WHEN FALSE RELIGIONS DECEIVE

1 John 2:18-29

Truth is grounded in the reality of who Jesus Christ is.

How much "fake news" have you heard this past week?  The words "fake news" are tossed about to label something as untrustworthy.  Did you know that "fake news" now has a definition?

Fake news: a type of yellow journalism or propaganda that consists of deliberate misinformation with the intent to mislead.

Just to define a few more things for you:

Yellow journalism: sensationalism and crude exaggeration.  It is derived from 1895 when The New York World first used color in an editorial cartoon (a yellow dress on a child) to attract attention to their perspective. 

Propaganda: biased information that is misleading in nature and used to promote a cause or a point of view.

It is easy to believe distorted facts, especially when they fall in line with what someone wants to believe.  According to the lesson handout  World Religions and Cults, some 38% of the planet's population are following a religion or cult other than Christianity.  Another 33.2% of the planet's population is not included among the more popular religions or cults listed.  Christianity accounts for roughly 28.8% of the population of the planet.

John the Evangelist wrote the passage we study today in the latter part of the first century AD because people began to insert their own beliefs onto the teaching of Christ and the Apostles developing new sects, denominations, cults and ultimately new religions.  

John points out that, even then, attitudes of "anti-Christ" were arising, opposing the Messianic nature of Jesus.  Sometimes "antichrist" referred to one person, as when Daniel called an individual the coming ruler, or when Paul referred to "the lawless one", or when John refers to him as "the beast", but it also refers to the many who live by the false idea that Jesus is not the Christ–the individual sent by God to reconcile humanity back into personal fellowship with God.  As you can see from World Religions and Cults, over 70% of the planet's population holds such a perspective.

John teaches us that those who teach something that is NOT of the original faith, that is too extreme, dangerous, or that looses connection with the original teachings are not being led by the Holy Spirit, but rather are being led by some other spirit.  Says John:

"They went out from us, but they did not belong to us; for if they had belonged to us, they would have remained with us."

John points out to us that we can know if such teachings are connected to God or not by the leading of the Holy Spirit:

"You have an anointing from the Holy One, and all of you know the truth."

"No lie comes from the truth."

The greatest lie (fake news) that false doctrines teach is denying that Jesus is the divine Messiah (the Christ) whose example, teachings, and very nature serve to reconcile mankind to God.  Because the Holy Spirit teaches believers truth, they have no need for and are to reject any additional revelation in regards to the good news of Jesus Christ's appearance on Earth.

Christian doctrine focuses upon the Messianic good news that God has made a way for spiritual reconciliation with humankind.  

Human doctrines, for good or ill, focus upon the material desires of humans rather than the simple doctrine of the Good News (Gospel) of Christ (Messiah).

False doctrines tend to arise out of someone's need to create more popularity, political power, wealth, or some other material desire.  

Don't be deceived by fake religion.  Focus upon the Gospel of Christ (the Messiah of God) and stay connected to the simple truth of 

ask and it shall be given to you; 

seek and you shall find; 

knock and the way will be made clear to you.

God provided the way to resume fellowship with him that was broken when humans started doing "their own thing."

If we ask God for the restoration of that fellowship in "good faith", it will be restored. If we seek that restoration, if we take action to pursue it, if we make it a part of our everyday lives, that restoration will occur drawing us ever closer to God. 

That is Good News indeed.