uploads\/2023\/06\/1st-John-4vs3b-4a-In-Christ-In-Truth.pdf\" class=\"wp-block-file__button wp-element-button\" download aria-describedby=\"wp-block-file--media-1522c73d-ae93-4b42-b11f-d51740cb3d14\">Download<\/a><\/div>\n\n\n\n<p>1st John 3b-4a:\u00a0<\/p>\n\n\n\n<p><strong>\u201cand this is the spirit of the antichrist.\u201d<\/strong><\/p>\n\n\n\n<p>So, the denial that Jesus came in the flesh, so that He could die for our sins and be the only Way to the Father is motivated by the spirit of the antichrist.&nbsp;&nbsp; This results in the characteristic attitude of the world to deny Jesus even when there is clear evidence.&nbsp; This wind of doctrine, this ideology resulting in false teachings to deceive the sheep was there in John\u2019s time, and pervades our world today.&nbsp; When John says \u201cthat you heard is coming, and now already is in the world.\u201d it reinforces what he said in 1<sup>st<\/sup> John 2:18<\/p>\n\n\n\n<p><strong>it is the last hour <\/strong>John is noting that there has been a change in the church from the true doctrine, the Word of God being taught, to having a bunch of teachers going out and teaching things contrary to the Word of God.&nbsp; It is an urgent situation, and John wants to make sure that his congregation knows it.<\/p>\n\n\n\n<p><strong>&nbsp;and just as you heard that antichrist is coming, <\/strong>But, John doesn\u2019t want us to be blind to the fact that even from the beginning of church history, the lawless, confusion-sowing, chaos-producing spirit of Anti-christ has been known to be in the world, and that we shouldn\u2019t be surprised that there is false teaching.&nbsp; The matter-of-fact way that the Antichrist is mentioned over and over again in the New Testament suggests that it was common for the Apostles to mention this man of lawlessness in their teaching to the church.&nbsp;<\/p>\n\n\n\n<p><strong>\u201ceven now many antichrists have come.\u201d&nbsp; <\/strong>John says, \u201ceven now many antichrists have come.\u201d These many antichrists, whom John already sees in the world in his day, are the false teachers.&nbsp; He\u2019s going to confront some of their specific teachingsin 1 John 2:22 <strong>22 Who is the liar except the one who denies that Jesus is the Christ? This is the antichrist, the one who denies the Father and the Son.&nbsp; <\/strong>And again in <strong>2 John 7 7 For many deceivers have gone out into the world, those who do not acknowledge Jesus Christ as coming in the flesh. This is the deceiver and the antichrist.&nbsp; <\/strong>He\u2019s going to identify the spirit behind their teachings in 1 Joh 4:2-3 saying <strong>2 By this you know the Spirit of God: every spirit that confesses that Jesus Christ has come in the flesh is from God; 3 and every <u>spirit that does not confess Jesus<\/u> is not from God; this is the spirit of the antichrist, which you have heard is coming, and now it is already in the world.&nbsp; <\/strong>So, we see that this spirit of lawlessness, the \u201cdo anything you want, it\u2019s o.k., God will still accept you\u201d is contrary to the gospel.&nbsp; A continual practice of sin is never part of the \u201cabiding\u201d experience in Christ.&nbsp; This heresy is a denial of the power and mission of Jesus, who came in the flesh to pay for our sins, so that we wouldn\u2019t have to be a slave to them.&nbsp; The failure to deny fleshly appetites ends up in embracing sensuality, and then ultimately in a denial of the power of Jesus\u2019 death on the cross.&nbsp; It\u2019s not the road that you want to be on!&nbsp; Run back to Jesus, and satisfy your thirst at the river of Living Water instead!&nbsp; They serve as forerunners of the ultimate and final Antichrist<strong>.