Spiritual Gifts part 167: the counterfeit can never quite pull it off 100%.

Pastor-Teacher
John Farley
Thursday,
September 15, 2011

Spiritual Gifts Part 167: the counterfeit can never quite pull it off 100%!

The Doctrine of Spiritual Gifts

Point 3: What is a “Spiritual Gift”?

What is discernment?

Discernment is being able to determine what is coming from the thinking of Christ and what is coming from doctrines of demons, 1Ti 4:1.

Sin and evil originated inside the soul of one angel.

In Isaiah we get the the details of what satan was thinking.

Isa 14:13
"But you said in your heart,
'I will ascend to heaven;

Satan sought to rise above the sphere in which he was created, and above the purpose and service assigned to him.

satan figured that his place should be higher than the place God had appointed for him.

This shows why implacability is such a horrific sin in the scheme of things, never being satisfied, lack of gratitude.

Church Age believers who were born into a state lower than the angels will be given this position higher than the angels because of our union with Christ, Eph 2:4-7.

satan imagines the moment when he is installed as the supreme ruler, knocking off God.

Clouds in the Bible speak of the glory of God.

So, whenever things move in the direction of giving credit to the creature not the Creator –watch out!

Gen 14:19
He blessed him and said,
 "Blessed be Abram of God Most High,
Possessor of heaven and earth;

satan wants to put God out so satan can take His place as the possessor of the heavens and the earth.

satan has no intention of making himself like Jehovah. He has no interest in developing the attributes of God like love or righteousness or justice.

He craves to be like the Most High, as this phrase speaks of God’s rank and authority and possessions, and the worship other creatures are supposed to give the Most High God.

We see here how pride leads to opposing God, the things of God, the plans of God, the will of God.

The essential evil character of sin is an unwillingness on the part of the creature to abide in the precise position in which he has been placed by the Creator.

The all-important fruit of satan’s pride is the fact that “he does not stand or abide in the truth”.

Biblical discernment is identifying whether something or someone is motivated by God or by the kingdom of darkness.

The Bible gives us a clear picture of the essential nature of the two sides, the two sources.

Joh 8:44b
[the devil] does not stand in the truth because there is no truth in him. …he is a liar and the father of lies.

The wicked = OSN, world system, kingdom of darkness - by their nature are deceitful.

That means they try to come off as being good.
 
But they can’t quite pull it off.

 

 


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