&nbsp; <\/strong>And their teaching of sensuality and fulfilling the fleshly appetites is a denial of who Jesus is as Christ, as Messiah, as Son of God and Son of Man, and specifically the power of His saving work on the cross.&nbsp; This is what identifies false teachers with the future false Christ, the antichrist.<\/p>\n\n\n\n<p><strong>4 You are from God, little children,<\/strong><\/p>\n\n\n\n<p>In both 1 John 1:1 and John 1:1 he begins his writings establishing that the origin of Jesus being is from the beginning, and being the Word of God, the Word of Life.&nbsp; They both speak of His origin from God and as God.&nbsp; Remember that it is God that allows us to be called His Children, John points us to our relationship with God the Father as our source, the original cause that brought about salvation.&nbsp; And John is pointing out the lavish love that God has poured out on us by giving His only son as the WAY, the MEANS by which we are saved\u2014Jesus.&nbsp; His blood was poured out for us.&nbsp; The love that God has lavished on us is His Son Jesus.&nbsp; That\u2019s the relationship that allows us to overcome.&nbsp; He provides The Way for us to be called \u201cchildren of God\u201d (tekna theou). God\u2019s love transforms sinners who exercise saving faith into His children, through the Divine Ministry of His son Jesus\u2014and we are transformed into HIS image, and bear, more and more, a family resemblance to God\u2019s family.&nbsp; And it is our walk with Jesus that allows us to overcome, as He overcame the world.&nbsp; We have our identity in Christ, and therefore in God!&nbsp; That is why we won\u2019t fall prey to this false teaching.&nbsp; As Col 3:1-3 tells us <strong>Therefore, if you have been raised with Christ, keep seeking the things that are above, where Christ is, seated at the right hand of God. 2 Set your minds on the things that are above, not on the things that are on earth. 3 For you have died, and your life is hidden with Christ in God. <\/strong>Our real life, who we really are is already hidden in Christ, where no evil influence can get to it!&nbsp; Therefore we need to live this way, and seek God and His Will in our lives.&nbsp; And we are not left alone to do this.<\/p>\n\n\n\n<p><strong>Access to God\u2019s Power to do His Will&nbsp; <\/strong>As members of God\u2019s family, we have special access to Him.&nbsp; We can approach God\u2019s throne with the intimacy of a child approaching their father, but also with the respect that is due from a subject approaching their king with a petition.&nbsp; We see this modeled by Jesus in the Garden of Gethsemene in Mark 14:35-36 35 <strong>And He went a little beyond them, and fell to the ground and began praying that if it were possible, the hour might pass Him by. 36 And He was saying, \u201cAbba! Father! All things are possible for You; remove this cup from Me; yet not what I will, but what You will.\u201d&nbsp; <\/strong>Jesus was suffering in the Garden of Gethsemane, sweating great drops of blood, and He knows that this suffering will only increase over the next day.&nbsp; His heartfelt cry to the father is filled with an expression of His intimate relationship with the Father as He cries out to Him in prayer.&nbsp;&nbsp; But it is also an expression of submission to God\u2019s authority \u201cYet not what I will but what You will\u201d, and this is how we should approach God, even in a trial.&nbsp; If Jesus could remain strong in carrying the sins of the world and dying on the cross for us, and still call God Abba, in intimate, loving relationship, then so can we when we\u2019re in a trial.&nbsp; Because of our relationship with Jesus, we have access to the Father.&nbsp; In Gal 4:4-7 <strong>4 But when the fullness of the time came, God sent His Son, born of a woman, born under the Law, 5 so that He might redeem those who were under the Law, that we might receive the adoption as sons and daughters. 6 Because you are sons, God has sent the Spirit of His Son into our hearts, crying out, \u201cAbba! Father!\u201d<\/strong><\/p>\n\n\n\n<p>We are no longer under the law, a slave to sin, and marked for death.&nbsp; Because of Jesus, we don\u2019t have to be afraid of these things any longer.&nbsp; <strong>Romans 8:15 \u201cFor you did not receive the spirit of bondage again to fear, but you received the Spirit of adoption by whom we cry out, &#8216;Abba, Father. &#8216;\u201d&nbsp; 7 Therefore you are no longer a slave, but a son; and if a son, then an heir through God.<\/strong> Notice what motivates this prayer: It\u2019s the \u201cSpirit of sonship\u201d which stands in opposition to \u201cthe spirit of bondage to fear,\u201d.&nbsp; Paul emphasizes that it is through the Spirit, and specifically that part of the spirit\u2019s ministry that gives closeness to our relationship with God, that we cry out from an obedient, submissive heart to God.&nbsp; It is our relationship through God In Christ that allows us to come to God as an obedient child.&nbsp;<\/p>\n\n\n\n<p><strong>Empowered by the Holy Spirit<\/strong><\/p>\n\n\n\n<p>And as God\u2019s adopted Children, our anointing comes from God, but remains identified with God.&nbsp; The source of this anointing, the Holy Spirit, is from God as the Spirit\u2019s source, and was sent out from Him to us, but the Holy Spirit is never separate from God, even when He is dwelling inside us.&nbsp; That\u2019s why He is a lifeline between God and us, working in our heart to conform us to the image of Christ, and at the other end of the line, also in communion with God.&nbsp; The anointing remains identified with God.&nbsp;&nbsp; All members of the Trinity are involved in our overcoming, and all of this is made possible by the salvation, justification, and propitiation, and redemption purchased by Jesus for us at the cross.<\/p>\n","protected":false},"excerpt":{"rendered":"<p>1st John 3b-4a:\u00a0 \u201cand this is the spirit of the antichrist.\u201d So, the denial that Jesus came in the flesh, so that He could die for our sins and be&hellip;<\/p>\n","protected":false},"author":5,"featured_media":0,"comment_status":"closed","ping_status":"closed","sticky":false,"template":"","format":"standard","meta":{"_jetpack_memberships_contains_paid_content":false,"footnotes":"","jetpack_publicize_message":"","jetpack_publicize_feature_enabled":true,"jetpack_social_post_already_shared":true,"jetpack_social_options":{"image_generator_settings":{"template":"highway","default_image_id":0,"font":"","enabled":false},"version":2}},"categories":[5],"tags":[],"class_list":["post-3667","post","type-post","status-publish","format-standard","hentry","category-services"],"jetpack_publicize_connections":[],"jetpack_featured_media_url":"","jetpack-related-posts":[{"id":4405,"url":"http:\/\/mvcog.org\/wp\/2025\/01\/26\/the-truth-of-a-changed-life\/","url_meta":{"origin":3667,"position":0},"title":"The Truth of a Changed Life","author":"Robert","date":"January 26, 2025","format":false,"excerpt":"https:\/\/youtube.com\/live\/aEPbiBa5Af4?feature=share Eph 4vs21-22 The Truth of a Chaged LifeDownload Ephesians 4:21-22 Last week, Paul described how the Ephesians, and we used to conduct ourselves, as sinners, just like all the rest, in futility of mind, doing just what we wanted to, unable to see that it was useless and vanity.\u00a0\u2026","rel":"","context":"In &quot;Services&quot;","block_context":{"text":"Services","link":"http:\/\/mvcog.org\/wp\/category\/services\/"},"img":{"alt_text":"","src":"https:\/\/i0.wp.com\/mvcog.org\/wp\/wp-content\/uploads\/2025\/01\/Featured-20250126.jpg?fit=1200%2C675&resize=350%2C200","width":350,"height":200,"srcset":"https:\/\/i0.wp.com\/mvcog.org\/wp\/wp-content\/uploads\/2025\/01\/Featured-20250126.jpg?fit=1200%2C675&resize=350%2C200 1x, https:\/\/i0.wp.com\/mvcog.org\/wp\/wp-content\/uploads\/2025\/01\/Featured-20250126.jpg?fit=1200%2C675&resize=525%2C300 1.5x, https:\/\/i0.wp.com\/mvcog.org\/wp\/wp-content\/uploads\/2025\/01\/Featured-20250126.jpg?fit=1200%2C675&resize=700%2C400 2x, https:\/\/i0.wp.com\/mvcog.org\/wp\/wp-content\/uploads\/2025\/01\/Featured-20250126.jpg?fit=1200%2C675&resize=1050%2C600 3x"},"classes":[]},{"id":3701,"url":"http:\/\/mvcog.org\/wp\/2023\/08\/06\/the-holy-spirit-christ-in-us\/","url_meta":{"origin":3667,"position":1},"title":"The Holy Spirit; Christ in Us","author":"Robert","date":"August 6, 2023","format":false,"excerpt":"https:\/\/youtube.com\/live\/6zbFg002zBw?feature=share 1-john-4-13-14-The-Holy-Spirit-Christ-in-UsDownload 1 John 4:13-14 By this we know that we remain in Him and He in us, because He has given to us of His Spirit. In 1st John 4:12 John had told us that God remains in us, and His love is perfected in us.\u00a0 Now, in verse\u2026","rel":"","context":"In &quot;Services&quot;","block_context":{"text":"Services","link":"http:\/\/mvcog.org\/wp\/category\/services\/"},"img":{"alt_text":"","src":"https:\/\/i0.wp.com\/img.youtube.com\/vi\/\/0.jpg?resize=350%2C200","width":350,"height":200},"classes":[]},{"id":3975,"url":"http:\/\/mvcog.org\/wp\/2023\/10\/22\/eternal-life-is-in-christ\/","url_meta":{"origin":3667,"position":2},"title":"Eternal Life is in Christ","author":"Robert","date":"October 22, 2023","format":false,"excerpt":"https:\/\/youtube.com\/live\/8Ku-JID8lgY?feature=share 1 John 5vs11-12 Eternal Life is In ChristDownload 11 And the testimony is this, that God has given us eternal life, We talked last week about the witness of God in our hearts:\u00a0 That God has saved us, and we can look back to a time when God has\u2026","rel":"","context":"In &quot;Services&quot;","block_context":{"text":"Services","link":"http:\/\/mvcog.org\/wp\/category\/services\/"},"img":{"alt_text":"","src":"https:\/\/i0.wp.com\/mvcog.org\/wp\/wp-content\/uploads\/2023\/10\/FeaturedImage_20231022.jpg?fit=1200%2C675&resize=350%2C200","width":350,"height":200,"srcset":"https:\/\/i0.wp.com\/mvcog.org\/wp\/wp-content\/uploads\/2023\/10\/FeaturedImage_20231022.jpg?fit=1200%2C675&resize=350%2C200 1x, https:\/\/i0.wp.com\/mvcog.org\/wp\/wp-content\/uploads\/2023\/10\/FeaturedImage_20231022.jpg?fit=1200%2C675&resize=525%2C300 1.5x, https:\/\/i0.wp.com\/mvcog.org\/wp\/wp-content\/uploads\/2023\/10\/FeaturedImage_20231022.jpg?fit=1200%2C675&resize=700%2C400 2x, https:\/\/i0.wp.com\/mvcog.org\/wp\/wp-content\/uploads\/2023\/10\/FeaturedImage_20231022.jpg?fit=1200%2C675&resize=1050%2C600 3x"},"classes":[]},{"id":3985,"url":"http:\/\/mvcog.org\/wp\/2023\/10\/29\/that-you-may-know-you-have-eternal-life\/","url_meta":{"origin":3667,"position":3},"title":"That You May Know You Have Eternal Life","author":"Robert","date":"October 29, 2023","format":false,"excerpt":"https:\/\/youtube.com\/live\/yPcY-4-nCZg?feature=share 1st-John-5v13-That-You-May-Know-You-Have-Eternal-LifeDownload These Things Are Written The first thing we have to ask when we see this verse starting out \u201cThese things\u201d is \u201cWhat things?\u201d\u00a0 Primarily John 5:4-12, in 4-5 4 For whoever has been born of God overcomes the world; and this is the victory that has overcome the\u2026","rel":"","context":"In &quot;Services&quot;","block_context":{"text":"Services","link":"http:\/\/mvcog.org\/wp\/category\/services\/"},"img":{"alt_text":"","src":"https:\/\/i0.wp.com\/mvcog.org\/wp\/wp-content\/uploads\/2023\/10\/FeaturedImage_20231029.jpg?fit=1200%2C675&resize=350%2C200","width":350,"height":200,"srcset":"https:\/\/i0.wp.com\/mvcog.org\/wp\/wp-content\/uploads\/2023\/10\/FeaturedImage_20231029.jpg?fit=1200%2C675&resize=350%2C200 1x, https:\/\/i0.wp.com\/mvcog.org\/wp\/wp-content\/uploads\/2023\/10\/FeaturedImage_20231029.jpg?fit=1200%2C675&resize=525%2C300 1.5x, https:\/\/i0.wp.com\/mvcog.org\/wp\/wp-content\/uploads\/2023\/10\/FeaturedImage_20231029.jpg?fit=1200%2C675&resize=700%2C400 2x, https:\/\/i0.wp.com\/mvcog.org\/wp\/wp-content\/uploads\/2023\/10\/FeaturedImage_20231029.jpg?fit=1200%2C675&resize=1050%2C600 3x"},"classes":[]},{"id":3645,"url":"http:\/\/mvcog.org\/wp\/2023\/06\/04\/we-know-the-spirit-of-god\/","url_meta":{"origin":3667,"position":4},"title":"We know the Spirit of God","author":"Robert","date":"June 4, 2023","format":false,"excerpt":"https:\/\/youtube.com\/live\/VhWt9PSpXQw?feature=share 1st-John-4vs2-3-We-know-the-Spirit-of-GodDownload 1 John 4:2-3 The churches of Asia Minor that John is writing to were unwisely leaving themselves open to believing false teachers and teachings, accepting and trusting in teachings without testing them, which caused a lot of confusion in the church, just as it does today. Every teaching,\u2026","rel":"","context":"In &quot;Services&quot;","block_context":{"text":"Services","link":"http:\/\/mvcog.org\/wp\/category\/services\/"},"img":{"alt_text":"","src":"https:\/\/i0.wp.com\/img.youtube.com\/vi\/\/0.jpg?resize=350%2C200","width":350,"height":200},"classes":[]},{"id":4049,"url":"http:\/\/mvcog.org\/wp\/2023\/12\/03\/1-john-519-we-know-that-we-are-from-god\/","url_meta":{"origin":3667,"position":5},"title":"1 John 5:19 \u201cWe know that we are from God.\u201d","author":"Robert","date":"December 3, 2023","format":false,"excerpt":"https:\/\/youtube.com\/live\/X64bYiyffKU?feature=share 1-John-5vs19Download John us again who\u2019s children we are God\u2019s children\u2014our source is in Him.\u00a0 Because we are His, He takes care of us.\u00a0 Why?\u00a0 Out of love 1st John 3:1 See how great a love the Father has given us, that we would be called children of God; and\u2026","rel":"","context":"In &quot;Services&quot;","block_context":{"text":"Services","link":"http:\/\/mvcog.org\/wp\/category\/services\/"},"img":{"alt_text":"","src":"https:\/\/i0.wp.com\/mvcog.org\/wp\/wp-content\/uploads\/2023\/12\/Featured-20231203.jpg?fit=1200%2C675&resize=350%2C200","width":350,"height":200,"srcset":"https:\/\/i0.wp.com\/mvcog.org\/wp\/wp-content\/uploads\/2023\/12\/Featured-20231203.jpg?fit=1200%2C675&resize=350%2C200 1x, https:\/\/i0.wp.com\/mvcog.org\/wp\/wp-content\/uploads\/2023\/12\/Featured-20231203.jpg?fit=1200%2C675&resize=525%2C300 1.5x, https:\/\/i0.wp.com\/mvcog.org\/wp\/wp-content\/uploads\/2023\/12\/Featured-20231203.jpg?fit=1200%2C675&resize=700%2C400 2x, https:\/\/i0.wp.com\/mvcog.org\/wp\/wp-content\/uploads\/2023\/12\/Featured-20231203.jpg?fit=1200%2C675&resize=1050%2C600 3x"},"classes":[]}],"jetpack_sharing_enabled":true,"jetpack_likes_enabled":false,"_links":{"self":[{"href":"http:\/\/mvcog.org\/wp\/wp-json\/wp\/v2\/posts\/3667","targetHints":{"allow":["GET"]}}],"collection":[{"href":"http:\/\/mvcog.org\/wp\/wp-json\/wp\/v2\/posts"}],"about":[{"href":"http:\/\/mvcog.org\/wp\/wp-json\/wp\/v2\/types\/post"}],"author":[{"embeddable":true,"href":"http:\/\/mvcog.org\/wp\/wp-json\/wp\/v2\/users\/5"}],"replies":[{"embeddable":true,"href":"http:\/\/mvcog.org\/wp\/wp-json\/wp\/v2\/comments?post=3667"}],"version-history":[{"count":0,"href":"http:\/\/mvcog.org\/wp\/wp-json\/wp\/v2\/posts\/3667\/revisions"}],"wp:attachment":[{"href":"http:\/\/mvcog.org\/wp\/wp-json\/wp\/v2\/media?parent=3667"}],"wp:term":[{"taxonomy":"category","embeddable":true,"href":"http:\/\/mvcog.org\/wp\/wp-json\/wp\/v2\/categories?post=3667"},{"taxonomy":"post_tag","embeddable":true,"href":"http:\/\/mvcog.org\/wp\/wp-json\/wp\/v2\/tags?post=3667"}],"curies":[{"name":"wp","href":"https:\/\/api.w.org\/{rel}","templated":true}]}}